OSHA Injury and Illness recordkeeping and reporting can be a complex process. In general, OSHA requires that employers keep records of injuries and illnesses that occur in the workplace as a result of work-related tasks and responsibilities. Certain more severe injuries and illnesses must also be reported to OSHA when the incident takes place. The records and reports generated by any business fall into two categories: recordable incidents and reportable incidents.
Recordable incidents are any illness or injury that result in medical or convalescent care greater than first aid. These cases range from minor injuries and illnesses such as musculoskeletal injuries (sprains/strains) to deaths or disabilities related to falls or exposure to harmful substances. Recordable incidents are so named because the incidents must be recorded and tracked by the business. These records are commonly reviewed by OSHA as requested.
The other category of incidents are reportable incidents; these injuries and illnesses are also recordable incidents. Reportable incidents are so named, because they must be reported directly to OSHA within 8–24 hours depending on the occurrence. Reportable incidents are always severe in nature and include amputations, loss of an eye, in-patient hospitalization (admittance), and fatalities. Reporting these events may trigger an OSHA investigation process.
Determining work relatedness of an injury or illness can be a challenging task. Any incident where an employee is assigned job functions or responsibilities may be work related even if they occur away from the normal place of business and even in the home. Violation of company policy resulting in injuries or illnesses in the workplace or while performing company business are considered work related. Incidents which occur due to tasks specifically unrelated to work and which are personal in nature are typically not recordable.
The actual recordkeeping process is straightforward once recordability, reportability, and work relatedness are understood. Recordable and reportable incidents must be logged on the OSHA Form 300 and an investigation into the cause of the incident must be completed using the OSHA Form 301. Both Forms 300 and 301 may be replaced with a suitable alternative system so long as the information required by both forms is collected and retained. Forms 300 and 301 are commonly replaced with internal spreadsheets and workers compensation first report of injury or internal incident reports. The information from Form 300 is used to create the OSHA Form 300A. This form provides a snapshot summary of the incidents which occurred over the last year.
If you need any assistance with your injury or illness record keeping program, please contact your Risk Control representative for more information and support. You can always email [email protected] with questions concerning OSHA compliance programs.
