The Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300) is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to classify work-related injuries and illnesses and to record the extent and severity of each case. Employers are required to complete the OSHA Form 300 log unless they are exempt. Employers will also be required to post an annual summary (Form 300A) in their workplaces from February 1 until April 30 of each year.
A Form 300 log is required for each physical establishment location that is expected to be in operation for at least one year. Work-related injuries and illnesses that result in the following must be recorded:
Death
Loss of consciousness
Days away from work
Restricted work activity or job transfer
Medical treatment beyond first aid
Any work-related case involving cancer, chronic irreversible disease, a fractured or cracked bone, or a punctured eardrum
In addition, employers must also record the following when work-related:
Any needle-stick injury or cut from a sharp object that is contaminated with another person’s blood or other potentially infectious material
Any case requiring an employee to be medically removed under the requirements of an OSHA health standard
Tuberculosis (TB) infection as evidenced by a positive skin test or diagnosis by a licensed health care professional after exposure to a known case of active TB
An employee’s hearing test result that the employee has experienced a standard threshold shift in hearing in one or both ears
When an accident occurs, an employer must document a recordable injury or illness on the OSHA Form 300 log within seven days. An injury or illness is considered work-related and must be recorded on the log unless an exception applies. Some exceptions may be if the employee was at work as a member of the general public and not as an employee; or if injury or illness surfaces while at work, but results solely from a nonwork-related event or exposure. For example, an employee suffers a heart attack while at work but has a history of heart disease.
The Form 300 will contain information related to an employee’s health and must be kept confidential to the extent possible while using the information for occupational safety and health purposes. OSHA has developed a booklet that includes the forms needed for maintaining occupational injury and illness records along with step-by-step instructions.
The information from the OSHA Form 300 Log is transferred onto the 300A Summary by matching the corresponding lettered column on the log with the lettered blank space on the summary.
Employers must complete the 300A summary form and post the summary in the workplace from February 1 to April 30 of the year following the year covered by the form at each job site in a conspicuous area where notices to employees are customarily placed. Copies of the 300A summary should be provided to any employees who may not see the posted summary because they do not regularly report to a fixed location.
The OSHA Form 300 Log and the OSHA 300A Summary must be kept for five years following the year that the log and summary pertain to.
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