Osha Illness And Injury Posting Requirements

Reminder to Employers:

Covered employers are required to post the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Form 300A form, a Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, in their workplaces from February 1 until April 30, each year. Previously, this information only had to be posted for a month. Form 300A reports the employer’s total number of deaths, missed workdays, job transfers or restrictions, and injuries and illnesses as recorded on Form 300 (the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). Form 300 must be maintained by the employer throughout the year.

Form 300A is one of three OSHA forms required as part of the agency’s recordkeeping rule that took effect in January 2002. All employers must post a notice informing employees of the protections and obligations provided by the OSH Act. The notice must be posted in a conspicuous place or where notices to employees are usually posted. See 29 C.F.R. 1903.2(a).

General OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements

OSHA requires employers with 11 or more employees, except employers in certain low-hazard industries, to maintain a log and summary of all recordable work-related injuries and illnesses. (See 29 C.F.R. §§1904.0-1904.2.) Employers in 56 low-hazard retail, service, finance, insurance, and real estate industries specifically listed by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code in Appendix A of the OSHA recordkeeping regulations are exempt from the routine illness and injury recordkeeping. (See 29 C.F.R. §1904.2.) The OSHA website provides a list of exempt industries at osha-slc.gov/recordkeeping/ppt1/RK1exempttable.html.

The regulations provide two forms for recording this information, OSHA Forms 300 (the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and 300A (the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). In addition, a supplementary record for each recordable injury or illness on Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) must be kept. Form 300, 300A, and 301 should be maintained on a calendar year basis. (See 29 C.F.R. §§1904.0-1904.2, 1904.7, 1904.29, and 1904.32.) Forms 300 and 301 are required beginning January 1, 2002.

Form 300A is intended to summarize the employer’s yearly totals for illnesses and injuries and is taken from the information recorded on the Log of Work-Related Illnesses and Injuries, Form 300. Specifically, it requires that you calculate the total number of deaths, cases with days away from work, cases with job transfers or restrictions, and any other recordable cases. In addition, you must identify the total number of days of job restrictions or transfers and days away from work. Finally, you must report what types of injuries and illnesses you experienced, including the total number of injuries, skin disorders, respiratory conditions, poisonings, and all other illnesses. (See 29 C.F.R. §1904.32.)

Post a copy of Form 300A in each establishment in a conspicuous place or where notices to employees are usually posted, such as in employee break areas, lunch rooms or locker rooms. You also must ensure that the posted annual summary is not altered, defaced or covered by other material. In addition, an executive must certify that the OSHA 300 Log has been examined and that the annual summary is believed to be correct and complete. The certifying executive can be either the owner or an officer of the organization, the highest-ranking executive at the establishment, or the supervisor of that highest-ranking executive.

Copies of OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301 are available on OSHA’s web site.