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OSHA filing and report submissions can be a daunting task for the 8 million US OSHA-compliant worksites. Confusion about whether a work-related incident is recordable or reportable is a challenge for many businesses. However, it’s essential to get it right or face the risk of being penalized.
To help simplify the processes, we’ll clarify what separates an OSHA recordable incident from an OSHA reportable incident. Understanding the differences between these two will go a long way in compliance with OSHA regulations and help make your next decision about whether to record or report a workplace injury an easier one.
Recording is logging when there is a workplace injury or illness. The OSHA 301 Form is where injury records are logged. This form is not required for OSHA submission but must be kept for at least 5 years.
Reporting is notifying – and reporting to – OSHA about the outcomes of workplace incidents. A reportable injury must be reported to OSHA within 8 – 24 hours on incidents that meet reporting requirements.
What Qualifies as an OSHA Recordable Incident?
According to OSHA standards, an incident qualifies as ‘recordable’ if it results in any of the following:
- Death
- Days away from work
- Restricted work or transfer to another job
- Medical treatment beyond first aid
- Loss of consciousness
- Significant injury/illness as diagnosed by a physician/other licensed healthcare professional
- Needlestick/sharp cut injuries
- Medical removal of employee(s)
- Work-related hearing loss
- Work-related tuberculosis
- Cancer
- Chronic irreversible disease
- Fractures or cracked bones
- Punctured eardrum
- Any wound or damage to the body from a work-related event
- Work-related skin diseases or disorders
- Respiratory condition
- Poisoning
- Heatstroke, sunstroke, heat exhaustion, heat stress, or other effects of heat exposure
- Freezing, frostbite, or other effects of low-temperature exposure
- Decompression sickness
- Effects of ionizing radiation (e.g. isotopes, x-rays, radium)
- Effects of non-iodizing radiation (e.g. welding flash, ultraviolet rays, lasers)
- Anthrax
- Bloodborne pathogenic diseases (e.g. AIDS, HIV, hepatitis B or C)
- Brucellosis
- Malignant or benign tumors
- Histoplasmosis
- Coccidioidomycosis
What is not OSHA Recordable?
If an incident results in only the provision of first aid (e.g. use of non-prescription medicine; cleaning, flushing or soaking a wound; use of bandages, plasters, etc.) then you can – but do not have to – record it.
Also, where a physician or health care professional visits with the sole purpose of observation/counseling, it is not considered official medical treatment and does not meet OSHA recordkeeping requirements.
What Qualifies as an OSHA Reportable Incident?
While all reportable injuries are also recordable, not every recordable injury needs to be reported. Here are what OSHA qualifies as a reportable incident:
- Death
- Days away from work
- Restricted work or transfer to another job
- Medical treatment beyond first aid
- Loss of consciousness
- Significant injury/illness as diagnosed by a physician/other licensed healthcare professional
- Needlestick/sharp cut injuries
- Medical removal of employee(s)
- Work-related hearing loss
- Work-related tuberculosis
30+ Audit and inspection checklists free for download.
Where to Record OSHA Injuries
There are three forms that you must be aware of when either a recordable or reportable workplace incident takes place. It’s not uncommon to be confused about what each form represents – even for those who have completed many. Let’s take a brief look at each of the three forms.
OSHA 301 Form
The OSHA 301 Form, called the Injury and Illness Incident Report, is used to summarize the details of events for all recordable incidents – this includes reportable and non-reportable. Consider this form as internal recordkeeping for your company’s occupational safety performance and a deferring tool in the case a workplace safety dispute arises.
OSHA Form 300
An OSHA 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries is used to document all reportable injuries and illnesses that occur at their worksite. The form requests the details about the injury or illness, who was involved when it occurred, and whether it resulted in time away from the job or on restricted/light duties.
OSHA Form 300a
OSHA’s Form 300-A, called the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, shows the annual total for each category of incident type within the OSHA 300 Form. At the end of the year, the report should be displayed in a prominent place on-site so that employees are aware of serious injuries and illnesses that have occurred.
How to Improve Your OSHA Reporting and Recording
It’s the responsibility of all compliant worksites to properly complete and submit OSHA forms to standard. Not only does proper reporting and recording avoid penalties, but more importantly it shows employees how seriously their safety is taken.
With Certainty, your recording and reporting processes become more manageable, higher quality, and more efficient.
A challenge you may have come across is managing the recordings, reports, and implementation of corrective actions of a company’s numerous worksites. Using Certainty’s multilingual platform with our distributable scheduling, enterprise-wide reporting, and automated tracking and action delegation, you’ll be able to have clearer visibility and control over your worksites; ensuring the on-site recordings and reports are submitted on time and up to standard.
Certainty’s free-to-download OSHA 300 – Log of Work-Related Injuries & Illnesses Checklist and OSHA 301 – Injuries & Illnesses Incident Report Checklist is an excellent starting points for streamlining your recording and reporting process. Instead of writing, collecting, and filing your paper-based OSHA forms, these checklists digitize the entire process and simplify OSHA e-submissions.
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