Recording Work-Relate Injuries and Illnesses

The Log or Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300) is used to classify work- related injuries and illnesses and to note the extent and severity of each case. When an incident occurs, use the to record specific details about what happened and how it happened.

The Summary —a separate form ( Form 300A) —shows the totals for the year in each category. At the end of the year, post the in a visible location so that your employees are aware of the injuries and illnesses occurring in their workplace.

Employers must keep a for each establishment or site. If you have more than one establishment, you must keep a separate and for each physical location that is expected to be in operation for one year or longer.

Note that your employees have the right to review your injury and illness records. For more information, see 29 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1904.35,

Cases listed on the are not necessarily eligible for workers ’compensation or other insurance benefits. Listing a case on the does not mean that the employer or worker was at fault or that an OSHA standard was violated.

When is an injury or illness considered work- related?

An injury or illness is considered work- related if an event or exposure in the work environment caused or contributed to the condition or significantly aggravated a preexisting condition. Work- relatedness is presumed for injuries and illnesses resulting from events or exposures occurring in the workplace, unless an exception specifically applies. See 29 CFR Part 1904.5( b) ( 2) for the exceptions. The work environment includes the establishment and other locations where one or more employees are working or are present as a condition of their employment. See 29 CFR Part 1904.5( b) ( 1) .

Which work-related injuries and illnesses should you record?

Record those work- related injuries and illnesses that result in:
• death,
• loss of consciousness,
• days away from work,
• restricted work activity or job transfer, or
• medical treatment beyond first aid.

You must also record work- related injuries and illnesses that are significant (as defined below) or meet any of the additional criteria listed below.

You must record any significant work-related injury or illness that is diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional. You must record any work- related case involving cancer, chronic irreversible disease, a fractured or cracked bone, or a punctured eardrum. See 29 CFR 1904.7.

What are the Additional Criteria?

You must record the following conditions when they are work- related:
• any needlestick 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 infection as evidenced by a positive skin test or diagnosis by a physician or other licensed health care professional after exposure to a known case of active tuberculosis.

What is Medical Treatment?

Medical treatment includes managing and caring for a patient for the purpose of combating disease or disorder. The following are not considered medical treatments and are NOT recordable:
• visits to a doctor or health care professional solely for observation or counseling;
• diagnostic procedures, including administering prescription medications that are used solely for diagnostic purposes; and
• any procedure that can be labeled first aid.
(See below for more information about first aid.)

What do you need to do?

1. Within 7 calendar days after you receive information about a case, decide if the case is recordable under the OSHA recordkeeping requirements.
2. Determine whether the incident is a new case or a recurrence of an existing one.
3. Establish whether the case was work-related.
4. If the case is recordable, decide which form you will fill out as the injury and illness incident report.
You may use OSHA's 301: Injury and Illness Incident Report or an equivalent form. Some state workers compensation, insurance or other reports may be acceptable substitutes, as long as they provide the same information as the OSHA 301.

How to work with the log

1. Identify the employee involved unless it is a privacy concern case as described below.
2. Identify when and where the case occurred.
3. Describe the case, as specifically as you can.
4. Classify the seriousness of the case by recording the most serious outcome associated with the case, with column J (other serious recordable cases) being the least serious and column G (Death) being the most serious.
5. Identify whether the case is an injury or illness. If the case is an injury, check the injury category. If the case is an illness, check the appropriate illness category.

What is First Aid

If the incident required only the following types of treatment, consider it first aid. Do NOT record the case if it involves only:
• using non- prescription medications at non-prescription strength;
• administering tetanus immunizations;
• cleaning, flushing, or soaking wounds on the skin surface;
• using wound coverings, such as bandages, BandAids ™, gauze pads, etc. , or using SteriStrips ™or butterfly bandages.
• using hot or cold therapy;
• using any totally non- rigid means of support, such as elastic bandages, wraps, non- rigid back belts, etc. ;
• using temporary immobilization devices while transporting an accident victim ( splints, slings, neck collars, or back boards) .
• drilling a fingernail or toenail to relieve pressure, or draining fluids from blisters;
• using eye patches;
• using simple irrigation or a cotton swab to remove foreign bodies not embedded in or adhered to the eye;
• using irrigation, tweezers, cotton swab or other simple means to remove splinters or foreign material from areas other than the eye;
• using finger guards;
• using massages;
• drinking fluids to relieve heat stress

How do you decide if the case involved restricted work?

Restricted work activity occurs when, as the result of a work- related injury or illness, an employer or health care professional keeps, or recommends keeping, an employee from doing the routine functions of his or her job or from working the full workday that the employee would have been scheduled to work before the injury or illness occurred.

How do you count the number of days of restricted work activity or the number of days away from work?

Count the number of calendar days the employee was on restricted work activity or was away from work as a result of the recordable injury or illness. Do not count the day on which the injury or illness occurred in this number.

Begin counting days from the day after the incident occurs. If a single injury or illness involved both days away from work and days of restricted work activity, enter the total number of days for each. You may stop counting days of restricted work activity or days away from work once the total of either or the combination of both reaches 180 days.

Under what circumstances should you NOT enter the employee ’s name on the OSHA Form 300?

You must consider the following types of injuries or illnesses to be privacy concern cases:
• an injury or illness to an intimate body part or to the reproductive system,
• an injury or illness resulting from a sexual assault,
• a mental illness,
• a case of HIV infection, hepatitis, or tuberculosis,
• a needlestick injury or cut from a sharp object that is contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious material ( see 29 CFR Part 1904.8 for definition) , and
• other illnesses, if the employee independently and voluntarily requests that his or her name not be entered on the log.
You must not enter the employee ’s name on the OSHA 300 Log for these cases. Instead, enter "privacy case "in the space normally used for the employee ’s name. You must keep a separate, confidential list of the case numbers and employee names for the establishment ’s privacy concern cases so that you can update the cases and provide information to the government if asked to do so.
If you have a reasonable basis to believe that information describing the privacy concern case may be personally identifiable even though the employee ’s name has been omitted, you may use discretion in describing the injury or illness on both the OSHA 300 and 301 forms. You must enter enough information to identify the cause of the incident and the general severity of the injury or illness, but you do not need to include details of an intimate or private nature.

What if the outcome changes after you record the case?

If the outcome or extent of an injury or illness changes after you have recorded the case, simply draw a line through the original entry or, if you wish, delete or white- out the original entry. Then write the new entry where it belongs. Remember, you need to record the most serious outcome for each case.

Classifying injuries

An injury is any wound or damage to the body resulting from an event in the work environment.

Examples: Cut, puncture, laceration, abrasion, fracture, bruise, contusion, chipped tooth, amputation, insect bite, electrocution, or a thermal, chemical, electrical, or radiation burn. Sprain and strain injuries to muscles, joints, and connective tissues are classified as injuries when they result from a slip, trip, fall or other similar accidents.

Classifying illnesses

Skin diseases or disorders Skin diseases or disorders are illnesses involving the worker ’s skin that are caused by work exposure to chemicals, plants, or other substances.

Examples: Contact dermatitis, eczema, or rash caused by primary irritants and sensitizers or poisonous plants; oil acne; friction blisters, chrome ulcers; inflammation of the skin.

Respiratory conditions

Respiratory conditions are illnesses associated with breathing hazardous biological agents, chemicals, dust, gases, vapors, or fumes at work.

Examples: Silicosis, asbestosis, pneumonitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis or acute congestion; farmer ’s lung, beryllium disease, tuberculosis, occupational asthma, reactive airways dysfunction syndrome ( RADS) , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD) , hypersensitivity pneumonitis, toxic inhalation injury, such as metal fume fever, chronic obstructive bronchitis, and other pneumoconioses.

Poisoning

Poisoning includes disorders evidenced by abnormal concentrations of toxic substances in blood, other tissues, other bodily fluids, or the breath that are caused by the ingestion or absorption of toxic substances into the body.

Examples: Poisoning by lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, or other metals; poisoning by carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, or other gases; poisoning by benzene, benzol, carbon tetrachloride, or other organic solvents; poisoning by insecticide sprays, such as parathion or lead arsenate; poisoning by other chemicals, such as formaldehyde.

All other illnesses

Examples: Heatstroke, sunstroke, heat exhaustion, heat stress and other effects of environmental heat; freezing, frostbite, and other effects of exposure to low temperatures; decompression sickness; effects of ionizing radiation ( isotopes, x- rays, radium) ; effects of nonionizing radiation ( welding flash, ultra- violet rays, lasers) ; anthrax; bloodborne pathogenic diseases, such as AIDS, HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C; brucellosis; malignant or benign tumors; histoplasmosis; coccidioidomycosis.

When must you post the Summary?

You must post the Summary only —not the Log —by February 1 of the year following the year covered by the form and keep it posted until April 30 of that year. How long must you keep the Log and Summary on file?

You must keep the Log and Summary for 5 years following the year to which they pertain.

Do you have to send these forms to OSHA at the end of the year?

No. You do not have to send the completed forms to OSHA unless specifically asked to do so.

Establish whether the case was work-related

If the case is recordable, decide which form you will fill out as the injury and illness incident report. You may use or an equivalent form. Some state workers compensation, insurance, or other reports may be acceptable substitutes, as long as they provide the same information as the OSHA 301.

Classify the seriousness of the case by recording the associated with the case, with column J ( Other recordable cases) being the least serious and column G ( Death) being the most serious.

The Occupational Safety and Health ( OSH) Act of 1970 requires certain employers to prepare and maintain records of work- related injuries and illnesses. Use these definitions when you classify cases on the Log. OSHA’s recordkeeping regulation ( see 29 CFR Part 1904) provides more information about the definitions below.

Calculating Injury and Illness Incidence

What is an incidence rate?

An incidence rate is the number of recordable injuries and illnesses occurring among a given number of full- time workers ( usually 100 full-time workers) over a given period of time ( usually one year) . To evaluate your firm ’s injury and illness experience over time or to compare your firm ’s experience with that of your industry as a whole, you need to compute your incidence rate. Because a specific number of workers and a specific period of time are involved, these rates can help you identify problems in your workplace and/ or progress you may have made in preventing work-related injuries and illnesses.

How do you calculate an incidence rate?

You can compute an occupational injury and illness incidence rate for all recordable cases or for cases that involved days away from work for your firm quickly and easily. The formula requires that you follow instructions in paragraph (a) below for the total recordable cases or those in paragraph (b) for cases that involved days away from work, and for both rates the instructions in paragraph (c) .

(a) To find out the total number of recordable injuries and illnesses that occurred during the year, count the number of line entries on your OSHA Form 300, or refer to the OSHA Form 300A and sum the entries for columns (G) , (H) ,(I) , and (J).

(b) To find out the number of injuries and illnesses that involved days away from work, count the number of line entries on your OSHA Form 300 that received a check mark in column (H) , or refer to the entry for column (H) on the OSHA Form 300A.

(c) The number of hours all employees actually worked during the year . Refer to OSHA Form 300A and optional worksheet to calculate this number.

You can compute the incidence rate for all recordable cases of injuries and illnesses using the following formula:

Total number of injuries and illnesses ÷Number of hours worked by all employees X 200,000 hours = Total recordable case rate (The 200,000 figure in the formula represents the number of hours 100 employees working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year would work, and provides the standard base for calculating incidence rates. )

You can compute the incidence rate for recordable cases involving days away from work, days of restricted work activity or job transfer (DART) using the following formula:

(Number of entries in column H + Number of entries in column I) ÷Number of hours worked by all employees X 200,000 hours = DART incidence rate

You can use the same formula to calculate incidence rates for other variables such as cases involving restricted work activity (column (I) on Form 300A) , cases involving skin disorders (column (M- 2) on Form 300A) , etc. Just substitute the appropriate total for these cases, from Form 300A, into the formula in place of the total number of injuries and illnesses.

What can I compare my incidence rate to?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) conducts a survey of occupational injuries and illnesses each year and publishes incidence rate data by various classifications (e. g. , by industry, by employer size, etc.) . You can obtain these published data at www. bls. gov or by calling a BLS Regional Office.

How to Fill Out the Log

The Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses is used to classify work- related injuries and illnesses and to note the extent and severity of each case. When an incident occurs, use the Log to record specific details about what happened and how it happened.

If your company has more than one establishment or site, you must keep separate records for each physical location that is expected to remain in operation for one year or longer. You don ’t post the Log. You post only the Summary at the end of the year.

The Summary —a separate form — shows the work- related injury and illness totals for the year in each category. At the end of the year, count the number of incidents in each category and transfer the totals from the to the Then post the in a visible location so that your employees are aware of injuries and illnesses occurring in their workplace.

Revise the log if the injury or illness progresses and the outcome is more serious than you originally recorded for the case. Cross out, erase, or white- out the original entry.

Be as specific as possible. You can use two lines if you need more room. Note whether the case involves an injury or an illness. Choose ONE of these categories. Classify the case by recording the most serious outcome of the case, with column J (Other recordable cases) being the least serious and column G (Death) being the most serious.

Check the "Injury "column or choose one type of illness:

Describe injury or illness, parts of body affected, and object/ substance that directly injured or made person ill

• Skin disorders
• Respiratory conditions
• Poisoning
• All other illnesses:

Injury

You must record information about every work- related death and about every work- related injury or illness that involves loss of consciousness, restricted work activity or job , days away from work, or medical treatment beyond first aid. You must also record significant work- related injuries and illnesses that are diagnosed by a physician or licensed health care professional. You must also record work- related injuries and illnesses that meet any of the specific recording criteria listed in 29 CFR Part 1904.8 through 1904.12. Feel free to use two lines for a single case if you need to. You must complete an Injury and Illness Incident Report (OSHA Form 301) or equivalent form for each injury or illness recorded on this form. If you ’re not sure whether a case is recordable, call your local OSHA office for help.

Enter the number of days the injured or ill worker was:
• Death
• Days away from work
• Other record- able cases
• Job transfer or restriction
• On job transfer or restriction
• Away from work
Attention: This form contains information relating to employee health and must be used in a manner that protects the confidentiality of employees to the extent possible while the information is being used for occupational safety and health purposes.

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