OSHA requires construction and manufacturing businesses (among others) to complete and regularly update paperwork related to workplace safety. Perhaps the best known of these is the OSHA 300 log, which records the details of injuries and illnesses that occur at your workplace.
What kind of injuries/illnesses must be reported?
Starting in 2015, employers will have to report the following to OSHA:
• All work-related fatalities
• All work-related inpatient hospitalizations of one or more employees
• All work-related amputations
• All work-related losses of an eye
Recordkeeping Requirements
Many employers with more than 10 employees are required to keep a record of serious work-related injuries and illnesses. (Certain low-risk industries are exempted.) Minor injuries requiring first aid only do not need to be recorded.
OSHA Recordkeeping and COVID-19
Under OSHA's recordkeeping requirements, COVID-19 is a recordable illness, and thus employers are responsible for recording cases of COVID-19, if:
The case is a confirmed case of COVID-19, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC);
The case is work-related as defined by 29 CFR § 1904.5; and
The case involves one or more of the general recording criteria set forth in 29 CFR § 1904.7.
Maintaining and Posting Records
The records must be maintained at the worksite for at least five years. Each February through April, employers must post a summary of the injuries and illnesses recorded the previous year. Also, if requested, copies of the records must be provided to current and former employees, or their representatives.
Qualifying incidents that must be recorded on Form 300 include all:
Work-related deaths
Work-related injuries or illnesses that involve a worker's:
loss of consciousness
restricted work activity
transfer to another position
days away from work or
medical treatment past first aid
Employers must keep a log for each establishment or site. If you have more than one establishment, you must keep a separate log and summary for each physical location.
Need more clarification on different forms? Click here to find out more.