OSHA Recordkeeping Guidance
§ 1904.1 Partial exemption for employers with 10 or fewer
employees.
(a) Basic requirement. (1) If your company had ten (10) or fewer
employees at all times during the last calendar year, you do not need to keep
OSHA injury and illness records unless OSHA or the BLS informs you in writing
that you must keep records under § 1904.41 or § 1904.42. However, as required
by § 1904.39, all employers covered by the OSH Act must report to OSHA any
workplace incident that results in a fatality or the hospitalization of three
or more employees.
(2) If your company had more than ten (10) employees at any time during the last
calendar year, you must keep OSHA injury and illness records unless your
establishment is classified as a partially exempt industry under § 1904.2.
(b) Implementation. (1) Is the partial exemption for size based on the
size of my entire company or on the size of an individual business
establishment? The partial exemption for size is based on the number of
employees in the entire company.
(2) How do I determine the size of my company to find out if I qualify for the
partial exemption for size? To determine if you are exempt because of
size, you need to determine your company's peak employment during the last
calendar year. If you had no more than 10 employees at any time in the last
calendar year, your company qualifies for the partial exemption for size.
§ 1904.2 Partial exemption for establishments
in certain industries.
(a) Basic requirement. (1) If your business establishment is classified
in a specific low hazard retail, service, finance, insurance or real estate
industry listed in Appendix A to this Subpart B, you do not need to keep OSHA
injury and illness records unless the government asks you to keep the records
under § 1904.41 or § 1904.42. However, all employers must report to OSHA any
workplace incident that results in a fatality or the hospitalization of three
or more employees (see § 1904.39).
(2) If one or more of your company's establishments are classified in a
non-exempt industry, you must keep OSHA injury and illness records for all of
such establishments unless your company is partially exempted because of size
under § 1904.1.
(b) Implementation. (1) Does the partial industry classification exemption
apply only to business establishments in the retail, services, finance,
insurance or real estate industries (SICs
52-89)? Yes, business establishments classified in agriculture; mining;
construction; manufacturing; transportation; communication, electric, gas and
sanitary services; or wholesale trade are not eligible for the partial industry
classification exemption.
(2) Is the partial industry classification exemption based on the industry
classification of my entire company or on the classification of individual
business establishments operated by my company? The partial industry
classification exemption applies to individual business establishments. If a
company has several business establishments engaged in different classes of
business activities, some of the company's establishments may be required to
keep records, while others may be exempt.
(3) How do I determine the Standard Industrial Classification code for my company
or for individual establishments? You determine your Standard
Industrial Classification (SIC) code by using the Standard Industrial
Classification Manual, Executive Office of the President, Office of Management
and Budget. You may contact your nearest OSHA office or State agency for help
in determining your SIC.
§ 1904.3
Keeping
records for more than one agency.
If you create records to comply with another government agency's injury and
illness recordkeeping requirements, OSHA will consider those records as meeting
OSHA's
Part 1904 recordkeeping requirements if OSHA accepts the other agency's records
under a memorandum of understanding with that agency, or if the other agency's
records contain the same information as this Part 1904 requires you to record.
You may contact your nearest OSHA office or State agency for help in
determining whether your records meet
OSHA's
requirements.
Non-Mandatory Appendix A to Subpart B -- Partially Exempt Industries
Employers are not required to keep OSHA injury and illness records for any
establishment classified in the following Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC) codes, unless they are asked in writing to do so by OSHA, the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS), or a state agency operating under the authority of OSHA
or the BLS. All employers, including those partially exempted by reason of
company size or industry classification, must report to OSHA any workplace
incident that results in a fatality or the hospitalization of three or more
employees (see § 1904.39).
|
SIC
code
|
Industry description
|
SIC
code
|
Industry description
|
|
525
|
Hardware Stores
|
725
|
Shoe Repair and Shoeshine Parlors
|
|
542
|
Meat and Fish Markets
|
726
|
Funeral Service and Crematories
|
|
544
|
Candy, Nut, and Confectionery Stores
|
729
|
Miscellaneous Personal Services
|
|
545
|
Dairy Products Stores
|
731
|
Advertising Services
|
|
546
|
Retail Bakeries
|
732
|
Credit Reporting and Collection Services
|
|
549
|
Miscellaneous Food Stores
|
733
|
Mailing, Reproduction, & Stenographic Services
|
|
551
|
New and Used Car Dealers
|
737
|
Computer and Data Processing Services
|
|
552
|
Used Car Dealers
|
738
|
Miscellaneous Business Services
|
|
554
|
Gasoline Service Stations
|
764
|
Reupholstery
and Furniture Repair
|
|
557
|
Motorcycle Dealers
|
78
|
Motion Picture
|
|
56
|
Apparel and Accessory Stores
|
791
|
Dance Studios, Schools, and Halls
|
|
573
|
Radio, Television, & Computer Stores
|
792
|
Producers, Orchestras, Entertainers
|
|
58
|
Eating and Drinking Places
|
793
|
Bowling Centers
|
|
591
|
Drug Stores and Proprietary Stores
|
801
|
Offices & Clinics Of Medical Doctors
|
|
592
|
Liquor Stores
|
802
|
Offices and Clinics Of Dentists
|
|
594
|
Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores
|
803
|
Offices Of Osteopathic
|
|
599
|
Retail Stores, Not Elsewhere Classified
|
804
|
Offices Of Other Health Practitioners
|
|
60
|
Depository Institutions (banks & savings institutions)
|
807
|
Medical and Dental Laboratories
|
|
61
|
Nondepository
|
809
|
Health and Allied Services, Not Elsewhere Classified
|
|
62
|
Security and Commodity Brokers
|
81
|
Legal Services
|
|
63
|
Insurance Carriers
|
82
|
Educational Services (schools, colleges, universities and libraries)
|
|
64
|
Insurance Agents, Brokers & Services
|
832
|
Individual and Family Services
|
|
653
|
Real Estate Agents and Managers
|
835
|
Child Day Care Services
|
|
654
|
Title Abstract Offices
|
839
|
Social Services, Not Elsewhere Classified
|
|
67
|
Holding and Other Investment Offices
|
841
|
Museums and Art Galleries
|
|
722
|
Photographic Studios, Portrait
|
86
|
Membership Organizations
|
|
723
|
Beauty Shops
|
87
|
Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management, and Related Services
|
|
724
|
Barber Shops
|
899
|
Services, not elsewhere classified
|
Subpart C -- Recordkeeping Forms and Recording Criteria
Note to Subpart C: This Subpart describes the work-related injuries and
illnesses that an employer must enter into the OSHA records and explains the
OSHA forms that employers must use to record work-related fatalities, injuries,
and illnesses.
§ 1904.4 Recording criteria.
(a) Basic requirement. Each employer required by this Part to keep
records of fatalities, injuries, and illnesses must record each fatality,
injury and illness that:
(1)
Is
work-related; and
(2) Is a new case; and
(3) Meets one or more of the general recording criteria of § 1904.7 or the
application to specific cases of § 1904.8 through § 1904.12.
(b) Implementation. (1) What sections of this rule describe recording
criteria for recording work-related injuries and illnesses? The table
below indicates which sections of the rule address each topic.
(i) Determination of work-relatedness. See § 1904.5.
(ii) Determination of a new case. See § 1904.6.
(iii) General recording criteria. See § 1904.7.
(iv) Additional
criteria.
(Needlestick
and sharps injury cases, tuberculosis cases, hearing loss cases, medical
removal cases, and musculoskeletal disorder cases).
See § 1904.8 through § 1904.12.
(2) How do I decide whether a particular injury or illness is recordable?
The decision tree for recording work-related injuries and illnesses below shows
the steps involved in making this determination.
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P
BILLING CODE 4510-26-C
§ 1904.5 Determination of work-relatedness.
(a) Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to be
work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or
contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a
pre-existing injury or illness. Work-relatedness is presumed for injuries and
illnesses resulting from events or exposures occurring in the work environment,
unless an exception in § 1904.5(b)(2) specifically
applies.
(b) Implementation. (1) What is the "work environment"? OSHA defines the
work environment as "the establishment and other locations where one or more
employees are working or are present as a condition of their employment. The
work environment includes not only physical locations, but also the equipment
or materials used by the employee during the course of his or her work."
(2) Are there situations where an injury or illness occurs in the work
environment and is not considered work-related? Yes, an injury or
illness occurring in the work environment that falls under one of the following
exceptions is not work-related, and therefore is not recordable.
|
1904.5(b)(2)
|
You are not required to record injuries
and illnesses if . . .
|
|
(i)
|
At the time of the injury or illness, the employee was present in the work
environment as a member of the general public rather than as an employee.
|
|
(ii)
|
The injury or illness involves signs or symptoms that surface at work but result
solely from a non-work-related event or exposure that occurs outside the work
environment.
|
|
(iii)
|
The injury or illness results solely from voluntary participation in a wellness
program or in a medical, fitness, or recreational activity such as blood
donation, physical examination, flu shot, exercise class, racquetball, or
baseball.
|
|
(iv)
|
The injury or illness is solely the result of an employee eating, drinking, or
preparing food or drink for personal consumption (whether bought on the
employer's premises or brought in). For example, if the employee is injured by
choking on a sandwich while in the employer's establishment, the case would not
be considered work-related.
Note: If the employee is made ill by ingesting food contaminated by
workplace contaminants (such as lead), or gets food poisoning from food
supplied by the employer, the case would be considered work-related.
|
|
(v)
|
The injury or illness is solely the result of an employee doing personal tasks
(unrelated to their employment) at the establishment outside of the employee's
assigned working hours.
|
|
(vi)
|
The injury or illness is solely the result of personal grooming, self medication
for a non-work-related condition, or is intentionally self-inflicted.
|
|
(vii)
|
The injury or illness is caused by a motor vehicle accident and occurs on a
company parking lot or company access road while the employee is commuting to
or from work.
|
|
(viii)
|
The illness is the common cold or flu (Note: contagious diseases such as
tuberculosis, brucellosis, hepatitis A, or plague are considered work-related
if the employee is infected at work).
|
|
(ix)
|
The illness is a mental illness. Mental illness will not be considered
work-related unless the employee voluntarily provides the employer with an
opinion from a physician or other licensed health care professional with
appropriate training and experience (psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric
nurse practitioner, etc.) stating that the employee has a mental illness that
is work-related.
|
(3) How do I handle a case if it is not obvious whether the precipitating event
or exposure occurred in the work environment or occurred away from work?
In these situations, you must evaluate the employee's work duties and
environment to decide whether or not one or more events or exposures in the
work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or
significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.
(4) How do I know if an event or exposure in the work environment "significantly
aggravated" a preexisting injury or illness? A preexisting injury or
illness has been significantly aggravated, for purposes of OSHA injury and
illness recordkeeping, when an event or exposure in the work environment
results in any of the following:
(i)
Death,
provided that the preexisting injury or illness would likely not have resulted
in death but for the occupational event or exposure.
(ii) Loss of
consciousness,
provided that the preexisting injury or illness would likely not have resulted
in loss of consciousness but for the occupational event or exposure.
(iii) One or more days away from work, or days of restricted work, or days of
job transfer that otherwise would not have occurred but for the occupational
event or exposure.
(iv) Medical
treatment in a case where no medical treatment was needed for the injury or
illness before the workplace event or exposure, or a change in medical
treatment was necessitated by the workplace event or exposure.
(5) Which injuries and illnesses are considered pre-existing conditions? An
injury or illness is a preexisting condition if it resulted solely from a
non-work-related event or exposure that
occured
outside the work environment.
(6) How do I decide whether an injury or illness is work-related if the employee
is on travel status at the time the injury or illness occurs? Injuries
and illnesses that occur while an employee is on travel status are work-related
if, at the time of the injury or illness, the employee was engaged in work
activities "in the interest of the employer." Examples of such activities
include travel to and from customer contacts, conducting job tasks, and
entertaining or being entertained to transact, discuss, or promote business
(work-related entertainment includes only entertainment activities being
engaged in at the direction of the employer).
Injuries or illnesses that occur when the employee is on travel status do not
have to be recorded if they meet one of the exceptions listed below.
|
1904.5(b)(6)
|
If the employee
has . . .
|
You may use the following to determine
if an injury or illness is work-related
|
|
(i)
|
checked
into a hotel or motel for one or more days.
|
When a traveling employee checks into a hotel, motel, or into
a
other temporary residence, he or she establishes a "home away from home." You
must evaluate the employee's activities after he or she checks into the hotel,
motel, or other temporary residence for their work-relatedness in the same
manner as you evaluate the activities of a non-traveling employee. When the
employee checks into the temporary residence, he or she is considered to have
left the work environment. When the employee begins work each day, he or she
re-enters the work environment. If the employee has established a "home away
from home" and is reporting to a fixed worksite each day, you also do not
consider injuries or illnesses work-related if they occur while the employee is
commuting between the temporary residence and the job location.
|
|
(ii)
|
taken
a detour for personal reasons.
|
Injuries or illnesses are not considered work-related if they occur while the
employee is on a personal detour from a reasonably direct route of travel (e.g,
has taken a side trip for personal reasons).
|
(7) How do I decide if a case is work-related when the employee is working at
home? Injuries and illnesses that occur while an employee is working at
home, including work in a home office, will be considered work-related if the
injury or illness occurs while the employee is performing work for pay or
compensation in the home, and the injury or illness is directly related to the
performance of work rather than to the general home environment or setting. For
example, if an employee drops a box of work documents and injures his or her
foot, the case is considered work-related. If an employee's fingernail is
punctured by a needle from a sewing machine used to perform garment work at
home, becomes infected and requires medical treatment, the injury is considered
work-related. If an employee is injured because he or she trips on the family
dog while rushing to answer a work phone call, the case is not considered
work-related. If an employee working at home is electrocuted because of faulty
home wiring, the injury is not considered work-related.
§ 1904.6 Determination of new cases.
(a) Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to be a
"new case" if:
(1) The employee has not previously experienced a recorded injury or illness of
the same type that affects the same part of the body, or
(2) The employee previously experienced a recorded injury or illness of the same
type that affected the same part of the body but had recovered completely (all
signs and symptoms had disappeared) from the previous injury or illness and an
event or exposure in the work environment caused the signs or symptoms to
reappear.
(b) Implementation. (1) When an employee experiences the signs or symptoms
of a chronic work-related illness, do I need to consider each recurrence of
signs or symptoms to be a new case? No, for occupational illnesses
where the signs or symptoms may recur or continue in the absence of an exposure
in the workplace, the case must only be recorded once. Examples may include
occupational cancer, asbestosis,
byssinosis
and silicosis.
(2) When an employee experiences the signs or symptoms of an injury or illness as
a result of an event or exposure in the workplace, such as an episode of
occupational asthma, must I treat the episode as a new case? Yes,
because the episode or recurrence was caused by an event or exposure in the
workplace, the incident must be treated as a new case.
(3) May I rely on a physician or other licensed health care professional to
determine whether a case is a new case or a recurrence of an old case? You
are not required to seek the advice of a physician or other licensed health
care professional. However, if you do seek such advice, you must follow the
physician or other licensed health care professional's recommendation about
whether the case is a new case or a recurrence. If you receive recommendations
from two or more physicians or other licensed health care professionals, you
must make a decision as to which recommendation is the most authoritative (best
documented, best reasoned, or most authoritative), and record the case based
upon that recommendation.
§ 1904.7 General recording criteria.
(a) Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to meet the
general recording criteria, and therefore to be 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, or loss of consciousness.
You must also consider a case to meet the general recording criteria if it
involves a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other
licensed health care professional, even if it does not result in death, days
away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first
aid, or loss of consciousness.
(b) Implementation. (1) How do I decide if a case meets one or more of the
general recording criteria? A work-related injury or illness must be
recorded if it results in one or more of the following:
(i) Death. See § 1904.7(b)(2).
(ii) Days away from work. See § 1904.7(b)(3).
(iii) Restricted work or transfer to another job. See § 1904.7(b)(4).
(iv) Medical
treatment beyond first aid. See § 1904.7(b)(5).
(v) Loss of consciousness. See § 1904.7(b)(6).
(vi) A
significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health
care professional. See § 1904.7(b)(7).
(2) How do I record a work-related injury or illness that results in the
employee's death? You must record an injury or illness that results in
death by entering a check mark on the OSHA 300 Log in the space for cases
resulting in death. You must also report any work-related fatality to OSHA
within eight (8) hours, as required by § 1904.39.
(3) How do I record a work-related injury or illness that results in days away
from work? When an injury or illness involves one or more days away
from work, you must record the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log with a
check mark in the space for cases involving days away and an entry of the
number of calendar days away from work in the number of
days
column. If the employee is out for an extended period of time, you must enter
an estimate of the days that the employee will be away, and update the day
count when the actual number of days is known.
(i) Do I count the day on which the injury occurred
or the illness began? No, you begin counting days away on the day after
the injury occurred or the illness began.
(ii) How do I record an injury or illness when a physician or other licensed
health care professional recommends that the worker stay at home but the
employee comes to work anyway? You must record these injuries and
illnesses on the OSHA 300 Log using the check box for cases with days away from
work and enter the number of calendar days away recommended by the physician or
other licensed health care professional. If a physician or other licensed
health care professional recommends days away, you should encourage your
employee to follow that recommendation. However, the days away must be recorded
whether the injured or ill employee follows the physician or licensed health
care professional's recommendation or not. If you receive recommendations from
two or more physicians or other licensed health care professionals, you may
make a decision as to which recommendation is the most authoritative, and
record the case based upon that recommendation.
(iii) How do I handle a case when a physician or other licensed health care
professional recommends that the worker return to work but the employee stays
at home anyway? In this situation, you must end the count of days away
from work on the date the physician or other licensed health care professional
recommends that the employee return to work.
(iv) How do I count weekends, holidays, or
other days the employee would not have worked anyway? You must count
the number of calendar days the employee was unable to work as a result of the
injury or illness, regardless of whether or not the employee was scheduled to
work on those day(s). Weekend days, holidays, vacation days or other days off
are included in the total number of days recorded if the employee would not
have been able to work on those days because of a work-related injury or
illness.
(v) How do I record a case in which a worker is injured or becomes ill on a
Friday and reports to work on a Monday, and was not scheduled to work on the
weekend? You need to record this case only if you receive information
from a physician or other licensed health care professional indicating that the
employee should not have worked, or should have performed only restricted work,
during the weekend. If so, you must record the injury or illness as a case with
days away from work or restricted work, and enter the day counts, as
appropriate.
(vi) How do I record a case in which a worker
is injured or becomes ill on the day before scheduled time off such as a
holiday, a planned vacation, or a temporary plant closing? You need to
record a case of this type only if you receive information from a physician or
other licensed health care professional indicating that the employee should not
have worked, or should have performed only restricted work, during the
scheduled time off. If so, you must record the injury or illness as a case with
days away from work or restricted work, and enter the day counts, as
appropriate.
(vii) Is there a limit to the number of days away from work I must count?
Yes, you may "cap" the total days away at 180 calendar days. You are not
required to keep track of the number of calendar days away from work if the
injury or illness resulted in more than 180 calendar days away from work and/or
days of job transfer or restriction. In such a case, entering 180 in the total
days
away column will be considered adequate.
(viii) May I stop counting days if an employee who is away from work because of
an injury or illness retires or leaves my company? Yes, if the employee
leaves your company for some reason unrelated to the injury or illness, such as
retirement, a plant closing, or to take another job, you may stop counting days
away from work or days of restriction/job transfer. If the employee leaves your
company because of the injury or illness, you must estimate the total number of
days away or days of restriction/job transfer and enter the day count on the
300 Log.
(ix) If a case occurs in one year but results in days away during the next
calendar year, do I record the case in both years? No, you only record
the injury or illness once. You must enter the number of calendar days away for
the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log for the year in which the injury or
illness occurred. If the employee is still away from work because of the injury
or illness when you prepare the annual summary, estimate the total number of
calendar days you expect the employee to be away from work, use this number to
calculate the total for the annual summary, and then update the initial log
entry later when the day count is known or reaches the 180-day cap.
(4) How do I record a work-related injury or illness that results in restricted
work or job transfer? When an injury or illness involves restricted
work or job transfer but does not involve death or days away from work, you
must record the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log by placing a check mark
in the space for job transfer or restriction and an entry of the number of
restricted or transferred days in the restricted workdays column.
(i) How do I decide if the injury or illness resulted
in restricted work? Restricted work occurs when, as the result of a
work-related injury or illness:
(A) You keep the employee from performing one or more of the routine functions
of his or her job, or from working the full workday that he or she would
otherwise have been scheduled to work; or
(B) A physician or other licensed health care professional recommends that the
employee not perform one or more of the routine functions of his or her job, or
not work the full workday that he or she would otherwise have been scheduled to
work.
(ii) What is meant by "routine functions"? For recordkeeping purposes, an
employee's routine functions are those work activities the employee regularly
performs at least once per week.
(iii) Do I have to record restricted work or job transfer if it applies only to
the day on which the injury occurred or the illness began? No, you do
not have to record restricted work or job transfers if you, or the physician or
other licensed health care professional, impose the restriction or transfer
only for the day on which the injury occurred or the illness began.
(iv) If you or a physician or other licensed
health care professional recommends a work restriction, is the injury or
illness automatically recordable as a "restricted work" case? No, a
recommended work restriction is recordable only if it affects one or more of
the employee's routine job functions. To determine whether this is the case,
you must evaluate the restriction in light of the routine functions of the
injured or ill employee's job. If the restriction from you or the physician or
other licensed health care professional keeps the employee from performing one
or more of his or her routine job
functions,
or from working the full workday the injured or ill employee would otherwise
have worked, the employee's work has been restricted and you must record the
case.
(v) How do I record a case where the worker works only for a partial work shift
because of a work-related injury or illness? A partial day of work is
recorded as a day of job transfer or restriction for recordkeeping purposes,
except for the day on which the injury occurred or the illness began.
(vi) If the injured or ill worker produces
fewer goods or services than he or she would have produced prior to the injury
or illness but otherwise performs all of the routine functions of his or her
work, is the case considered a restricted work case? No, the case is
considered restricted work only if the worker does not perform all of the
routine functions of his or her job or does not work the full shift that he or
she would otherwise have worked.
(vii) How do I handle vague restrictions from a physician or other licensed
health care professional, such as that the
employee engage
only in "light duty" or "take it easy for a week"? If you are not clear
about the physician or other licensed health care professional's
recommendation, you may ask that person whether the employee can do all of his
or her routine job functions and work all of his or her normally assigned work
shift. If the answer to both of these questions is "Yes," then the case does
not involve a work restriction and does not have to be recorded as such. If the
answer to one or both of these questions is "No," the case involves restricted
work and must be recorded as a restricted work case. If you are unable to
obtain this additional information from the physician or other licensed health
care professional who recommended the restriction, record the injury or illness
as a case involving restricted work.
(viii) What do I do if a physician or other licensed health care professional
recommends a job restriction meeting
OSHA's
definition, but the employee does all of his or her routine job functions
anyway? You must record the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log as a
restricted work case. If a physician or other licensed health care professional
recommends a job restriction, you should ensure that the employee complies with
that restriction. If you receive recommendations from two or more physicians or
other licensed health care professionals, you may make a decision as to which
recommendation is the most authoritative, and record the case based upon that
recommendation.
(ix) How do I decide if an injury or illness involved a transfer to another job?
If you assign an injured or ill employee to a job other than his or her regular
job for part of the day, the case involves transfer to another job. Note: This
does not include the day on which the injury or illness occurred.
(x) Are transfers to another job recorded in the same way as restricted work
cases? Yes, both job transfer and restricted work cases are recorded in
the same box on the OSHA 300 Log. For example, if you assign, or a physician or
other licensed health care professional recommends that you assign, an injured
or ill worker to his or her routine job duties for part of the day and to
another job for the rest of the day, the injury or illness involves a job
transfer. You must record an injury or illness that involves a job transfer by
placing a check in the box for job transfer.
(xi) How do I count days of job transfer or restriction? You count days
of job transfer or restriction in the same way you count days away from work,
using § 1904.7(b)(3)(i)
to (viii), above. The only difference is that, if you permanently assign the
injured or ill employee to a job that has been modified or permanently changed
in a manner that eliminates the routine functions the employee was restricted
from performing, you may stop the day count when the modification or change is
made permanent. You must count at least one day of restricted work or job
transfer for such cases.
(5) How do I record an injury or illness that involves medical treatment beyond
first aid? If a work-related injury or illness results in medical
treatment beyond first aid, you must record it on the OSHA 300 Log. If the
injury or illness did not involve death, one or more days away from work, one
or more days of restricted work, or one or more days of job transfer, you enter
a check mark in the box for cases where the employee received medical treatment
but remained at work and was not transferred or restricted.
(i) What is the definition of medical treatment?
"Medical treatment" means the management and care of a patient to combat
disease or disorder. For the purposes of Part 1904, medical treatment does not
include:
(A) Visits to a physician or other licensed health care professional solely for
observation or counseling;
(B) The conduct of diagnostic procedures, such as x-rays and blood tests,
including the administration of prescription medications used solely for
diagnostic purposes (e.g., eye drops to dilate pupils); or
(C) "First aid" as defined in paragraph (b)(5)(ii) of
this section.
(ii) What is "first aid"? For the purposes of Part 1904, "first aid"
means the following:
(A) Using a non-prescription medication at nonprescription strength (for
medications available in both prescription and non-prescription form, a
recommendation by a physician or other licensed health care professional to use
a non-prescription medication at prescription strength is considered medical
treatment for recordkeeping purposes);
(B) Administering tetanus immunizations (other immunizations, such as Hepatitis
B vaccine or rabies vaccine, are considered medical treatment);
(C) Cleaning, flushing or soaking wounds on the surface of the skin;
(D) Using wound coverings such as bandages, Band-Aids™, gauze pads, etc.; or
using butterfly bandages or
Steri-Strips™ (other wound closing devices such as
sutures, staples, etc., are considered medical treatment);
(E) Using hot or cold therapy;
(F) Using any non-rigid means of support, such as elastic bandages, wraps,
non-rigid back belts, etc. (devices with rigid stays or other systems designed
to immobilize parts of the body are considered medical treatment for
recordkeeping purposes);
(G) Using temporary immobilization devices while transporting an accident victim
(e.g., splints, slings, neck collars, back boards, etc.).
(H) Drilling of a fingernail or toenail to relieve pressure, or draining fluid
from a blister;
(I) Using eye patches;
(J) Removing foreign bodies from the eye using only irrigation or a cotton swab;
(K) Removing splinters or foreign material from areas other than the eye by
irrigation, tweezers, cotton swabs or other simple means;
(L) Using finger guards;
(M) Using massages (physical therapy or chiropractic treatment are considered
medical treatment for recordkeeping purposes); or
(N) Drinking fluids for relief of heat stress.
(iii) Are any other procedures included in first aid? No, this is a
complete list of all treatments considered first aid for Part 1904 purposes.
(iv) Does the professional status of the person
providing the treatment have any effect on what is considered first aid or
medical treatment? No, OSHA considers the treatments listed in §
1904.7(b)(5)(ii) of this Part to be first aid
regardless of the professional status of the person providing the treatment.
Even when these treatments are provided by a physician or other licensed health
care professional, they are considered first aid for the purposes of Part 1904.
Similarly, OSHA considers treatment beyond first aid to be medical treatment
even when it is provided by someone other than a physician or other licensed
health care professional.
(v) What if a physician or other licensed health care professional recommends
medical treatment but the employee does not follow the recommendation? If
a physician or other licensed health care professional recommends medical
treatment, you should encourage the injured or ill employee to follow that
recommendation. However, you must record the case even if the injured or ill
employee does not follow the physician or other licensed health care
professional's recommendation.
(6) Is every work-related injury or illness case involving a loss of
consciousness recordable? Yes, you must record a work-related injury or
illness if the worker becomes unconscious, regardless of the length of time the
employee remains unconscious.
(7) What is a "significant" diagnosed injury or illness that is recordable under
the general criteria even if it does not result in death, days away from work,
restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of
consciousness? Work-related cases involving cancer, chronic
irreversible disease, a fractured or cracked bone, or a punctured eardrum must
always be recorded under the general criteria at the time of diagnosis by a
physician or other licensed health care professional.
Note to § 1904.7: OSHA believes that most significant injuries and
illnesses will result in one of the criteria listed in § 1904.7(a): death, days
away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first
aid, or loss of consciousness. However, there are some significant injuries,
such as a punctured eardrum or a fractured toe or rib, for which neither
medical treatment nor work restrictions may be recommended. In addition, there
are some significant progressive diseases, such as
byssinosis, silicosis, and some types of cancer,
for which medical treatment or work restrictions may not be recommended at the
time of diagnosis but are likely to be recommended as the disease progresses.
OSHA believes that cancer, chronic irreversible diseases, fractured or cracked
bones, and punctured eardrums are generally considered significant injuries and
illnesses, and must be recorded at the initial diagnosis even if medical
treatment or work restrictions are not recommended, or are postponed, in a
particular case.
§ 1904.8 Recording criteria for
needlestick
and sharps injuries.
(a) Basic requirement. You must record all work-related
needlestick
injuries and cuts from sharp objects that are contaminated with another
person's blood or other potentially infectious material (as defined by 29 CFR
1910.1030). You must enter the case on the OSHA 300 Log as an injury. To
protect the employee's privacy, you may not enter the employee's name on the
OSHA 300 Log (see the requirements for privacy cases in paragraphs 1904.29(b)(6)
through 1904.29(b)(9)).
(b) Implementation. (1) What does "other potentially infectious material"
mean? The term "other potentially infectious materials" is defined in
the OSHA
Bloodborne
Pathogens standard at § 1910.1030(b). These materials include:
(i) Human bodily fluids, tissues and organs, and
(ii) Other materials infected with the HIV or hepatitis B (HBV) virus such as
laboratory cultures or tissues from experimental animals.
(2) Does this mean that I must record all cuts, lacerations, punctures, and
scratches? No, you need to record cuts, lacerations, punctures, and
scratches only if they are work-related and involve contamination with another
person's blood or other potentially infectious material. If the cut,
laceration, or scratch involves a clean object, or a contaminant other than
blood or other potentially infectious material, you need to record the case
only if it meets one or more of the recording criteria in § 1904.7.
(3) If I record an injury and the employee is later diagnosed with an infectious
bloodborne
disease, do I need to update the OSHA 300 Log? Yes, you must update the
classification of the case on the OSHA 300 Log if the case results in death,
days away from work, restricted work, or job transfer. You must also update the
description to identify the infectious disease and change the classification of
the case from an injury to an illness.
(4) What if one of my employees is splashed or exposed to blood or other
potentially infectious material without being cut or scratched? Do I
need to record this incident? You need to record such an incident on the OSHA
300 Log as an illness if:
(i) It results in the diagnosis of a
bloodborne
illness, such as HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C; or
(ii) It meets one or more of the recording criteria in § 1904.7.
§ 1904.9 Recording criteria for cases involving medical removal under OSHA
standards.
(a) Basic requirement. If an employee is medically removed under the
medical surveillance requirements of an OSHA standard, you must record the case
on the OSHA 300 Log.
(b) Implementation. (1) How do I classify medical removal cases on the
OSHA 300 Log? You must enter each medical removal case on the OSHA 300
Log as either a case involving days away from work or a case involving
restricted work activity, depending on how you decide to comply with the
medical removal requirement. If the medical removal is the result of a chemical
exposure, you must enter the case on the OSHA 300 Log by checking the
"poisoning" column.
(2) Do all of
OSHA's
standards have medical removal provisions? No, some OSHA standards,
such as the standards covering
bloodborne
pathogens and noise, do not have medical removal provisions. Many OSHA
standards that cover specific chemical substances have medical removal
provisions. These standards include, but are not limited to, lead, cadmium,
methylene
chloride, formaldehyde, and benzene.
(3) Do I have to record a case where I voluntarily removed the employee from
exposure before the medical removal criteria in an OSHA standard are met?
No, if the case involves voluntary medical removal before the medical removal
levels required by an OSHA standard, you do not need to record the case on the
OSHA 300 Log.
§ 1904.10 Recording criteria for cases involving occupational hearing loss.
(a) Basic requirement. If an employee's hearing test (audiogram) reveals
that a Standard Threshold Shift (STS) has occurred, you must record the case on
the OSHA 300 Log by checking the "hearing loss" column.
(b) Implementation. (1) What is a Standard Threshold Shift? A
Standard Threshold Shift, or STS, is defined in the occupational noise exposure
standard at 29 CFR 1910.95(c)(10)(i) as a change in
hearing threshold, relative to the most recent audiogram for that employee, of
an average of 10 decibels (dB) or more at 2000, 3000, and 4000 hertz in one or
both ears.
(2) How do I determine whether an STS has occurred? If the employee has
never previously experienced a recordable hearing loss, you must compare the
employee's current audiogram with that employee's baseline audiogram. If the
employee has previously experienced a recordable hearing loss, you must compare
the employee's current audiogram with the employee's revised baseline audiogram
(the audiogram reflecting the employee's previous recordable hearing loss
case).
(3) May I adjust the audiogram results to reflect the effects of aging on
hearing? Yes, when comparing audiogram results, you may adjust the
results for the employee's age when the audiogram was taken using Tables F-1 or
F-2, as appropriate, in Appendix F of 29 CFR 1910.95.
(4) Do I have to record the hearing loss if I am going to retest the employee's
hearing? No, if you retest the employee's hearing within 30 days of the
first test, and the retest does not confirm the STS, you are not required to
record the hearing loss case on the OSHA 300 Log. If the retest confirms the
STS, you must record the hearing loss illness within seven (7) calendar days of
the retest.
(5) Are there any special rules for determining whether a hearing loss case is
work-related? Yes, hearing loss is presumed to be work-related if the
employee is exposed to noise in the workplace at an 8-hour time-weighted
average of 85
dBA
or greater, or to a total noise dose of 50 percent, as defined in 29 CFR
1910.95. For hearing loss cases where the employee is not exposed to this level
of noise, you must use the rules in § 1904.5 to determine if the hearing loss
is work-related.
(6) If a physician or other licensed health care professional determines the
hearing loss is not work-related, do I still need to record the case? If
a physician or other licensed health care professional determines that the
hearing loss is not work-related or has not been significantly aggravated by
occupational noise exposure, you are not required to consider the case
work-related or to record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.
§ 1904.11 Recording criteria for work-related tuberculosis cases.
(a) Basic requirement. If any of your employees has been occupationally
exposed to anyone with a known case of active tuberculosis (TB), and that
employee subsequently develops a tuberculosis infection, as evidenced by a
positive skin test or diagnosis by a physician or other licensed health care
professional, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log by checking the
"respiratory condition" column.
(b) Implementation. (1) Do I have to record, on the Log, a positive TB
skin test result obtained at a pre-employment physical? No, you do not
have to record it because the employee was not occupationally exposed to a
known case of active tuberculosis in your workplace.
(2) (May I line-out or erase a recorded TB case if I obtain evidence that the
case was not caused by occupational exposure?) Yes, you may line-out or
erase the case from the Log under the following circumstances:
(i) The worker is living in a household with a
person who has been diagnosed with active TB;
(ii) The Public Health Department has identified the worker as a contact of an
individual with a case of active TB unrelated to the workplace; or
(iii) A medical investigation shows that the employee's infection was caused by
exposure to TB away from work, or proves that the case was not related to the
workplace TB exposure.
§ 1904.12 Recording criteria for cases involving work-related musculoskeletal
disorders.
(a) Basic requirement. If any of your employees experiences a recordable
work-related musculoskeletal disorder (MSD), you must record it on the OSHA 300
Log by checking the "musculoskeletal disorder" column.
(b) Implementation. (1) What is a "musculoskeletal disorder" or MSD?
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are disorders of
the muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage and spinal discs.
MSDs
do not include disorders caused by slips, trips, falls, motor vehicle
accidents, or other similar accidents. Examples of
MSDs
include: Carpal tunnel syndrome, Rotator cuff syndrome, De
Quervain's
disease, Trigger finger, Tarsal tunnel syndrome, Sciatica,
Epicondylitis,
Tendinitis,
Raynaud's
phenomenon, Carpet layers knee, Herniated spinal disc, and Low back pain.
(2) How do I decide which musculoskeletal disorders to record? There are
no special criteria for determining which musculoskeletal disorders to record.
An MSD case is recorded using the same process you would use for any other
injury or illness. If a musculoskeletal disorder is work-related, and is a new
case, and meets one or more of the general recording criteria, you must record
the musculoskeletal disorder. The following table will guide you to the
appropriate section of the rule for guidance on recording MSD cases.
(i) Determining if the MSD is work-related. See §
1904.5.
(ii) Determining if the MSD is a new case. See § 1904.6.
(iii) Determining if the MSD meets one or more of the general recording
criteria:
(A) Days away from work, see § 1904.7(b)(3).
(B) Restricted work or transfer to another job, or see § 1904.7(b)(4).
(C) Medical treatment beyond first aid. See § 1904.7(b)(5).
(3) If a work-related MSD case involves only subjective symptoms like pain or
tingling, do I have to record it as a musculoskeletal disorder? The
symptoms of an MSD are treated the same as symptoms for any other injury or
illness. If an employee has pain, tingling, burning, numbness or any other
subjective symptom of an MSD, and the symptoms are work-related, and the case
is a new case that meets the recording criteria, you must record the case on
the OSHA 300 Log as a musculoskeletal disorder.
§§ 1904.13-1904.28 [Reserved]
§ 1904.29 Forms
(a) Basic requirement. You must use OSHA 300, 300-A, and 301 forms, or
equivalent forms, for recordable injuries and illnesses. The OSHA 300 form is
called the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, the 300-A is the Summary
of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, and the OSHA 301 form is called the
Injury and Illness Incident Report.
(b) Implementation. (1) What do I need to do to complete the OSHA 300 Log?
You must enter information about your business at the top of the OSHA 300 Log,
enter a one or two line description for each recordable injury or illness, and
summarize this information on the OSHA 300-A at the end of the year.
(2) What do I need to do to complete the OSHA 301 Incident Report? You
must complete an OSHA 301 Incident Report form, or an equivalent form, for each
recordable injury or illness entered on the OSHA 300 Log.
(3) How quickly must each injury or illness be recorded? You must enter
each recordable injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log and 301 Incident Report
within seven (7) calendar days of receiving information that a recordable
injury or illness has occurred.
(4) What is an equivalent form? An equivalent form is one that has the
same information, is as readable and understandable, and is completed using the
same instructions as the OSHA form it replaces. Many employers use an insurance
form instead of the OSHA 301 Incident Report, or supplement an insurance form
by adding any additional information required by OSHA.
(5) May I keep my records on a computer? Yes, if the computer can produce
equivalent forms when they are needed, as described under §§ 1904.35 and
1904.40, you may keep your records using the computer system.
(6) Are there situations where I do not put the employee's name on the forms for
privacy reasons? Yes, if you have a "privacy concern case," you may not
enter the employee's name on the OSHA 300 Log. Instead, enter "privacy case" in
the space normally used for the employee's name. This will protect the privacy
of the injured or ill employee when another employee, a former employee, or an
authorized employee representative is provided access to the OSHA 300 Log under
§ 1904.35(b)(2). You must keep a separate,
confidential list of the case numbers and employee names for your privacy
concern cases so you can update the cases and provide the information to the
government if asked to do so.
(7) How do I determine if an injury or illness is a privacy concern case?
You must consider the following injuries or illnesses to be privacy concern
cases:
(i) An injury or illness to an intimate body part or
the reproductive system;
(ii) An injury or illness resulting from a sexual assault;
(iii) Mental illnesses;
(iv) HIV infection, hepatitis, or tuberculosis;
(v)
Needlestick
injuries and cuts from sharp objects that are contaminated with another
person's blood or other potentially infectious material (see § 1904.8 for
definitions); and
(vi) Other
illnesses, if the employee independently and voluntarily requests that his or
her name not be entered on the log. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
are not considered privacy concern cases.
(8) May I classify any other types of injuries and illnesses as privacy concern
cases? No, this is a complete list of all injuries and illnesses
considered privacy concern cases for Part 1904 purposes.
(9) If I have removed the employee's name, but still believe that the employee
may be identified from the information on the forms, is there anything else
that I can do to further protect the employee's privacy? Yes, 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. For
example, a sexual assault case could be described as "injury from assault," or
an injury to a reproductive organ could be described as "lower abdominal
injury."
(10) What must I do to protect employee privacy if I wish to provide access to
the OSHA Forms 300 and 301 to persons other than government representatives,
employees, former employees or authorized representatives? If you
decide to voluntarily disclose the Forms to persons other than government
representatives, employees, former employees or authorized representatives (as
required by §§ 1904.35 and 1904.40), you must remove or hide the employees'
names and other personally identifying information, except for the following
cases. You may disclose the Forms with personally identifying information only:
(i)
to
an auditor or consultant hired by the employer to evaluate the safety and
health program;
(ii)
to
the extent necessary for processing a claim for workers' compensation or other
insurance benefits; or
(iii) to a public health authority or law enforcement agency for uses and
disclosures for which consent, an authorization, or opportunity to agree or
object is not required under Department of Health and Human Services Standards
for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information, 45 CFR 164.512.
Subpart D -- Other OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Requirements
§ 1904.30 Multiple business establishments.
(a) Basic requirement. You must keep a separate OSHA 300 Log for each
establishment that is expected to be in operation for one year or longer.
(b) Implementation. (1) Do I need to keep OSHA injury and illness records
for short-term establishments (i.e., establishments that will exist for less
than a year)? Yes, however, you do not have to keep a separate OSHA 300
Log for each such establishment. You may keep one OSHA 300 Log that covers all
of your short-term establishments. You may also include the short-term
establishments' recordable injuries and illnesses on an OSHA 300 Log that
covers short-term establishments for individual company divisions or geographic
regions.
(2) May I keep the records for all of my establishments at my headquarters
location or at some other central location? Yes, you may keep the
records for an establishment at your headquarters or other central location if
you can:
(i) Transmit information about the injuries and
illnesses from the establishment to the central location within seven (7)
calendar days of receiving information that a recordable injury or illness has
occurred; and
(ii) Produce and send the records from the central location to the establishment
within the time frames required by § 1904.35 and § 1904.40 when you are
required to provide records to a government representative, employees, former
employees or employee representatives.
(3) Some of my employees work at several different locations or do not work at
any of my establishments at all. How do I record cases for these employees?
You must link each of your employees with one of your establishments, for
recordkeeping purposes. You must record the injury and illness on the OSHA 300
Log of the injured or ill employee's establishment, or on an OSHA 300 Log that
covers that employee's short-term establishment.
(4) How do I record an injury or illness when an employee of one of my
establishments is injured or becomes ill while visiting or working at another
of my establishments, or while working away from any of my establishments?
If the injury or illness occurs at one of your establishments, you must record
the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log of the establishment at which the
injury or illness occurred. If the employee is injured or becomes ill and is
not at one of your establishments, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log
at the establishment at which the employee normally works.
§ 1904.31 Covered employees.
(a) Basic requirement. You must record on the OSHA 300 Log the recordable
injuries and illnesses of all employees on your payroll, whether they are
labor, executive, hourly, salary, part-time, seasonal, or migrant workers. You
also must record the recordable injuries and illnesses that occur to employees
who are not on your payroll if you supervise these employees on a day-to-day
basis. If your business is organized as a sole proprietorship or partnership,
the owner or partners are not considered employees for recordkeeping purposes.
(b) Implementation. (1) If a self-employed person is injured or becomes
ill while doing work at my business, do I need to record the injury or illness?
No, self-employed individuals are not covered by the OSH Act or this
regulation.
(2) If I obtain employees from a temporary help service, employee leasing
service, or personnel supply service, do I have to record an injury or illness
occurring to one of those employees? You must record these injuries and
illnesses if you supervise these employees on a day-to-day basis.
(3) If an employee in my establishment is a contractor's employee, must I record
an injury or illness occurring to that employee? If the contractor's
employee is under the day-to-day supervision of the contractor, the contractor
is responsible for recording the injury or illness. If you supervise the
contractor employee's work on a day-to-day basis, you must record the injury or
illness.
(4) Must the personnel supply service, temporary help service, employee leasing
service, or contractor also record the injuries or illnesses occurring to
temporary, leased or contract employees that I supervise on a day-to-day basis?
No, you and the temporary help service, employee leasing service, personnel
supply service, or contractor should coordinate your efforts to make sure that
each injury and illness is recorded only once: either on your OSHA 300 Log (if
you provide day-to-day supervision) or on the other employer's OSHA 300 Log (if
that company provides day-to-day supervision).
§ 1904.32 Annual summary.
(a) Basic requirement. At the end of each calendar year, you must:
(1) Review the OSHA 300 Log to verify that the entries are complete and
accurate, and correct any deficiencies identified;
(2)
Create
an annual summary of injuries and illnesses recorded on the OSHA 300 Log;
(3) Certify the summary; and
(4) Post the annual summary.
(b) Implementation. (1) How extensively do I have to review the OSHA 300
Log entries at the end of the year? You must review the entries as
extensively as necessary to make sure that they are complete and correct.
(2) How do I complete the annual summary? You must:
(i) Total the columns on the OSHA 300 Log (if you
had no recordable cases, enter zeros for each column total); and
(ii) Enter the calendar year covered, the company's name, establishment name,
establishment address, annual average number of employees covered by the OSHA
300 Log, and the total hours worked by all employees covered by the OSHA 300
Log.
(iii) If you are using an equivalent form other than the OSHA 300-A summary
form, as permitted under § 1904.6(b)(4), the summary you use must also include
the employee access and employer penalty statements found on the OSHA 300-A
Summary form.
(3) How do I certify the annual summary? A company executive must certify
that he or she has examined the OSHA 300 Log and that he or she reasonably
believes,
based on his or her knowledge of the process by which the information was
recorded, that the annual summary is correct and complete.
(4) Who is considered a company executive? The company executive who
certifies the log must be one of the following persons:
(i) An owner of the company (only if the company is
a sole proprietorship or partnership);
(ii) An officer of the corporation;
(iii) The highest ranking company official working at the establishment; or
(iv) The
immediate supervisor of the highest ranking company official working at the
establishment.
(5) How do I post the annual summary? You must post a copy of the annual
summary in each establishment in a conspicuous place or places where notices to
employees are customarily posted. You must ensure that the posted annual
summary is not altered, defaced or covered by other material.
(6) When do I have to post the annual summary? You must post the summary
no later than February 1 of the year following the year covered by the records
and keep the posting in place until April 30.
§ 1904.33 Retention and updating.
(a) Basic requirement. You must save the OSHA 300 Log, the privacy case
list (if one exists), the annual summary, and the OSHA 301 Incident Report
forms for five (5) years following the end of the calendar year that these
records cover.
(b) Implementation. (1) Do I have to update the OSHA 300 Log during the
five-year storage period? Yes, during the storage period, you must
update your stored OSHA 300 Logs to include newly discovered recordable
injuries or illnesses and to show any changes that have occurred in the
classification of previously recorded injuries and illnesses. If the
description or outcome of a case changes, you must remove or line out the
original entry and enter the new information.
(2) Do I have to update the annual summary? No, you are not required to
update the annual summary, but you may do so if you wish.
(3) Do I have to update the OSHA 301 Incident Reports? No, you are not
required to update the OSHA 301 Incident Reports, but you may do so if you
wish.
§ 1904.34 Change in business ownership.
If your business changes ownership, you are responsible for recording and
reporting work-related injuries and illnesses only for that period of the year
during which you owned the establishment. You must transfer the Part 1904
records to the new owner. The new owner must save all records of the
establishment kept by the prior owner, as required by § 1904.33 of this Part,
but need not update or correct the records of the prior owner.
§ 1904.35 Employee involvement.
(a) Basic requirement. Your employees and their representatives must be
involved in the recordkeeping system in several ways.
(1) You must inform each employee of how he or she is to report an injury or
illness to you.
(2) You must provide limited access to your injury and illness records for your
employees and their representatives.
(b) Implementation. (1) What must I do to make sure that employees report
work-related injuries and illnesses to me?
(i) You must set up a way for employees to report
work-related injuries and illnesses promptly; and
(ii) You must tell each employee how to report work-related injuries and
illnesses to you.
(2) Do I have to give my employees and their
representatives
access to the OSHA injury and illness records? Yes, your employees,
former employees, their personal representatives, and their authorized employee
representatives have the right to access the OSHA injury and illness records,
with some limitations, as discussed below.
(i) Who is an authorized employee representative?
An authorized employee representative is an authorized collective bargaining
agent of employees.
(ii) Who is a "personal representative" of an employee or former employee?
A personal representative is:
(A) Any person that the employee or former employee designates as such, in
writing; or
(B) The legal representative of a deceased or legally incapacitated employee or
former employee.
(iii) If an employee or representative asks for access to the OSHA 300 Log, when
do I have to provide it? When an employee, former employee, personal
representative, or authorized employee representative asks for copies of your
current or stored OSHA 300 Log(s) for an establishment the employee or former
employee has worked in, you must give the requester a copy of the relevant OSHA
300 Log(s) by the end of the next business day.
(iv) May I remove the names of the employees or
any other information from the OSHA 300 Log before I give copies to an
employee, former employee, or employee representative? No, you must
leave the names on the 300 Log. However, to protect the privacy of injured and
ill employees, you may not record the employee's name on the OSHA 300 Log for
certain "privacy concern cases," as specified in paragraphs 1904.29(b)(6)
through 1904.29(b)(9).
(v) If an employee or representative asks for access to the OSHA 301 Incident
Report, when do I have to provide it?
(A) When an employee, former employee, or personal representative asks for a
copy of the OSHA 301 Incident Report describing an injury or illness to that
employee or former employee, you must give the requester a copy of the OSHA 301
Incident Report containing that information by the end of the next business
day.
(B) When an authorized employee representative asks
for a copies
of the OSHA 301 Incident Reports for an establishment where the agent
represents employees under a collective bargaining agreement, you must give
copies of those forms to the authorized employee representative within 7
calendar days. You are only required to give the authorized employee
representative information from the OSHA 301 Incident Report section titled
"Tell us about the case." You must remove all other information from the copy
of the OSHA 301 Incident Report or the equivalent substitute form that you give
to the authorized employee representative.
(vi) May I charge for the copies? No,
you may not charge for these copies the first time they are provided. However,
if one of the designated persons asks for additional copies, you may assess a
reasonable charge for retrieving and copying the records.
§ 1904.36 Prohibition against discrimination.
Section 11(c) of the Act prohibits you from discriminating against an employee
for reporting a work-related fatality, injury or illness. That provision of the
Act also protects the employee who files a safety and health complaint, asks
for access to the Part 1904 records, or otherwise exercises any rights afforded
by the OSH Act.
An additional source of OSHA recordkeeping information can be found at:
http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/detailedfaq.html