At the end of this module, you will be able to:
- Explain the background and purpose of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, recordkeeping regulation
- List the criteria used to determine what makes a case OSHA recordable
- Describe what makes a case work-related or not
- Differentiate between a new case and recurrence of an existing case
- Describe OSHA's recordkeeping and reporting forms for injuries and illnesses (forms 301, 300, and 300A)
The following key questions are answered in this module:
What is an injury of illness?
An injury or illness is defined as an abnormal condition or disorder. Injuries include cases such as, but not limited to, a cut, fracture, sprain or amputation. Illnesses include both acute and chronic illnesses, such as, but not limited to, a skin disease, respiratory disorder or poisoning.
What is a work-related injury or illness?
Work-relatedness is presumed for injuries and illnesses resulting from events or exposures occurring in the work environment unless an exception specifically applies. A case is presumed work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment is a discernable cause of the injury or illness or results in a significant aggravation to a pre-existing condition.
What is the work environment?
Work environment is defined as the establishment and other locations where one or more employees are working or are present as a condition of their employment. This includes not only physical locations, but also the equipment and materials used by the employee during the course of his or her work. Company owned parking lots and sidewalks are considered part of the facility for recordkeeping purposes. Additionally, when employees are working or conducting other tasks in the interest of their employer but at a location away from the facility, they are still considered to be in the work environment.
What is OSHA Form 301?
OSHA's Form 301, Injury and Illness Report, must be filled out every time there's an injury or illness at a workplace within seven calendar days after information is received that a recordable work-related injury or illness has occurred.
What is OSHA Form 300?
Form 300 is a log of all injuries or illnesses that have occurred during a specific year. The purpose of the log is to classify work-related injuries and illnesses and to note the extent and severity of each case.
What is OSHA Form 300A?
Form 300A is a summary of the work-related injuries and illnesses that occurred at the workplace in a given year and that should have been individually recorded on Form 300. Form 300A should be completed early in a given year and it includes data about injuries and illnesses in the previous year.
Below is a transcript of the video sample provided for this module:
Employers must record each injury and illness that is: work-related, is a new case, and meets one or more of the general recording criteria. A five-step process can be used to determine whether an injury or illness meets these criteria. The five-step process begins with a series of yes or no questions. If the answer to the first question is yes, then move on to the next question. If the answer is no, the injury or illness is not recordable. The four questions that need to be asked are, decision one, did the employee experienced an injury or illness? Decision two, is the injury or illness work-related? Decision three, is the injury or illness a new case? And decision four, does the injury or illness meet the general recording criteria or application to specific cases? If the answer to these four questions is yes, record the case on the facility OSHA logs. The following sections will help employees answer these questions based on the facts of each case.
Use the additional resources and links below to learn more about this topic:
- U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) – www.osha.gov
- OSHA - We Can Help - https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/
- Convergence Training Blog – http://blog.convergencetraining.com
- Convergence Training Blog - http://blog.convergencetraining.com/osha-recordkeeping-and-reporting-forms
- Convergence Training Blog - http://blog.convergencetraining.com/what-is-a-recordable-work-related-injury-or-illness
- Convergence Training Blog - http://blog.convergencetraining.com/oshas-new-injury-illness-online-reporting-requirement