How to complete OSHA 300 forms
Making sure your business meets OSHA regulations can be a little scary. Reading the OSHA instructions for filling out the OSHA 300 log can be even worse. Continue reading my personal advice for help filling out the OSHA 300 forms. Of course, this is not intended to replace official training or instructions produced by OSHA.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- OSHA 300 forms (300 log and 300a)
- Records of your company's injuries and man hours
- Computer and printer access
Instructions
-
-
1
First, note that OSHA records are usually based on the Calendar year. So OSHA regulations say that in February of 2010, you needed to post your Calendar Year 2009 information.
-
2
Download the OSHA 300 forms from http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/RKforms.html
Remember that it is not meant to print out on standard 8.5x11 paper. You'll need to change your print settings to "shrink to fit" or you can use larger paper if your printer is equipped for it. -
-
3
Go back and gather all your incident records. OSHA wants to know about any injury, illness, loss of consciousness, or lost work days cases. This ranges from a trip and fall, to a spider bite, to a work related hearing loss. Make sure you keep good records throughout the year.
-
4
On the OSHA 300 form, type in the case number (1-?) in order, the associate's name, their job title, date, where the incident occurred (shop, sales floor, etc), and a description. Those are the easy blanks to fill out.
-
5
Next you'll need to check ONE of the following on the form: was the case a: death, days away from work, job transfer or restriction, or other recordable case.
-
6
In the next section, enter the number of days the associate was on job restriction, transferred, or away from work. If none of those applied, leave them blank.
-
7
Finally, choose the injury or illness type. (injury, skin disorder, poisoning, etc)
-
8
Total all of your entries at the bottom and carry those totals over to the 300a form. Remember on the OSHA 300a form, you need a lot of establishment information, including address, man hours, and SIC code. If you do not know this, you'll probably need to contact your HR or payroll departments to find this out.
-
9
Now make sure the form 300a is clearly posted no later than Feb 1 of the following year. They can be taken down after April 30th. You will notice that the 300 log itself does not need to be posted. You should keep this on file somewhere indefinitely for future reference. You're now done with your OSHA 300 forms until next year. You may find it easier to add each injury to this throughout the year so you don't have to go back and dig it all out again when it's time to post it again. Good OSHA recordkeeping can help ensure a smooth inspection when the OSHA inspectors come to your site.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
You can always peruse the OSHA website for more information. My article assumes the reader has some working knowledge including, but not limited to "what constitutes an injury" and "what is the difference between an injury and first aid case". Check out www.osha.gov for more details if needed!
This article is not meant to be all inclusive or a substitute for training and/or reading of OSHA regulations to determine the recordkeeping requirements. It is only meant to bring some clarity and laymen's wording to the process.
