How to File an Accident Report

Workplace safety is OSHA's primary concern.

Accident reports are mandatory for many employers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created the accident and illness report forms for businesses and their employees to raise standards of work regulations, thereby protecting the workers from pain, injury and death. Employers are also protected by OSHA's regulations. Carefully logging incidents creates a pattern of care and identifies weak areas at the workplace.

Things You'll Need

• Form 300
• Form 301
• Employee's information
• Description of the injury
• Description of medical steps taken

Instructions

1. Obtain the appropriate accident forms. OSHA offers its forms free of charge on its website, or you can contact the OSHA office nearest you to obtain them (see Resources). Forms 300 and 301 are specifically designed for recording workplace accidents.

2. Determine whether or not the injury or illness qualifies for reporting. Incidents that should be reported include an injury that results in loss of consciousness, medical attention, time away from work, duty restrictions or death. Illness includes tuberculosis, cancer, chronic disease and damaged eardrums. Mild injuries, as defined by OSHA as something requiring only first aid, need not be recorded.

3. Fill out Form 300, a general employee injury and illness form that logs each incident that has occurred at the workplace. Assign the event a case number, consecutive to the case preceding it. Include the employee's name and the nature of the incident.

4. Fill out Form 301 within seven days of the incident. Include the name of the employee, his date of birth and date of hire, a description of the accident or illness and what the employee was doing at the time. Include what caused the injury and whether or not the employee received medical attention. If the employee has died as a result, that must be logged here. Add the case number from Form 300.

Tips & Warnings

• Fatal injuries must be recorded as well. OSHA provides a detailed list of injuries, accompanied by a number, that lead to death (see Resources).

References

• OSHA: Forms for Recording Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
• OSHA: Fatal Facts Accident Reports

Resources

• U.S. Department of Labor: OSHA Regional and Area Offices
• Environment, Health and Safety Online: OSHA Required Forms