How to Determine OSHA Recordability

Workplace injuries that meet certain criteria must be recorded on the OSHA 300 log.

It happens in the blink of an eye. Nobody expects it and everyone is caught off guard. A U.S. worker suffers a recordable injury every six seconds in the workplace, according to a 2009 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. OSHA requires that certain employers record the details of specific injuries and illnesses on the OSHA 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. OSHA recordability can be a complicated standard, not open to interpretation by the employer or negotiation with the regulatory agency.

Things You'll Need

• OSHA 300 log

Instructions

Partial Exemption

1. Determine whether your company meets a partial exemption, based on number of full-time employees, for recording injuries and illnesses. Companies with 10 or fewer employees are not required to record injuries and illnesses unless notified in writing by OSHA to do so.

2. Locate the list of Standard Industry Classification codes (SIC) online at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or OSHA websites. SIC classification is a system for classifying every commercial industry in the United States with a simple four-digit code.

3. Establish the correct SIC code of your business and compare it with the list of partially exempt industries. If your company's SIC code is listed as partially exempt -- regardless of employee count -- your company is not required to record injuries and illnesses, unless notified in writing.

Basic Requirement

1. Assess each injury, fatality or illness to determine whether it meets the basic requirements of recordability. Begin by asking if it is work-related. OSHA's definition of work-relatedness is detailed in Title 29, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 1904.5

2. Confirm whether the injury or illness is a new case. OSHA defines a new case as one that is not a repeat of a previously recorded injury, affecting the same body part. If an employee repeats an injury to a body part from which he had previously fully recovered, it is considered a new case.

3. Call-out injuries or illnesses that meet the general recording criteria, as defined in Title 29, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 1904.7. Injuries that result in lost work days, job restrictions or temporary transfer, medical treatment exceeding basic first aid, or loss of consciousness, qualify as recordable.

Tips & Warnings

• Learn the other criteria for OSHA recordability. Employees who are stuck by a needle or experience specific job-related hearing losses, contract tuberculosis or suffer musculoskeletal disorders all qualify for OSHA recordability.

References

• United States Department of Labor; Bureau of Labor Statistics; "Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Requiring Days Away From Work, 2009"
• United States Department of Labor; Occupational Safety & Health Administration; Regulations (Standards - 29 CFR)
• United States Department of Labor; Occupational Safety & Health Administration; "Non-mandatory Appendix A to Subpart B -- Partially Exempt Industries"
• United States Department of Labor; Occupational Safety & Health Administration; OSHA Recordkeeping Handbook
• United States Department of labor; Occupational Safety & Health Administration; Regulations 1904.6

Resources

• U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Standard Industrial Classification Code List
• United States Department of Labor: Occupational Safety & Health Administration
• United States Department of Labor; Occupational Safety & Health Administration; 1904.7