OSHA Recordkeeping Criteria

OSHA has specified which workplace incidents need to be recorded by employers. These include:

• Death
• Days away from work
• Restricted work activity or transfer to a new or different job due to injury/illness
• Medical treatment beyond first aid
• Loss of consciousness
• Significant injury /illness diagnosed by physician or licensed health care provider.

There are certain additional reporting criteria that include:

• Needlestick and sharp objects injury cases: All needlestick injuries or cuts from sharp objects that are contaminated with another person’s blood or other potentially infectious material (body fluids, other materials infected with HIV or Hepatitis B Virus) must be recorded.
• Cases involving medical removal under OSHA standards: OSHA standards that cover specific chemical substances such as lead, cadmium, methylene chloride, formaldehyde, and benzene have medical removal provisions and must be recorded. Some OSHA standards such as the standards covering bloodborne pathogens and noise do not have medical removal provisions and there is no need to record them.
• Cases involving occupational hearing loss must be recorded.
• Work-related tuberculosis cases: If any employee has been occupationally exposed to anyone with a known case of active tuberculosis (TB), and that employee subsequently develops a tuberculosis infection, the case must be recorded on the OSHA 300 Log by checking the "respiratory condition" column.