OSHA 300 Log

The OSHA 300 Log, formally the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, is the form employers use to record each recordable work-related injury and illness at an establishment during a calendar year. Required under 29 CFR Part 1904 for most employers with more than 10 employees, it captures each case's details, severity and lost or restricted days.

The OSHA 300 Log works together with two companion forms: the OSHA 301 Injury and Illness Incident Report, which captures details for each case, and the OSHA 300A Summary, which totals the year's cases and must be posted for employees.

What Is the OSHA 300 Log?

Under 29 CFR 1904.29, employers must use OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301, or equivalent forms, to record recordable injuries and illnesses. Equivalent forms must contain the same information, be as readable and understandable, and be completed using the same instructions. Records may be kept on a computer as long as the system can produce the equivalent forms when needed.

A separate OSHA 300 Log is kept for each establishment, meaning each physical location where business is conducted. A company with five facilities keeps five logs.

Who must keep an OSHA 300 Log

According to OSHA's recordkeeping page, many employers with more than 10 employees must keep records. Two groups are partially exempt from routine recordkeeping:

• Small employers: companies with 10 or fewer employees at all times during the previous calendar year.
• Low-hazard industries: establishments in industries listed in Appendix A to Subpart B of Part 1904, such as many retail, finance and professional service categories.

Partial exemption does not remove the duty to report fatalities and severe injuries to OSHA, and OSHA or BLS can still ask an exempt employer to keep records in writing.

What Goes on the OSHA 300 Log?

Only cases that meet OSHA's recording criteria are entered. Under 29 CFR 1904.7, a work-related injury or illness is a recordable injury or illness if it results in any of the following:

• Death
• Days away from work
• Restricted work or transfer to another job
• Medical treatment beyond first aid
• Loss of consciousness
• A significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional

Certain specific cases are also recordable under additional criteria, including needlestick and sharps injuries contaminated with another person's blood or other potentially infectious material, medical removal under an OSHA standard, qualifying hearing loss, and work-related tuberculosis infection.

Columns on the log

Each row on the OSHA 300 Log represents one case and includes:

• Case identification: case number, employee name, job title, date of injury or onset of illness, and where the event occurred.
• Description: a short description of the injury or illness, the body part affected and the object or substance that directly injured or made the person ill.
• Classification: one checkbox for the most serious outcome: death, days away from work, job transfer or restriction, or other recordable case.
• Day counts: the number of days away from work and the number of days on job transfer or restriction.
• Type: injury, skin disorder, respiratory condition, poisoning, hearing loss or all other illnesses.

Privacy concern cases

For certain sensitive cases, the employee's name is not entered. Instead, you write "privacy case" in the name column and keep a separate confidential list linking case numbers to names. Under 1904.29, privacy concern cases include injuries to an intimate body part or the reproductive system, injuries resulting from sexual assault, mental illnesses, HIV infection, hepatitis or tuberculosis, contaminated needlestick and sharps injuries, and other illnesses where the employee voluntarily requests that their name not be entered.

Key OSHA 300 Log Deadlines and Rules

• Record within seven calendar days. Each recordable case must be entered on the 300 Log and 301 form within seven calendar days of receiving information that it occurred.
• Count calendar days. Days away and restricted days are counted in calendar days, not workdays, beginning the day after the injury. You may stop counting at 180 days.
• Complete the annual summary. At year end, review the log for accuracy, total it on the OSHA 300A, and have a company executive certify the summary.
• Post the 300A from February 1 to April 30. Under 29 CFR 1904.32, the summary must be posted at each establishment in a conspicuous place where notices to employees are customarily posted.
• Keep records for five years. Under 29 CFR 1904.33, the 300 Log, privacy case list, 300A and 301 forms must be retained for five years following the end of the calendar year they cover. The stored 300 Log must be updated for newly discovered cases and changes in classification.
• Submit electronically if required. Establishments meeting certain size and industry criteria must submit injury and illness data through OSHA's Injury Tracking Application by March 2 each year. Rules effective in 2024 require establishments with 100 or more employees in designated high-hazard industries to submit 300 and 301 data in addition to the 300A.
• Provide access. Employees, former employees and their personal representatives may request a copy of the 300 Log, which must be provided by the end of the next business day.

Who Can Certify the OSHA 300A Summary?

Under 1904.32, the certifying company executive must be one of the following: an owner of the company (only if it is a sole proprietorship or partnership), an officer of the corporation, the highest ranking company official working at the establishment, or that official's immediate supervisor. A safety manager can prepare the summary, but usually cannot certify it unless they hold one of these roles.

How to Use the OSHA 300 Log to Calculate Injury Rates

The OSHA 300 Log is the data source for the most common lagging safety metrics. Two of the most widely used are:

• Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) = (number of recordable cases x 200,000) / total hours worked
• DART rate = (number of cases with days away, restricted work or job transfer x 200,000) / total hours worked

The 200,000 figure represents 100 full-time employees working 40 hours a week for 50 weeks.

Worked example

Consider a hypothetical plant with 120 employees that worked 240,000 hours last year. Its OSHA 300 Log shows 6 recordable cases, of which 3 involved days away or restricted duty.

• TRIR = (6 x 200,000) / 240,000 = 5.0
• DART rate = (3 x 200,000) / 240,000 = 2.5

This means the plant had 5 recordable cases and 2.5 DART cases for every 100 full-time workers. Because the inputs come straight from the log, an inaccurate log produces inaccurate rates.

How to Maintain an Accurate OSHA 300 Log

1. Capture every incident promptly. Require supervisors to report all work-related injuries and illnesses, even minor ones, so the recordkeeper can evaluate them.
2. Determine work-relatedness. Apply the work-relatedness rules in 1904.5, including the listed exceptions.
3. Apply the recording criteria. Compare the treatment provided against OSHA's first aid list. Anything not on the list, such as prescription medication or sutures, is medical treatment.
4. Enter the case within seven days. Complete the 300 Log entry and the 301 form or an equivalent incident report.
5. Track day counts. Update days away and restricted days as the case develops, and change the classification if the outcome becomes more serious.
6. Review at year end. Verify that every case is complete and accurate before preparing the 300A.
7. Certify, post and submit. Have the right executive certify, post by February 1, and submit electronically by March 2 if required.

Common OSHA 300 Log Mistakes

• Recording cases based on workers' compensation status. Compensability and OSHA recordability are separate decisions.
• Counting workdays instead of calendar days for days away and restricted duty.
• Treating prescription-strength medication or rigid immobilization devices (other than splints used only for transport) as first aid.
• Failing to record restricted duty when an employee cannot perform all routine job functions.
• Keeping one log for multiple establishments.
• Entering names for privacy concern cases.
• Not recording injuries to temporary workers you supervise day to day, who are generally recorded by the host employer.

How SMS360 Helps

The SMS360 Incident Management module records injuries and illnesses as they are reported, tracks classification, days away and restricted days, and keeps the supporting incident details together in one record per case. Teams can assign follow-up tasks, receive reminders for open cases, and use reports and dashboards to review recordable cases by location, which supports preparing the OSHA 300 Log and 300A summary at year end.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between OSHA 300, 300A and 301?

The OSHA 300 is the log listing every recordable case for the year at one establishment. The OSHA 301 is the detailed incident report completed for each individual case. The OSHA 300A is the annual summary that totals the log, is certified by a company executive and is posted from February 1 to April 30. Together, they make up OSHA's injury and illness recordkeeping forms.

How long do you have to keep OSHA 300 Logs?

Employers must keep the OSHA 300 Log, the privacy case list, the 300A summary and the 301 incident reports for five years following the end of the calendar year they cover, as required by 29 CFR 1904.33. During that period, the stored 300 Log must be updated to add newly discovered recordable cases and reflect changes in classification.

Do near misses go on the OSHA 300 Log?

No. The OSHA 300 Log records only work-related injuries and illnesses that meet OSHA's recording criteria. A near miss involves no injury or illness, so it is not recorded. Near misses should still be tracked internally because they reveal hazards before someone is hurt.

Is first aid recordable on the OSHA 300 Log?

No. Cases requiring only first aid, as defined in OSHA's list in 1904.7(b)(5)(ii), are not recordable unless they also meet another criterion, such as days away or loss of consciousness. Examples of first aid include non-prescription medication at non-prescription strength, bandages, cleaning wounds and hot or cold therapy.