A restricted work case is a work-related injury or illness that is recordable under OSHA's recordkeeping rule because it keeps the employee from performing one or more routine functions of their job, or from working the full workday they would otherwise have been scheduled to work. Restricted work cases also include cases where an employee is transferred to another job because of the injury or illness.
Restricted work cases matter because they appear on the OSHA 300 Log and count toward the DART rate, one of the safety metrics most closely watched by OSHA, customers and insurers. Recording them correctly keeps your injury records accurate and avoids citations for under- or over-recording.
What Is a Restricted Work Case?
Under 29 CFR 1904.7(b)(4), restricted work occurs when, as a result of a work-related injury or illness:
- The employer keeps the employee from performing one or more of the routine functions of their job, or from working the full workday they would otherwise have been scheduled to work; or
- A physician or other licensed health care professional recommends that the employee not perform one or more routine functions, or not work the full workday.
The case must also be work-related and a new case to be recordable. A restricted work case is recorded on the OSHA 300 Log in the column for job transfer or restriction, and the number of restricted days is entered in the matching days column.
What Are Routine Job Functions?
OSHA defines routine functions as work activities the employee regularly performs at least once per week. This definition drives many recording decisions:
- A restriction from lifting more than 50 pounds is restricted work only if the employee regularly lifts more than 50 pounds at least once a week.
- A restriction from a task the employee does only once a month does not make the case restricted work.
- A worker who produces fewer goods or services but still performs all routine functions and works the full shift is not in restricted work.
- A partial day of work is recorded as a day of restriction, except for the day of the injury or illness.
Key Recording Rules
The day of injury does not count
If the restriction applies only to the day the injury occurred or the illness began, you do not record the case as restricted work. Day counting also begins on the day after the injury.
Recommended restrictions count, even if not followed
If a physician or other licensed health care professional recommends a restriction that affects routine functions, the case must be recorded as restricted work even if the employee ignores the recommendation and performs their usual work. If recommendations conflict, you may decide which is most authoritative and record based on it.
Unclear restrictions
If a recommendation is vague, ask the health care professional whether the employee can perform all routine functions and work the full workday. If you cannot get that information, record the case as restricted work.
Job transfers
Assigning the injured employee to a different job for all or part of a day, other than the day of injury, is a job transfer. Job transfer and restricted work cases are checked in the same column on the 300 Log.
How to Count Restricted Days
Restricted days are counted the same way as days away from work:
- Count calendar days, not workdays, including weekends and holidays the employee would have been restricted.
- Stop counting when the employee returns to full duty or a health care professional releases them to full duty.
- You may cap the count once days away and days of restriction or transfer together reach 180 calendar days.
- If the job is permanently modified to remove the restricted functions, you may stop counting at that point, but you must count at least one day.
- If the employee leaves the company for reasons unrelated to the injury, such as retirement, you may stop counting. If they leave because of the injury, estimate the total days and enter that number.
If a case involves both days away and restricted days, check the days away column, since only one outcome box is checked based on the most serious outcome, and enter both day counts.
How to Record a Restricted Work Case Step by Step
- Confirm work-relatedness. Decide whether the injury or illness is work-related and a new case.
- Review the restriction. Get the written recommendation or note the restriction you imposed.
- Check routine functions. Compare the restriction to activities the employee performs at least weekly, and to their scheduled workday.
- Record the case. Enter it on the OSHA 300 Log and a 301 form or equivalent within seven calendar days of learning about it.
- Track days. Count calendar days of restriction or transfer, starting the day after the injury.
- Update the log. Update day counts and the outcome as the case develops, such as when the employee later loses time away from work.
- Close the case. Record the final count when the employee returns to full duty or the 180-day cap is reached.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not recording a case because the employee chose to work full duty despite a doctor's restriction.
- Counting scheduled workdays instead of calendar days.
- Recording restrictions on tasks that are not routine functions.
- Forgetting to update the log when a restriction is extended or turns into days away.
- Treating light duty in a workers' compensation return-to-work program as non-recordable.
How SMS360 Helps
SMS360's Incident Management module records injury details, outcomes and days of restriction or job transfer to support OSHA 300 Log entries. Related workers' compensation information can be tracked in Claims Management, and Analytics & Reports help teams monitor DART and other injury rates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is light duty a restricted work case?
Usually, yes. If light duty keeps the employee from performing one or more routine functions or a full workday, or moves them to another job, it is a restricted work or job transfer case under OSHA's rules.
How does a restricted work case affect the DART rate?
The DART rate counts cases involving days away, restricted work or job transfer. Each restricted work case adds one case to the DART calculation, regardless of how many restricted days it involves.
Is there a limit to how many restricted days must be counted?
Yes. You may stop counting once the combined total of days away and days of restriction or transfer reaches 180 calendar days.
Does a restriction on the day of injury make a case recordable?
No. A restriction that applies only to the day of the injury or onset of illness does not by itself make the case recordable as restricted work.
