What Is the Purpose of the OSHA 300 Form?

In 2024, OSHA changed its injury and illness record submission requirements. Some companies now have more reporting requirements, while others have less. So, what are the updated OSHA 300 log requirements? What is it in the first place? When are submissions due, and where should you submit them? We’ll answer all of these questions and more, plus how our OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements course can help you stay on track.

What Is the OSHA 300 Log?

OSHA Form 300 (or the OSHA 300 form) is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)'s Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses.

It's a list where employers keep an official record of all qualifying safety and health incidents that occur in their workplace over the course of a calendar year.

OSHA 300 logs include:

• Case number
• Employee’s name
• Employee’s job title
• Date of injury or onset of illness
• Where the event occurred
• A description of the injury or illness
• Categorization of the most serious outcome (and relevant duration)
• Categorization of the injury or illness

Here's a completed OSHA 300 log example from OSHA.gov:

If you’re tasked with maintaining these records, our online OSHA Recordkeeping course covers everything from identifying the workplace actions that are in compliance with the OSHA recordkeeping and reporting requirements to distinguishing between OSHA recordable and non-recordable cases.

 when to log incidents to how to handle electronic submissions.

What Is the Purpose of the 300 Log?

An OSHA 300 log is a critical source of data to learn about the type, frequency, and severity of workplace injuries and illnesses.

Before reporting and recording requirements were established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, we could only guess how many Americans got hurt or killed at work, not to mention how or where. OSHA 300 log requirements were some of the first provisions instituted by the agency in 1971.

OSHA 300 logs ultimately serve as the source for national workplace injury, illness, and fatality data. This data can help OSHA spot patterns across industries or states, which informs both the development of safety and health standards and the assignment of enforcement resources.

Additionally, totals from the OSHA 300 log let OSHA pinpoint problematic workplaces with an unusually high incident rate. This information results in targeted inspection of workplaces with a history of safety and health incidents.

Is the OSHA 300 Log Required?

Employers in very low-risk industries and very small employers (with a peak company-wide total of 10 or fewer employees for the year) are typically exempt from recording requirements.

Everyone else is subject to them.

What Incidents Are Recordable?

OSHA 300 log requirements only cover certain kinds of incidents. Employers must record new cases of work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses on the OSHA 300 form when they involve:

• Death
• Loss of consciousness
• Days Away from Work (DAFW)
• Restricted work or transfer to another job
• Medical treatment beyond first aid
• Medical diagnoses of cancer, chronic irreversible diseases, fractured or cracked bones or teeth, or punctured eardrums
• Needlesticks and sharps injuries, medical removal, hearing loss, and tuberculosis when the incident meets special recording criteria found under §1904.8-11.

Our OSHA Recordkeeping course breaks down how to apply the appropriate procedures for determining if a case is OSHA recordable.

What Other OSHA Forms Are Required?

In addition to filling out the OSHA 300 log for each recordable injury or illness, employers must fill out a Form 301 Incident Report containing more detailed information about each case.

Employers also must fill out Form 300a, which serves as a summary of all the work-related injuries and illnesses of the year. It simply provides a total for the number of cases, number of days, and illness/injury types, broken out by category. A completed example looks like this:

When Must OSHA Injury and Illness Records Be Filled Out?

Employers must finish filling out the OSHA 300 log and the 301 form within seven (7) calendar days of receiving notice of any recordable injury or illness.

Since Form 300a is an annual summary, it needs to be completed and verified by a company executive as correct and complete after the following calendar year begins. You’re expected to complete this process by February 1st.

How Long Must OSHA Injury and Illness Records Be Kept?

Employers have to keep all three of these records (the OSHA 300 log, OSHA 300a summary, and Form 301 incident reports) for five years.

How Did OSHA 300 Log Submission Requirements Change in 2024?

The changes in 2024 altered which employers needed to use electronic submission instead of previous methods. It also expanded which forms had to be submitted for high-risk employers. It did not change the recording requirements themselves.

First, the list of high-hazard industries was expanded and split into two categories: Appendix A and Appendix B.

Employers that fall under Appendix A and had a peak total between 20 and 249 employees during the relevant year are only required to electronically submit their OSHA 300a summary.

Employers that fall under Appendix B and had a peak total between 20 and 249 employees during the relevant year are required to electronically submit not just the OSHA 300a summary but also the OSHA 300 log and 301 Incident Reports.

How Do You Submit OSHA Injury and Illness Records Electronically?

For employers required to use the electronic submission system, OSHA expects you to use the Injury Tracking Application (ITA). You can find a user guide and FAQs on OSHA’s website.

For your convenience, the ITA contains three avenues for submitting your data:

• Input the data manually into a web form
• Upload a CSV file with your data
• Use an API feed

Remember to check which category of organization you fall into – outlined above – and submit all required paperwork.

When Are OSHA Injury and Illness Records Due?

OSHA injury and illness records must be submitted by March 2nd of each calendar year.

You can typically submit the previous year’s data to the ITA as soon as early January.

What Are the OSHA 300 Log Posting Requirements?

In addition to submitting records to OSHA annually and keeping a copy for five years, the administration also requires employers to post the injury and illness summary for employees.

It’s important to note that even though people often say "OSHA 300 log posting requirements," the OSHA 300 log itself should never be released publicly – that would compromise employees’ private information. Instead, you’re expected to post the OSHA 300a summary.

Where and How Long Does the OSHA 300 Log Need to Be Posted?

OSHA requires you to post the previous year's OSHA 300a summary by February 1st and leave it up until April 30th.

OSHA's rules require the OSHA 300a posting to be in a common area, "wherever notices to employees are usually posted." A copy must also be available to employees who don't report to any fixed establishment on a regular basis.

In this day and age, that means providing an OSHA Form 300a PDF. The document can be shared through document access or email.

Anyone who is hired as a remote employee during the OSHA 300a posting period should be provided with the same electronic access as everyone else.

What Are OSHA's Reporting Requirements?

All employers, regardless of size or industry, are required to report work-related deaths and serious accidents to OSHA by phone or online form, and they must do so promptly after learning about the incident.

Fatalities must be reported within 8 hours if the death occurred within 30 days of the work-related incident that caused it.

Amputations, losses of an eye, and inpatient hospitalizations must be reported within 24 hours if they occur within 24 hours of the work-related incident that caused it.

Learn More About OSHA Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements

If you're responsible for complying with OSHA's reporting and recording requirements on behalf of your organization, there are a lot of other details to learn.

As an OSHA-authorized training provider for over 20 years, our online course on OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements can get you up to speed on the topic. It's mobile-friendly – you can learn at your own pace and wherever you're comfortable.

Need more than recordkeeping training? If your role requires broader safety knowledge, we’ve got you covered. OSHA.com offers a full catalog of online training to meet your compliance needs. Whether it's OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 for Construction or General Industry, NYC SST, HAZWOPER, or EM 385-1-1 for government projects. We also provide MSHA training for miners, forklift training, and other essential workplace safety courses. Whatever your industry, you can complete your training online, on your schedule, and from anywhere.

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