Subpart C - Recordkeeping Forms and Recording Criteria

Subpart C describes the work-related injuries and illnesses that an employer must enter into the OSHA records and explains the OSHA forms that employers must use to record work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses.

Injury or illness. An injury or illness is an abnormal condition or disorder. Injuries include cases such as, but not limited to, a cut, fracture, sprain, or amputation. Illnesses include both acute and chronic illnesses, such as, but not limited to, a skin disease, respiratory disorder, or poisoning. (Note: Injuries and illnesses are recordable only if they are new, work-related cases that meet one or more of the part 1904 recording criteria.)

To learn if subpart C applies to you, go to Does "Subpart C - Recordkeeping Forms and Recording Criteria" Apply to You?

Special Requirements

Tab/Accordion Items

Scope: This standard provides the recoding criteria for the OSHA logs.

Special Requirements: Records, references other standards

1904.4(a) - Basic requirement. Each employer required by this part to keep records of fatalities, injuries, and illnesses must record each fatality, injury and illness that: 

Scope: This standard provides the requirements for determination of work-relatedness.

Special Requirements: Exposures, evaluate, not recordable

Work environment is defined as "the establishment and other locations where one or more employees are working or are present as a condition of their employment. The work environment includes not only physical locations, but also the equipment or materials used by the employee during the course of his or her work."

An injury or illness is a preexisting condition if it resulted solely from a non-work-related event or exposure that occurred outside the work environment.

1904.5(a) - Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing injury or illness. Work-relatedness is presumed for injuries and illnesses resulting from events or exposures occurring in the work environment, unless an exception in 1904.5(b)(2) specifically applies.

1904.(b)(2) - Are there situations where an injury or illness occurs in the work environment and is not considered work-related? Yes, an injury or illness occurring in the work environment that falls under one of the following exceptions is not work-related, and therefore is not recordable. [Reference paragraph (b)(2)(i) - (ix)].

1904.5(b)(3) - How do I handle a case if it is not obvious whether the precipitating event or exposure occurred in the work environment or occurred away from work? In these situations, you must evaluate the employee's work duties and environment to decide whether or not one or more events or exposures in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.

Scope: This standard provides the requirements for the determination of new cases.

Special Requirements: Recorded, exposures, physician, licensed healthcare provider, recommendations, documented

1904.6(a) - Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to be a "new case" if:

  • 1904.6(a)(1) - The employee has not previously experienced a recorded injury or illness of the same type that affects the same part of the body, or
  • 1904.6(a)(2) - The employee previously experienced a recorded injury or illness of the same type that affected the same part of the body but had recovered completely (all signs and symptoms had disappeared) from the previous injury or illness and an event or exposure in the work environment caused the signs or symptoms to reappear.

1904.6(b)(1) - When an employee experiences the signs or symptoms of a chronic work-related illness, do I need to consider each recurrence of signs or symptoms to be a new case? No, for occupational illnesses where the signs or symptoms may recur or continue in the absence of an exposure in the workplace, the case must only be recorded once. Examples may include occupational cancer, asbestosis, byssinosis and silicosis.

1904.6(b)(3) - May I rely on a physician or other licensed health care professional to determine whether a case is a new case or a recurrence of an old case? You are not required to seek the advice of a physician or other licensed health care professional. However, if you do seek such advice, you must follow the physician or other licensed health care professional's recommendation about whether the case is a new case or a recurrence. If you receive recommendations from two or more physicians or other licensed health care professionals, you must make a decision as to which recommendation is the most authoritative (best documented, best reasoned, or most authoritative), and record the case based upon that recommendation.

Scope: This standard provides the general recording criteria.

Special Requirements: Recordable, criteria, physician, licensed healthcare provider, record, check mark, OSHA 300 log, report, estimate, encourage, recommendation, references other standards

1904.7(a) - Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to meet the general recording criteria, and therefore to be recordable, 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, or loss of consciousness. You must also consider a case to meet the general recording criteria if it involves a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional, even if it does not result in death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.
 
1904.7(b)(1) - How do I decide if a case meets one or more of the general recording criteria? A work-related injury or illness must be recorded if it results in one or more of the following: [Reference paragraph (b)(1)(i) - (v)].
 

1904.7(b)(2) - How do I record a work-related injury or illness that results in the employee's death? You must record an injury or illness that results in death by entering a check mark on the OSHA 300 Log in the space for cases resulting in death. You must also report any work-related fatality to OSHA within eight (8) hours, as required by 1904.39 - reporting fatalities, hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye as a result of work-related incidents to OSHA .

1904.7(b)(3) - How do I record a work-related injury or illness that results in days away from work? When an injury or illness involves one or more days away from work, you must record the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log with a check mark in the space for cases involving days away and an entry of the number of calendar days away from work in the number of days column. If the employee is out for an extended period of time, you must enter an estimate of the days that the employee will be away, and update the day count when the actual number of days is known. [Reference paragraph (b)(3)(i) - (ix)].

1904.7(b)(4)  - How do I record a work-related injury or illness that results in restricted work or job transfer? When an injury or illness involves restricted work or job transfer but does not involve death or days away from work, you must record the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log by placing a check mark in the space for job transfer or restriction and an entry of the number of restricted or transferred days in the restricted workdays column. [Reference paragraph (b)(4)(i) - (xi)].
 
1904.7(b)(5) - How do I record an injury or illness that involves medical treatment beyond first aid? If a work-related injury or illness results in medical treatment beyond first aid, you must record it on the OSHA 300 Log. If the injury or illness did not involve death, one or more days away from work, one or more days of restricted work, or one or more days of job transfer, you enter a check mark in the box for cases where the employee received medical treatment but remained at work and was not transferred or restricted.
 
1904.7(b)(5)(iv) - Does the professional status of the person providing the treatment have any effect on what is considered first aid or medical treatment? No, OSHA considers the treatments listed in 1904.7(b)(5)(ii) - first aid, of this part to be first aid regardless of the professional status of the person providing the treatment. Even when these treatments are provided by a physician or other licensed health care professional, they are considered first aid for the purposes of part 1904. Similarly, OSHA considers treatment beyond first aid to be medical treatment even when it is provided by someone other than a physician or other licensed health care professional.
 
1904.7(b)(5)(v) - What if a physician or other licensed health care professional recommends medical treatment but the employee does not follow the recommendation? If a physician or other licensed health care professional recommends medical treatment, you should encourage the injured or ill employee to follow that recommendation. However, you must record the case even if the injured or ill employee does not follow the physician or other licensed health care professional's recommendation.
 
1904.7(b)(6) - Is every work-related injury or illness case involving a loss of consciousness recordable? Yes, you must record a work-related injury or illness if the worker becomes unconscious, regardless of the length of time the employee remains unconscious.
 
1904.7(b)(7) - What is a "significant" diagnosed injury or illness that is recordable under the general criteria even if it does not result in death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness? Work-related cases involving cancer, chronic irreversible disease, a fractured or cracked bone, or a punctured eardrum must always be recorded under the general criteria at the time of diagnosis by a physician or other licensed health care professional.

Note to 1904.7: OSHA believes that most significant injuries and illnesses will result in one of the criteria listed in 1904.7(a): death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness. However, there are some significant injuries, such as a punctured eardrum or a fractured toe or rib, for which neither medical treatment nor work restrictions may be recommended. In addition, there are some significant progressive diseases, such as byssinosis, silicosis, and some types of cancer, for which medical treatment or work restrictions may not be recommended at the time of diagnosis but are likely to be recommended as the disease progresses. OSHA believes that cancer, chronic irreversible diseases, fractured or cracked bones, and punctured eardrums are generally considered significant injuries and illnesses, and must be recorded at the initial diagnosis even if medical treatment or work restrictions are not recommended, or are postponed, in a particular case.

Scope: This standard provides the requirements for recording criteria for needlestick and sharps injuries.

Special Requirements: Record, OSHA 300 Log, employee's name, enter, update, description, classification, references other standards

1904.8(a) - Basic requirement. You must record all work-related needlestick injuries and cuts from sharp objects that are contaminated with another person's blood or other potentially infectious material (as defined by 29 CFR 1910.1030 - bloodborne pathogens). You must enter the case on the OSHA 300 Log as an injury. To protect the employee's privacy, you may not enter the employee's name on the OSHA 300 Log [see the requirements for privacy cases in paragraphs 1904.29(b)(6) through 1904.29(b)(9)].

1904.8(b)(2) - Does this mean that I must record all cuts, lacerations, punctures, and scratches? No, you need to record cuts, lacerations, punctures, and scratches only if they are work-related and involve contamination with another person's blood or other potentially infectious material. If the cut, laceration, or scratch involves a clean object, or a contaminant other than blood or other potentially infectious material, you need to record the case only if it meets one or more of the recording criteria in 1904.7 - general recording criteria.

1904.8(b)(3) - If I record an injury and the employee is later diagnosed with an infectious bloodborne disease, do I need to update the OSHA 300 Log? Yes, you must update the classification of the case on the OSHA 300 Log if the case results in death, days away from work, restricted work, or job transfer. You must also update the description to identify the infectious disease and change the classification of the case from an injury to an illness.

1904.8(b)(4) - What if one of my employees is splashed or exposed to blood or other potentially infectious material without being cut or scratched? Do I need to record this incident? You need to record such an incident on the OSHA 300 Log as an illness if: [Reference paragraph (b)(4)(i) - (ii)].

Scope: This standard provides the requirements for recording criteria for cases involving medical removal under OSHA standards.

Special Requirements: Record, medical surveillance, OSHA 300 Log, checking, enter case, medical removal cases, references other standards

1904.9(a) - Basic requirement. If an employee is medically removed under the medical surveillance requirements of an OSHA standard, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.

1904.9(b)(1) - How do I classify medical removal cases on the OSHA 300 Log? You must enter each medical removal case on the OSHA 300 Log as either a case involving days away from work or a case involving restricted work activity, depending on how you decide to comply with the medical removal requirement. If the medical removal is the result of a chemical exposure, you must enter the case on the OSHA 300 Log by checking the "poisoning" column.

1904.9(b)(2) - Do all of OSHA's standards have medical removal provisions? No, some OSHA standards, such as the standards covering bloodborne pathogens and noise, do not have medical removal provisions. Many OSHA standards that cover specific chemical substances have medical removal provisions. These standards include, but are not limited to, lead, cadmium, methylene chloride, formaldehyde, and benzene.

1904.9(b)(3) - Do I have to record a case where I voluntarily removed the employee from exposure before the medical removal criteria in an OSHA standard are met? No, if the case involves voluntary medical removal before the medical removal levels required by an OSHA standard, you do not need to record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.

Scope: This standard provides the requirements for recording criteria for cases involving occupational hearing loss.

Special Requirements: Record, OSHA 300 Log, audiogram, evaluate, tables, age adjustment, retests, audiometric testing, check, physician, licensed health care professional, determining, references other standards

1904.10(a) - Basic requirement. If an employee's hearing test (audiogram) reveals that the employee has experienced a work-related Standard Threshold Shift (STS) in hearing in one or both ears, and the employee's total hearing level is 25 decibels (dB) or more above audiometric zero (averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) in the same ear(s) as the STS, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.

1904.10(b)(1) - What is a Standard Threshold Shift? A Standard Threshold Shift, or STS, is defined in the occupational noise exposure standard at 29 CFR 1910.95(g)(10)(i), occupational noise exposure, standard threshold shift, as a change in hearing threshold, relative to the baseline audiogram for that employee, of an average of 10 decibels (dB) or more at 2000, 3000, and 4000 hertz (Hz) in one or both ears.

1904.10(b)(2) - How do I evaluate the current audiogram to determine whether an employee has an STS and a 25-dB hearing level? [Reference paragraph (b)(2)(i) - (ii)]. 

1904.10(b)(3) - May I adjust the current audiogram to reflect the effects of aging on hearing? Yes. When you are determining whether an STS has occurred, you may age adjust the employee's current audiogram results by using Tables F-1 or F-2, as appropriate, in appendix F - calculations and application of age corrections to audiograms, of 29 CFR 1910.95 - occupational noise exposure. You may not use an age adjustment when determining whether the employee's total hearing level is 25 dB or more above audiometric zero.

1904.10(b)(4) - Do I have to record the hearing loss if I am going to retest the employee's hearing? No, if you retest the employee's hearing within 30 days of the first test, and the retest does not confirm the recordable STS, you are not required to record the hearing loss case on the OSHA 300 Log. If the retest confirms the recordable STS, you must record the hearing loss illness within seven (7) calendar days of the retest. If subsequent audiometric testing performed under the testing requirements of the 29 CFR 1910.95 - occupational noise exposure standard indicates that an STS is not persistent, you may erase or line-out the recorded entry.

1904.10(b)(5) - Are there any special rules for determining whether a hearing loss case is work-related? No. You must use the rules in 1904.5 - determination of work-relatedness, to determine if the hearing loss is work-related. If an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the hearing loss, or significantly aggravated a pre-existing hearing loss, you must consider the case to be work related.

1904.10(b)(6) - If a physician or other licensed health care professional determines the hearing loss is not work-related, do I still need to record the case? If a physician or other licensed health care professional determines, following the rules set out in 1904.5 - determination of work-relatedness, that the hearing loss is not work-related or that occupational noise exposure did not significantly aggravate the hearing loss, you do not have to consider the case work-related or record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.

1904.10(b)(7) - How do I complete the 300 Log for a hearing loss case? When you enter a recordable hearing loss case on the OSHA 300 Log, you must check the 300 Log column for hearing loss.

Scope: This standard provides the requirements for recording criteria for work-related tuberculosis cases.

Special Requirements: Record, OSHA 300 Log, checking, physician, licensed health care professional, line-out, erase, skin test

1904.11(a) - Basic requirement. If any of your employees has been occupationally exposed to anyone with a known case of active tuberculosis (TB), and that employee subsequently develops a tuberculosis infection, as evidenced by a positive skin test or diagnosis by a physician or other licensed health care professional, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log by checking the "respiratory condition" column.

1904.11(b)(1) - Do I have to record, on the Log, a positive TB skin test result obtained at a pre-employment physical? No, you do not have to record it because the employee was not occupationally exposed to a known case of active tuberculosis in your workplace.

1904.11(b)(2) - May I line-out or erase a recorded TB case if I obtain evidence that the case was not caused by occupational exposure? Yes, you may line-out or erase the case from the Log under the following circumstances: [Reference paragraph (b)(2)(i) - (iii)].

Scope: This standard provides the requirements for forms.

Special Requirements: OSHA 300 Log, OSHA 300-A, OSHA 301, recordable, information, description, instructions, list, classify, forms, authorized, references other standards

1904.29(a) - Basic requirement. You must use OSHA 300, 300-A, and 301 forms, or equivalent forms, for recordable injuries and illnesses. The OSHA 300 form is called the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, the 300-A is the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, and the OSHA 301 form is called the Injury and Illness Incident Report.

1904.29(b)(1) - What do I need to do to complete the OSHA 300 Log? You must enter information about your business at the top of the OSHA 300 Log, enter a one or two line description for each recordable injury or illness, and summarize this information on the OSHA 300-A at the end of the year.

1904.29(b)(2) - What do I need to do to complete the OSHA 301 Incident Report? You must complete an OSHA 301 Incident Report form, or an equivalent form, for each recordable injury or illness entered on the OSHA 300 Log.

1904.29(b)(3) - How quickly must each injury or illness be recorded? You must enter each recordable injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log and 301 Incident Report within seven (7) calendar days of receiving information that a recordable injury or illness has occurred.

1904.29(b)(4) - What is an equivalent form? An equivalent form is one that has the same information, is as readable and understandable, and is completed using the same instructions as the OSHA form it replaces. Many employers use an insurance form instead of the OSHA 301 Incident Report, or supplement an insurance form by adding any additional information required by OSHA.

1904.29(b)(5) - May I keep my records on a computer? Yes, if the computer can produce equivalent forms when they are needed, as described under 1904.35 - employee involvement and 1904.40 - providing records to government representatives, you may keep your records using the computer system.

1904.29(b)(6) - Are there situations where I do not put the employee's name on the forms for privacy reasons? Yes, if you have a "privacy concern case," you may not enter the employee's name on the OSHA 300 Log. Instead, enter "privacy case" in the space normally used for the employee's name. This will protect the privacy of the injured or ill employee when another employee, a former employee, or an authorized employee representative is provided access to the OSHA 300 Log under 1904.35(b)(2) - employee involvement. You must keep a separate, confidential list of the case numbers and employee names for your privacy concern cases so you can update the cases and provide the information to the government if asked to do so.

1904.29(b)(8) - May I classify any other types of injuries and illnesses as privacy concern cases? No, this is a complete list of all injuries and illnesses considered privacy concern cases for part 1904 purposes.

1904.29(b)(9) - If I have removed the employee's name, but still believe that the employee may be identified from the information on the forms, is there anything else that I can do to further protect the employee's privacy? Yes, if you have a reasonable basis to believe that information describing the privacy concern case may be personally identifiable even though the employee's name has been omitted, you may use discretion in describing the injury or illness on both the OSHA 300 and 301 forms. You must enter enough information to identify the cause of the incident and the general severity of the injury or illness, but you do not need to include details of an intimate or private nature. For example, a sexual assault case could be described as "injury from assault," or an injury to a reproductive organ could be described as "lower abdominal injury."

1904.29(b)(10) - What must I do to protect employee privacy if I wish to provide access to the OSHA Forms 300 and 301 to persons other than government representatives, employees, former employees or authorized representatives? If you decide to voluntarily disclose the Forms to persons other than government representatives, employees, former employees or authorized representatives (as required by 1904.35 - employee involvement and 1904.40 - providing records to government representatives,), you must remove or hide the employees' names and other personally identifying information, except for the following cases. You may disclose the Forms with personally identifying information only: [Reference paragraph (b)(10)(i) - (iii)].

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