Recordable Injuries OSHA 300 Log - What kind injuries are required to be recorded?

M

Mike Smith

Can anyone please tell me what kind injuries are required to be recorded on the OSHA 300 log. The question has arisen here because one person thinks because a person cuts his finger, it should be recorded on the log. Another thinks that only lost time accidents are supposed to be recorded. Can someone help please?
 

pilchard

No Badges
Recordables

Usually anything beyond first aid such as a wound closure (stitches), prescription medication (except tetnus etc... that is an onnoculation)

If it is lost time due to a work related injury or illness it is a recordable.

Just check the osha website first and find your SIC code you may be considered a low hazard industry and exempt from having to file a 300 log or classify incidents.:cool:
 

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Randy

Super Moderator
The instructions are pretty plain.

Essentially any injury that results in lost time, requires more than 1st aid (like a revisit, stitch, or prescription), or requires treatment at a later date (could be 6 months after the original).

Actual guidance can be found if you follow Part 1904-"Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses," to see exactly which cases to record.

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owastand.display_standard_group?p_toc_level=1&p_part_number=1904
 
J

JodiB

Revisit? Retreatment? Nah

There isn't anything in the OSHA standard that says an injury that requires a second visit for treatment is Recordable. In fact, guidance says specifically that first aid is first aid regardless of who does it or how often it is done. So if an employee requires multiple visits for therapeutic massage, or whirlpool therapy, or simply monitoring or further testing, or other first aid type treatment, it is not recordable based solely on that.
 

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Leader
Admin
Lucinda said:
There isn't anything in the OSHA standard that says an injury that requires a second visit for treatment is Recordable. In fact, guidance says specifically that first aid is first aid regardless of who does it or how often it is done. So if an employee requires multiple visits for therapeutic massage, or whirlpool therapy, or simply monitoring or further testing, or other first aid type treatment, it is not recordable based solely on that.
That is right, so as to reduce the confusion and recordkeeping burden of reporting injuries. The injury is reportable, not the visit(s) to health care providers.
 

Steve Prevette

Deming Disciple
Leader
Super Moderator
I work with our 300 log data on nearly a daily basis, and know to defer such questions to our company expert lead in the S&H department.

Basically, an injury should be job related. The change from the 200 log rules to the 300 log rules for example eliminated recording an injury where someone breaks a tooth during lunch, as long as it was not a job function to be at a luncheon.

Generally, cutting a bagel and then cutting yourself is not job related. But, in one case we assigned a Secretary to cut bagels for a visiting group, and she cut her finger, requiring sutures.

Generally, the following attributes can cause a job-related case to be recordable:
- Days away from work (beyond the day of injury)
- Work restriction affecting currently assigned tasks
- More than one dose of prescription medicine
- Sutures (and this may include "super-glue" or butterfly bandages depending on interpretations)
- Loss of consciousness
- A diagnosis of an illness (such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Certain worker stress diagnosis can fall here)
- fractured or broken bones

But it is best to consult the experts.
 
J

JodiB

"More than one dose", nah again

Even one dose of prescription medication, administered for anything other than for diagnostic purposes, is recordable.

Re: the description Steve gave following "sutures" : butterfly bandages are included on the first aid list, so are not recordable. Liquid bandage, likewise not recordable, but Dermabond surgical glue is recordable. Distinction is drawn between types of wound-closing devices that are topical only, while others are invasive.

Also, if the employee breaks his tooth during lunch or chokes on his ham sandwich and it was an employer provided meal then it is recordable. It is the "employer provided" that makes or breaks it, not a test of the job function. Work-related, as it is included in the current OSHA standard, is a presumption of the work environment unless one of the specific exemptions apply.
 
J

JodiB

Read the ummm, manual

Mike, the best advice is what was given in the first couple of posts. Go to osha.gov and read the Recordkeeping standard. And then read the letters of interpretation. And then read the background on how and why the current standard is worded as it is. You can learn a lot from understanding the rationale behind the literal text of the standard.

There are simply too many nuances to provide you exactly everything here in this forum, and as you can see there is not a clear understanding even amongst our group here.

Happy reading!
 
M

Mike Smith

Thanks Lucinda and to all, good advice.

I was hoping for a clear cut, black or white answer. I guess anything to do with the government is simply not going to be that simple.
 
J

Justin

Or you could just read the instructions printed at the top of OSHA's Form 300, which states "You must record information about every work-related death and about every work-related injury or illness that involves loss of consciousness, restricted work activity or job transfer, days away from work, or medical treatment beyond first aid. etc..."

Pretty much sums it up

Good luck :cool:
 
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