OSHA 300A Logs

The OSHA 300A Log (you can download the form here) is used to track injuries that occurred in 2023 as well as their severity. Once completed, it must also be displayed at the business. The process can be confusing and not every business is required to submit the form. Below is an overview of what is required and tips on submitting your data.

Who is required to submit a 300A log?

Business locations with 10 or more employees are required to complete the form. Electronic submission is mandated for businesses with 250 or more employees at one location and specified industry employers with 20-249 employees.

Not all businesses are required to submit data. Check OSHA’s exempt list to see if you qualify.

What to record

The 300A Log lists all recordable injuries in the year 2023. To be considered a recordable injury, an incident must:

• Be work-related,
• Be a new occurrence, and
• Meet one or more of the following criteria by resulting in:
  • Death
  • Days away from work
  • A job transfer or restricted work
  • Medical treatment beyond first aid
  • A significant injury diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health professional
• Cases of cancer, chronic irreversible disease, fractured or cracked bones or teeth, and punctured eardrums.

If an employee missed more than 180 days, you can stop counting. Days away are capped at 180.

There are also special recording criteria for work-related cases involving needlesticks and sharps injuries, medical removal, hearing loss and tuberculosis.

Please note: incidents that only required first aid do not have to be recorded. OSHA has a list of what it considers first aid that you’ll want to review. It includes a variety of first aid, everything from giving over-the-counter medication to using temporary splints.

Common mistakes

There are two common errors when counting “Days Away from Work” and “Job Transfer or Restrictions.”

First, people often separate the two classifications when an incident resulted in both time away from work and a job transfer/restriction. Instead, the entire duration should be classified as the more severe “Days Away from Work.”

The second mistake is miscalculating days by skipping weekends and holidays. OSHA counts using continuous days, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

Signed, sealed, delivered

Once your 300A Log is complete, the report should be signed by an executive of the company who has some level of authority. The signature certifies that the information is accurate.

The Log should then be posted at each business location in an area where employees can easily see it. (OSHA defines locations on their website.) It must be posted from February 1 to April 30, 2024.

Be sure to remove old 300A logs once your 2023 log has been posted. This is to eliminate confusion on which data is current.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that starting January 1, 2024, employers in designated high-hazard industries with 100 or more employees must electronically submit their Form 300-Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses along with Form 301-Injury and Illness Incident Report to OSHA once a year.

To improve data quality, establishments are required to include the legal name of their company when submitting forms electronically. These forms should be submitted in addition to the 300A logs.

All forms are to be submitted electronically to OSHA by March 2, 2024.

If you have questions or need clarity, you can always contact me.