OSHA Compliance Insights
Expert advice, compliance guides, and recordkeeping tips to help you maintain a safer workplace and avoid costly penalties.
Is a work-related mental health condition OSHA recordable? PTSD, the 1904.5(b)(2)(ix) gate, and the July 2026 Fifth Circuit decision
Mental illness was always the strangest determination in Part 1904: the employee, not the employer, controlled whether it ever reached the log. On July 21, 2026, the Fifth Circuit vacated the rule outright, holding OSHA never had the authority to require it. Here's how the rule worked, what the court decided, and what a small employer should actually do now.
Are business-travel and company-vehicle injuries OSHA recordable? Travel status and the commute line (1904.5(b)(6))
A sales rep slips in a hotel lobby, a technician crashes the company truck driving between two job sites, an employee is rear-ended on the morning commute. Only some of these go on the OSHA 300 Log. The deciding rule is 1904.5(b)(6) — travel status — and the boundary it draws between the commute and the workday. Here's how to run it.
Is COVID-19 OSHA recordable in 2026? The March 2026 enforcement policy, explained
For six years the answer was yes — a confirmed, work-related COVID-19 case that met a recording criterion went on your 300 Log. On March 31, 2026, OSHA changed its enforcement posture: it will no longer cite employers for failing to record COVID-19 cases or report COVID-19 fatalities and hospitalizations. Here's what the new policy actually says, what it doesn't, and where other respiratory illnesses still land.
Is aggravation of a pre-existing condition OSHA recordable? The significant-aggravation test (1904.5(b)(4))
A bad back, an old knee, childhood asthma — when work makes an existing condition worse, the case can absolutely land on your OSHA 300 Log. But only if the aggravation is 'significant,' and OSHA defines that with a four-outcome test, not a medical debate. Here's how to run it.
Can You Keep Your OSHA 300 Log Electronically? The Equivalent-Form and E-Storage Rules
Yes — OSHA explicitly allows electronic 300 Logs, in software or a spreadsheet, under the equivalent-form rules of 1904.29. But four duties survive the switch: two production clocks, a hard-copy posting requirement, and a certification that still ends up on a wall. Here is exactly what the regulation, the FAQs, and a 2025 interpretation letter require.
Is a work-from-home injury OSHA recordable? Telework and the home-office rule (1904.5(b)(7))
Yes — a telework injury can land on your OSHA 300 Log, even though OSHA will never inspect the home office it happened in. The deciding line is 1904.5(b)(7): was the worker performing work for pay, and did the work itself cause the injury rather than the general home environment? Here's how to run that test.
Can Employees See the OSHA 300 Log? Access Rights Under 1904.35
Yes — and it's a right with a deadline. Under 29 CFR 1904.35 your employees, former employees, and their representatives can get a copy of the 300 Log, names included, by the end of the next business day. Here's exactly who's entitled to what, why the 301 is different, and the reporting-procedure duty that lives in the same rule.
Counting days away and restricted work days on the OSHA 300 Log (1904.7)
Once a case is recordable, you still have to count the days correctly. This guide covers when the clock starts, calendar vs. workdays, the 180-day cap, cross-year cases, and what to do when an employee leaves before recovery.
How Long Do You Have to Keep OSHA Records? The 5-Year Retention and Update-the-Log Rule
OSHA records have to be kept for five years — but the part most employers miss is that the 300 Log has to stay alive during that window, while the 300A summary and 301 reports do not. Here's the retention rule, the update duty, and the deadlines that come with them.
The OSHA 301 Incident Report: The Case File Behind Every 300 Log Line
The 300 Log is the index. The 301 Incident Report is the case file behind each line — and its access rules are nothing like the Log's. Here's what the 301 captures, the 7-day completion clock, the workers' comp shortcut and its trap, and who can get a copy of what.
Privacy Concern Cases: The Six Times OSHA Tells You NOT to Write the Employee's Name
On the OSHA 300 Log, you almost always enter the injured employee's name. But for six specific categories of case, writing the name is itself the mistake. Here's the exhaustive list under 29 CFR 1904.29(b)(7), the confidential list you have to keep, and the line employers cross in both directions.
OSHA's 8-Hour and 24-Hour Reporting Rules, Explained (29 CFR 1904.39)
Fatalities within 8 hours; hospitalizations, amputations, and loss of an eye within 24. Here's exactly what 29 CFR 1904.39 requires, the definitions that trip employers up (an ER visit isn't a hospitalization), the time windows, how to report, and what happens after.
Who Records a Temp Worker's Injury — the Host Employer or the Staffing Agency?
Under 29 CFR 1904.31, the employer that provides day-to-day supervision records a temp worker's injury — and that's usually the host, not the staffing agency. Here's how the supervision test works, plus PEOs, leased workers, contractors, and the enforcement risk of getting it wrong.
Workers' Comp Denied but OSHA Recordable? Why the Two Systems Don't Match
A workers' comp denial doesn't determine OSHA recordability. A workers' comp acceptance doesn't make a case recordable. The two systems have different tests, different timelines, and different outcomes — and confusing them is one of the most common citation generators OSHA finds at small employers.
What Happens When OSHA Shows Up Under the Heat NEP: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough for Small Employers (2026)
Under OSHA's revised Heat NEP (Directive CPL 03-00-024, April 10, 2026), inspectors can show up on any heat priority day in 55 targeted industries — and expand non-heat inspections into heat ones. Here's what they actually do, what they ask for, and how to be ready.
Sharps Injuries and Bloodborne Pathogens: The Two Separate Logs OSHA Requires
A single contaminated needlestick can create entries on two different OSHA logs — the 300 Log under 29 CFR 1904.8 and the separate Sharps Injury Log under 29 CFR 1910.1030(h)(5). Here's how the rules fit together, who's covered, and where employers most often get it wrong.
Multi-Establishment OSHA Recordkeeping: One 300 Log Per Location and the Rules Multi-Site Employers Miss
Under 29 CFR 1904.30, every establishment expected to operate a year or longer needs its own OSHA 300 Log. Here's how multi-site employers handle traveling employees, short-duration job sites, centralized records, and the ITA — without tripping the rules small companies most often miss.
Recording Hearing Loss on the OSHA 300 Log: The 25 dB STS Rule, Explained
Hearing loss is the one injury type with its own special recording rule. Two thresholds have to be met, age adjustment applies to one but not the other, and there's a 30-day retest window most employers don't use. Here's the rule in plain English.
Is Heat Illness OSHA Recordable? How to Log Heat Cases Under the 2026 Heat NEP
OSHA's updated Heat National Emphasis Program now tells inspectors to pull your 300 Log first. Here's when a heat case becomes recordable, which column it goes in, and what the single most common heat-recording mistake is.
Do You Need to Keep an OSHA 300 Log? Recordkeeping Exemptions for Small Employers
Not every employer has to keep an OSHA 300 log. Two exemption rules — one based on company size, one based on industry — determine whether routine recordkeeping applies to you. Here's how to find out.
How OSHA Picks Who to Inspect: The Site-Specific Targeting Program, Explained
OSHA's Site-Specific Targeting program is the agency's main programmed inspection initiative for general industry — and it runs entirely on the 300A data you submit each year. Here's how the list is built, what triggers a visit, and what to do before your next submission.
OSHA's New Safety Champions Program: What Small Employers Need to Know
OSHA just launched the Safety Champions Program, a free, voluntary initiative that helps employers build real safety programs at their own pace. Here's what it means for small businesses.
TRIR and DART Rates Explained: A Plain-English Guide for Small Employers
Your TRIR and DART rates tell insurers, clients, and OSHA how safe your workplace really is. Learn how to calculate them, what the numbers mean, and how you compare to your industry.
OSHA's Heat Illness Prevention Standard: How to Prepare Before It's Final
A federal heat safety standard is coming. OSHA is already enforcing heat protections through the General Duty Clause and its National Emphasis Program. Here is what small employers should do now.
5 OSHA Recordkeeping Mistakes That Lead to Citations (and How to Avoid Them)
Recordkeeping violations are among the easiest for OSHA to find and cite. These five mistakes account for the majority of recordkeeping citations — and every one of them is preventable.
How to Fill Out the OSHA 300 Log: The Complete Column-by-Column Guide
Every column of the OSHA 300 Log explained, with worked example entries, the 7-day deadline, the rules for correcting the log when a case changes, and the year-end totals that feed your 300A. The complete guide for small employers.
Is This Injury OSHA Recordable? The Decision Tree Every Safety Manager Needs
Recordability is four questions asked in order: did an injury or illness occur, is it work-related, is it a new case, and does it meet a recording trigger? This guide walks each step with worked determinations, the nine work-relatedness exceptions, and the traps that produce citations.
First Aid vs. Medical Treatment: The Line That Decides Recordability
The difference between a recordable incident and a non-recordable one often comes down to a single question: was the treatment first aid, or something more? This guide renders OSHA's complete 14-item first aid list as written, then walks the interpretation letters that decide the hard calls — wound glue, IV fluids, exercise programs, and oxygen.
How to Submit Your OSHA Data Electronically via the ITA Portal
If your establishment meets certain size and industry thresholds, you are required to submit injury and illness data to OSHA electronically each year by March 2. Here is exactly how to do it.
OSHA 300A Annual Summary: Deadlines, Calculations, and Common Mistakes
The 300A is a single page that summarizes your entire year of injury and illness data. Getting it right matters — it is posted for your employees, reviewed by inspectors, and submitted to OSHA electronically. Here is how to complete it correctly.