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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.