Running a company with more than 10 people? You need to keep an OSHA 300 Log. That’s the law under 29 CFR 1904. It’s not negotiable. Every work injury, every job-related illness—it all goes in this log. Your HR team needs to understand it inside and out.
What Is the OSHA 300 Log?
It’s basically your workplace injury tracker. Someone gets cut by machinery? Log it. A worker develops carpel tunnel from their job? Log it. Someone’s back gets injured lifting boxes? Log it. You’re documenting when it happened, who was involved, what happened, and how bad it was.
People sometimes confuse this with the incident investigation form. Wrong document. That’s the Form 301. The 300 Log is purely documentation. You’re recording that an incident occurred and what the outcome was. The investigation and prevention planning happens separately, but this log provides the basic data.
Who Has to Keep an OSHA 300 Log?
Simple answer: If you had 11 or more employees at any time during the calendar year, you’re required. Coggno’s OSHA Recordkeeping: General Recordkeeping Criteria course covers the legal foundation—who records, what qualifies as recordable, and why — knowledge that pairs well with OSHA 10: General Industry, which covers recordkeeping in the context of the full compliance framework—which is a solid starting point for your HR team before they touch the forms. Unless you’re in one of the exempt industries, which include retail stores, insurance companies, and some professional services sectors. Check the regs if you’re unsure whether your company falls into an exempt category.
Running a business with just 10 or fewer workers year-round? Technically you don’t have to keep records. But a lot of small business owners do it anyway because it’s good protection against lawsuits. Plus state laws vary. For supervisors managing recordkeeping, OSHA-30 training is one of the most effective investments in building the compliance competency needed to get this right. California has tougher requirements than federal OSHA. Supervisors managing recordkeeping often benefit from broader safety training — OSHA-30 for General Industry covers the full regulatory picture including injury reporting and recordkeeping obligations.
OSHA 300 vs. 300A vs. 301: What’s What
Three different forms. Three completely different jobs. Confusing them is a common mistake.
Form 300: The Injury Log
Coggno’s OSHA Recordkeeping—300 Forms: Form 300 course walks HR staff through the actual form with real examples—what goes in each column, what gets left out, and the most common mistakes that trigger citations.
This is your internal document. It’s where you record every injury with the worker’s name, job title, date, where it happened, and what occurred. You mark whether they lost work time, got restricted from their normal job, or something else. This document doesn’t leave the office. Employees can ask to see it though. It stays confidential and you keep it for five years.
Form 300A: The Annual Public Summary
Coggno’s OSHA Recordkeeping—300 Forms: Form 300A course covers the annual summary in detail, including the February 1 posting deadline and what happens if you miss it. Every year on February 1, you have to post the 300A. It’s a summary of all the injuries from the previous year. It shows totals—how many cases resulted in deaths, time away, restricted work, and other types. There are no names on it. It also shows your total work hours so OSHA can compare your injury rates to other companies in your industry. You post it in a visible spot (break room, entrance) and keep it up until April 30.
Form 301: The Incident Details
You fill out a 301 for every case on the 300. Coggno’s OSHA Recordkeeping—300 Forms: Form 301 course focuses on incident report details and the 7-day filing requirement — a common compliance gap that better-trained supervisors are far less likely to miss—the deadline most companies accidentally miss. You have seven days from when you learn about the injury. The 301 tells the story. It describes what the person was doing, how they got hurt, what body parts were affected, and what caused it. It’s much more detailed than the 300. This form helps your company understand what went wrong and how to avoid it. Coggno’s Accident Investigation for Supervisors gives your team the methodology to go beyond the log entry and identify the root cause so the incident doesn’t repeat in the future. OSHA also reviews it to get the full picture of what happened. Coggno’s Managing Workplace Health and Safety gives safety managers the systems-level view of how recordkeeping fits into a complete safety program.
How to Know If an Injury Should Go on the 300 Log
Not every scrape or bruise gets logged. OSHA has clear rules about what qualifies.
These Count as Recordable
An injury is recordable if it’s work-related AND one of these things is true:
The worker died
The worker missed at least one day of work
The worker had to stop doing their job or do lighter work
The worker needed medical treatment beyond basic first aid
The worker passed out
A healthcare provider diagnosed a significant injury or illness
What counts as “medical treatment beyond first aid”? Stitches, bone-setting, prescription drugs, physical therapy. Respiratory illnesses from chemical exposures are recordable if work-related — see Coggno’s Respiratory Protection Training course for the OSHA 1910.134 requirements that help prevent these incidents, hospital stays. If your employee goes to urgent care or the ER and comes home with a diagnosis and treatment plan, it’s recordable.
These Do NOT Get Logged
First-aid-only stuff stays off the log. Band-aids, ice packs, antibiotic cream, over-the-counter pain medicine, tweezers for a splinter. Someone cuts their hand on paper, you bandage it, they’re back at work in two minutes? Not recordable. Someone twists their ankle on the weekend while hiking? Not recordable. A worker burns their hand on a coffee pot in the break room? Not recordable.
Also, it has to be work-related. An employee with a heart condition has a heart attack at their desk. That’s not work-related unless the job itself caused it or made it much worse. A pre-existing back problem that flares up? Only recordable if the work made it worse.
Step by Step: Filling Out the OSHA 300 Log
The form has 14 columns. Let’s walk through what goes where.
Column A: Case Number
Number them sequentially starting at 1 on January 1. Count up (2, 3, 4…). Reset to 1 when the next year starts. This numbering helps you match log entries to the detailed 301 forms.
Column B: Worker’s Name
Full name from your payroll records.
Column C: Job Title
Use the actual title. “Assembly Line Operator” not just “Production.” “Warehouse Associate” not “Warehouse.” Be specific.
Column D: Date of Injury
When did it happen? Use MM/DD/YYYY. If you’re not sure of the exact date, use the day the employee reported it.
Column E: Location
Where in your facility? Not just “warehouse.” Try “Warehouse, Aisle 7, Shelving Unit 12A” or “Loading dock, west end” or “Break room, near the sink.” Give details so someone can picture it.
Column F: Injury Description
One or two sentences. Be specific. “Cut on left hand from box cutter while opening shipment” tells the story. “Hurt hand” tells nothing. “Lower back strain from lifting 50-pound box off conveyor” works. “Back injury” doesn’t. Specific descriptions help OSHA and your safety team understand what happened.
Column G: What Caused It
What object or substance directly caused the injury? The box cutter? The forklift? The chemical spray? The hot oil? Pick the main thing if multiple factors were involved.
Columns H–K: Injury Type
Check ONLY ONE:
H (Death): The worker died. Call OSHA within 24 hours if this occurs.
I (Days Away): The worker didn’t come in. Count calendar days—not work days, calendar days including weekends. Don’t count the day of injury. Stop at 180 days maximum.
J (Restricted Duty): They came in but couldn’t do their normal job and did lighter work instead. Count those days (up to 180).
K (Other): It fits the recordable criteria but not the above three (medical treatment, diagnosed illness).
Columns L–N: Additional Details
L (Type): Pick one: Injury, Skin Disease, Respiratory Condition, Poisoning, or Other.
M (Body Parts): Write the injured areas. “Left hand.” “Lower back.” “Right knee and hip.”
N (Object): Repeat the object from Column G or write “See Column G.”
Big Mistakes Companies Make
Mistake 1: “Recordable” Doesn’t Mean “Call OSHA Today”
These are different things. Recordable = goes on the 300 Log. Reportable = you contact OSHA immediately. A broken arm is recordable. But you don’t call OSHA unless the person was hospitalized overnight. Most recordable injuries never get reported to OSHA—they just go in your internal log.
Mistake 2: Forgetting Medical-Only Injuries
Worker goes to ER, gets stitches, comes back to work the next day. Some managers don’t log it because “they didn’t miss work.” Wrong. Any medical treatment beyond first aid is recordable, even if they worked the whole time.
Mistake 3: Privacy Cases Done Wrong
OSHA lets you hide the name on sensitive stuff (sexual assault, HIV diagnosis, hepatitis C). But you still have to log it. You make a separate Privacy Case List. Some managers just skip logging it or log it without marking it as private. That’s a violation. Do it right—log it, mark it private, and document why.
Mistake 4: Counting Days Wrong
Use calendar days, not work days. Supervisors certified through OSHA 10: General Industry are trained on exactly these recordkeeping nuances — the program covers injury classification and reporting in detail. Person hurt Friday, back Monday? That’s two days (count Saturday and Sunday). Most people miss the weekends. Also, don’t count the day of injury itself. And stop counting at 180 days even if they’re still out.
Mistake 5: Vague Descriptions
“Hurt” or “accident” tells nobody nothing. Write “Left index finger pinched in copy machine while clearing a paper jam” instead of “Hand injury.” Write “Acute lower back strain from loading 50-pound metal sheets into stamping machine” not “Back injury.” Specific descriptions help identify hazards.
Mistake 6: Filing the Form 301 Late
You have seven days. Some companies log the 300 entry right away but wait weeks on the 301. Then they forget. File both around the same time. It’s easier.
Real Example: Logging an Actual Injury
Jennifer Martinez works your warehouse. While stacking boxes, one falls and hits her left shoulder and arm. She goes to the ER. X-rays are negative for fracture. She gets a sling and light duty clearance for ten days, then back to normal.
Your 300 entry:
Within seven days, you’d file a Form 301: “Employee was restocking shelves when a box above became unstable and fell, striking her left shoulder and arm. Contributing factors: boxes stacked to maximum height without safety limits. Actions taken: retraining on stacking height and weight-per-shelf limits.”
The 300A: Your Annual Public Posting
February 1 every year, you post the 300A. It’s a one-page summary of the prior year’s injuries—totals only, no names. It shows how many cases involved deaths, time away, restricted duty, and other recordable injuries. It includes your total work hours so OSHA can calculate your injury rate.
Post it where people will see it—break room, main entrance. Leave it up through April 30. If you have multiple locations, each one posts its own.
A company executive (owner, manager, safety director, HR person) signs it certifying they reviewed the 300 Log and the summary is accurate. That’s a legal responsibility. Sign it wrong and face penalties.
2026 Electronic Submission Requirements
OSHA is moving to electronic injury data submission through their ITA portal. Here’s what triggers it:
Size: 100+ employees in a high-hazard industry (manufacturing, construction, healthcare, warehousing, transportation).
What Gets Sent: The detailed case data from your 300 and 301 forms—not just the summary totals.
When: By March 2 of the following year. For 2025 injuries, submit by March 2, 2026.
How: OSHA’s online ITA portal (https://www.osha.gov/injuryreporting). Manual entry, CSV upload, or API integration if your system supports it.
Future: The 100-employee threshold may drop. Stay informed if you’re close to it.
Below 100 employees or not high-hazard? You still maintain the 300 and 300A, but no electronic submission.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Your 300 Log is confidential workplace records. Not public. Shielded from FOIA requests. But your employees can access it if they ask.
The 300A you post has no names. Just numbers. That’s all the public sees.
Sensitive cases (sexual assault, HIV diagnosis, hepatitis C)—you can hide the name. Maintain a separate Privacy Case List. Document why. Be ready to explain it during an audit.
Monthly Reviews Make a Difference
Once monthly, review your 300 Log with your HR and safety people. Check the entries and 301 forms. Are descriptions clear? Do numbers add up? Did you catch everything? Did you count days correctly?
Monthly reviews catch errors early. They also help you spot patterns. Three hand injuries on the same machine in one month? That’s a red flag. Fix the machine or retrain workers. The 300 Log is a diagnostic tool, not just paperwork.
Penalties Are Real
OSHA penalties for willfully ignoring recordkeeping can exceed $15,000 per violation as of 2026. Beyond the fine, bad records lead to employee lawsuits and regulatory scrutiny—more inspections, increased enforcement attention, all bad for your business.
FAQ: Questions About OSHA 300 Logs
Do I have to keep a 300 Log if I have 10 employees or fewer?
If you stay at 10 or under all year long, it’s technically optional. But check your industry first. And if you ever go above 10 employees in any month, it becomes required. When in doubt, keep records anyway. It protects you legally.
What’s the difference between days away and restricted duty?
Days away = the worker didn’t show up. Restricted duty = the worker came in but did lighter work or different tasks. Both get logged. Count calendar days, not work days. Max 180 days. Check only one box per case.
If an employee had a pre-existing condition and work made it worse, is that recordable?
Yes. If work aggravated a pre-existing condition, it counts. For example: employee with old back problems lifts a box and gets a herniated disc. That aggravation is recordable. You don’t have to prove the work caused the original condition—just that work made it worse.
What if I find out about an injury weeks or months after it happened?
Log it. You have 30 days from when you learn about it to add it to the 300. Use the original injury date, not the date you found out. Occupational illnesses sometimes develop slowly. Someone might not realize they have carpal tunnel for several months.
Do I have to call OSHA about every recordable injury?
No. Recordable injuries go on your internal 300 Log. Only certain serious cases need immediate reporting to OSHA: any death, hospitalization of three or more workers, loss of an eye. Report those within 24 hours to OSHA’s hotline. Post the 300A by February 1. Submit electronic data by March 2 if required. Other cases stay on your log unless OSHA asks for it during an inspection.
Final Thoughts
Getting your 300 Log system right protects your workers and your company. Review your current approach against this guide. Assign one person to own it and do monthly reviews. Train your team on what’s recordable and how to write clear descriptions. If your team is starting from scratch, Coggno’s OSHA Recordkeeping and Reporting Orientation course and the broader OSHA 300 Forms series cover the full system together. If a specific injury case confuses you, contact your state OSHA office or a safety consultant. Getting it right initially beats spending months fixing bad records later on.
FAQ
Do I have to keep a 300 Log if I have 10 employees or fewer?
If you stay at 10 or under all year long, it’s technically optional. But check your industry first. And if you ever go above 10 employees in any month, it becomes required. When in doubt, keep records anyway. It protects you legally.
What's the difference between days away and restricted duty?
Days away = the worker didn’t show up. Restricted duty = the worker came in but did lighter work or different tasks. Both get logged. Count calendar days, not work days. Max 180 days. Check only one box per case.
If an employee had a pre-existing condition and work made it worse, is that recordable?
Yes. If work aggravated a pre-existing condition, it counts. For example: employee with old back problems lifts a box and gets a herniated disc. That aggravation is recordable. You don’t have to prove the work caused the original condition—just that work made it worse.
What if I find out about an injury weeks or months after it happened?
Log it. You have 30 days from when you learn about it to add it to the 300. Use the original injury date, not the date you found out. Occupational illnesses sometimes develop slowly. Someone might not realize they have carpal tunnel for several months.
Do I have to call OSHA about every recordable injury?
No. Recordable injuries go on your internal 300 Log. Only certain serious cases need immediate reporting to OSHA: any death, hospitalization of three or more workers, loss of an eye. Report those within 24 hours to OSHA’s hotline. Post the 300A by February 1. Submit electronic data by March 2 if required. Other cases stay on your log unless OSHA asks for it during an inspection.
