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Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Form 301 Injury and Illness Incident Report is used by employers to detail a recordable injury, illness, or death in the workplace.
OSHA Form 301 is part of OSHA’s recordkeeping standards. Each time a recordable workplace injury, illness, or death occurs, an employer must complete OSHA Form 301 and also log the injury or illness in their Form 300. Then, at the end of each calendar year, an employer must also certify a Form 300A which summarizes the illnesses and injuries that occurred in their workplace that year.
Employers must keep a completed OSHA Form 301 on file for 5 years after the end of the year in which the incident occurred.
A copy of OSHA Form 301 and its related forms can be accessed here.
Who Must Complete OSHA Form 301?
You must complete OSHA Form 301 if you have more than 10 full-time employees—unless your industry is on the exemption list available here.
Importantly, you must report any workplace-related deaths within 8 hours of them occurring. In-patient hospitalization, loss of an eye, or amputation must be reported to OSHA within 24 hours, either by phone or online. This requirement applies to all employers, regardless of industry or the size of their workforce.
When Do You Need to Complete a Form 301?
You must complete OSHA Form 301 within 7 days of finding out about a recordable injury or illness in the workplace.
What is a recordable injury or illness?
A recordable workplace injury or illness is any involving:
- medical treatment beyond first aid
- a formal diagnosis of significant illness or injury
- loss of consciousness
- death
- days off work
- restricted work responsibilities or transfer to another role
- the employee having to be medically removed under an OHSA health standard
- cancer, chronic irreversible disease, a fractured or cracked bone, or a punctured eardrum
- needlestick injury or cut from a contaminated sharp object
- a confirmed tuberculosis infection after exposure to a known case of active tuberculosis
- a change in an employee’s hearing—a Standard Threshold Shift.
An injury or illness is work-related if it was caused by or contributed to—or a pre-existing condition was aggravated by—a workplace event.
There are some exceptions to this.
- where an employee was present at the workplace as a member of the general public rather than as an employee—for example, coming into work on a day off to pick something up
- injuries or illness resulting from consuming food or drink for personal consumption—for example, an employee choking on an apple in their employer’s canteen
- injuries resulting from voluntary participation in a wellness program or a medical, fitness, or recreational activity such as a lunchtime exercise class
- the common cold or flu.
What Information Do You Need to Include in OSHA Form 301?
OSHA Form 301 requires detailed information about the employee, the workplace incident, and the injury or illness. Here are some of the details you may have to provide:
- the employee’s information—for example, name, address, date of birth, and hire date
- the date and time of the incident
- what the employee was doing when the incident occurred
- how the injury or illness occurred
- the affected body part(s)
- the object or substance that directly harmed the employee
- name of the healthcare professional who provided treatment
- where the treatment was given
- whether the employee was hospitalized overnight
- date of death.
You can use equivalent forms such as worker’s compensation or insurance documents to record an injury or illness instead of OSHA Form 301, as long as it contains the same information requested in Form 301.
What Happens If You Don’t Complete OSHA Form 301?
Failing to comply with OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements can result in a large fine per violation.
Conclusion
If you’re subject to OSHA’s recordkeeping standards, you must complete OSHA Form 301 within 7 days of learning about a recordable workplace injury or illness. OSHA Form 301 is an incident report which records the details of the employee involved, their illness or injury, and the circumstances in which the incident occurred.
A completed OSHA Form 301 must be kept for 5 years after the year in which the incident occurred. If you fail to complete it when necessary or keep a record of it, you can be fined by OSHA.
