OSHA Recordability Checker
Decide whether a workplace injury or illness must be recorded on your OSHA 300 log.
Reviewed by theComplianceToolsLibrary Editorial Team · Last updated
Key facts
- Three gates
- The case must be work-related, a new case, and meet a recording criterion
- Recording criteria
- Death, days away, restricted work/transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness
- First aid
- Cases treated with only first aid are not recordable
- Small-employer exemption
- Employers with 10 or fewer employees are partially exempt from routine recordkeeping
Is a workplace injury OSHA recordable?
An injury or illness must be recorded on the OSHA 300 log if it passes three gates: it's work-related, it's a new case, and it meets at least one general recording criterion. Those criteria are death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health-care professional.
The line between "first aid" and "medical treatment" is where most recordability questions turn — OSHA publishes a finite list of treatments that count as first aid (and therefore don't trigger recording). Recordable is not the same as reportable: reporting a severe event directly to OSHA is a separate, deadline-driven obligation.
How to use this tool
- 1
Confirm work-relatedness
Determine whether the event arose from the work environment.
- 2
Confirm it's a new case
Check that it isn't a continuation of a previously recorded case.
- 3
Apply the criteria
Answer whether it involved days away, restriction, treatment beyond first aid, or other criteria.
- 4
Review the result
See whether the case must go on your OSHA 300 log.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating any doctor visit as recordable when only first aid was provided.
- Confusing recordable (log it) with reportable (call OSHA).
- Failing to record restricted-duty or job-transfer cases.
- Overlooking work-relatedness for events that happen in the work environment.
What to do next
- If recordable, enter the case on the OSHA 300 log within 7 calendar days.
- Check whether the event is also reportable to OSHA.
- Keep OSHA 300, 300A, and 301 records for five years.
- Confirm reporting deadlines with the OSHA Reporting Deadline Checker.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What makes an injury OSHA recordable?
It must be work-related, a new case, and result in death, days away, restricted work or transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.
What's the difference between first aid and medical treatment?
OSHA defines a specific list of first-aid treatments; care beyond that list counts as medical treatment and can make a case recordable.
Is recordable the same as reportable?
No. Recordable cases go on your 300 log; reportable events (fatalities, hospitalizations, amputations, eye losses) must be reported directly to OSHA on a deadline.
Are small employers exempt from the OSHA 300 log?
Employers with 10 or fewer employees, and certain low-hazard industries, are partially exempt from routine recordkeeping.
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