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OSHA Form 300A posting date approaching

The time of the year that OSHA 300A forms must be posted is fast approaching. While there are exemptions, most employers with ten or more employees must maintain an OSHA 300 Log throughout the year and record a summary on the 300A, also called the Annual Summary form, and post no later than February 1, 2012.

A company executive must certify the summary. In so doing, executive certifies they have reviewed the related records and that the posted summary is accurate, true and complete. OSHA describes this requirement as imposing "senior management accountability" for the integrity and accuracy of the data.

All establishments covered by Part 1904 must complete this summary page, even if no work-related injuries or illnesses occurred during the year. If there are no recordable injuries or illnesses zeros are recorded in all spaces provided on the 300A form.

This information must then be posted for three months in a common area of the workplace, from February 1 to April 30. Employers must keep the records for five years following the calendar year covered by them, and if the employer sells the business, he or she must transfer the records to the new owner. For a copy of the form visit http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/RKforms.html.

It's always a good idea to review the OSHA recordable requirements with managers and supervisors. The recordable tree on the OSHA website is a helpful guide http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/ppt1/RK1flowchart.html.

There are exemptions. If you had 10 or fewer employees during all of calendar year 2010 or your business is classified in a specific low-hazard retail, service, finance, insurance, or real estate industry as spelled out on the webpage, http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/pub3169text.html you do not have to keep injury and illness records unless the Bureau of Labor Statistics or OSHA informs you in writing that you must do so. However, all employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-596) must report to OSHA any workplace incident resulting in a fatality or the in-patient hospitalization of three or more employees within eight hours of the incident, regardless of the number of workers a business employs.