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Employers must post OSHA 300A February 1

As a reminder, it’s the time of the year that OSHA 300A forms must be posted. While there are exemptions, most employers must summarize the OSHA 300 Log information on the 300A summary form, and certify the summary (a company executive must sign the certification) no later than February 1, 2010. All establishments covered by Part 1904 must complete this summary page, even if no work-related injuries or illnesses occurred during the year.

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, click here.

There are exemptions. If you had 10 or fewer employees during all of calendar year 2008 or your business is classified in a specific low-hazard retail, service, finance, insurance, or real estate industry, 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.

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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:

The table below indicates which sections of the rule address each topic.

Determination of work-relatedness See §1904.5
Determination of a new case See §1904.6
General recording criteria See §1904.7
Additional criteria. (Needlestick and sharps injury cases, tuberculosis cases, hearing loss cases, medical removal cases, and musculoskeletal disorder cases) See §1904.8 through §1904.12