Question: May an employer use a 3rd party (e.g. insurance company, accountant, private safety consultant) to complete and maintain the OSHA Forms?

Answer:

Employers may use 3rd parties to complete their injury and illness forms, but the employer is ultimately responsible for the content and accuracy of the forms. At the end of the calendar year, a company executive must certify that they have examined the OSHA 300 form and that they reasonably believe, based on their knowledge of the process by which the information was recorded, that the OSHA Form 300A annual summary is correct and complete.

For more information, explore OSHA's Recordkeeping Requirements.

Question: What is the effect of workers' compensation reports on the OSHA records?

Answer:

The purpose section of the rule includes a note to make it clear that recording an injury or illness neither affects a person's entitlement to workers' compensation nor proves a violation of an OSHA rule. The rules for compensability under workers' compensation differ from state to state and do not have any effect on whether or not a case needs to be recorded on the OSHA 300 Log. Many cases will be OSHA recordable and compensable under workers' compensation. However, some cases will be compensable but not OSHA recordable, and some cases will be OSHA recordable but not compensable under workers' compensation.

For more information, explore OSHA's Recordkeeping Requirements.

Question: Why are employers required to keep records of work-related injuries and illnesses?

Answer:

The OSH Act of 1970 requires the Secretary of Labor to produce regulations that require employers to keep records of occupational deaths, injuries, and illnesses. The records are used for several purposes. Injury and illness statistics are used by OSHA. OSHA collects data through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) to help direct its programs and measure its own performance. Inspectors also use the data during inspections to help direct their efforts to the hazards that are hurting workers. The records are also used by employers and employees to implement safety and health programs at individual workplaces. Analysis of the data is a widely recognized method for discovering workplace safety and health problems and for tracking progress in solving those problems. The records provide the base data for the BLS Annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, the Nation's primary source of occupational injury and illness data.

For more information, explore OSHA's Recordkeeping Requirements.