How do I decide if an injury or illness is recordable?

There are often gray areas with injury and illness recordkeeping, where it is not clear whether an injury meets the recording criteria, or in some cases how and where the injury should be recorded.

Each employer required to keep an OSHA Injury and Illness Log must record each fatality, injury and illness that:

1. Is work-related
2. Is a new case
3. Meets one or more of the general recording criteria

Covered employers must record:

• All work-related fatalities
• All work-related injuries and illnesses that result in:
• Days away from work
• Restricted work or transfer to another job, or
• Medical treatment beyond first aid or loss of consciousness.

In addition, employers must record certain significant work-related injuries or illnesses diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health-care professional, even if those injuries do not otherwise trigger one of the general recording criteria (e.g., a punctured eardrum or broken toe).