How To Fill Out An OSHA 300 Log For A Construction Company

The OSHA 300 Log is a case record, not a list of every hazard a crew notices. Before filling a row, establish whether the injury or illness is recordable, which employer records it and which establishment's log applies.

Use the official OSHA recordkeeping forms and the linked Part 1904 provisions below. Our guide to reporting to OSHA explains how routine records differ from severe incident notification and annual submission.

This article is general information, not legal advice.

1. Check Whether Routine Recordkeeping Applies

A company with 10 or fewer employees throughout the previous calendar year generally qualifies for a partial routine-recordkeeping exemption unless the government directs otherwise. The size test considers the whole company. Industry exemptions are assessed by establishment under a separate rule. 1904.1, 1904.2

For a construction business, make this coverage check before treating a blank log as evidence that no action is needed. A partial exemption does not remove the severe incident reporting duties described in 1904.39. 1904.1(a)(1)

Keep the coverage decision separate from the assessment of an individual case. They answer different questions: whether the employer routinely keeps records, and whether a particular event belongs in them.

2. Confirm The Case Is Recordable

For employers subject to records, a case must be work-related, new and meet a general recording criterion or an applicable specific-case criterion. 1904.4

General criteria include death, days away, restricted work or transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness and certain significant diagnoses. OSHA's guidance also points to special criteria for specific conditions. OSHA Recording Guidance

Use the rule rather than a label in an internal incident report to make this determination. An observation of a missing guardrail and an employee injury are different records with different purposes. Bring unresolved classification questions to the person responsible for your recordkeeping process.

3. Identify The Employer And Establishment

Employers record covered payroll employees and recordable cases involving other employees they supervise day to day. Contractors and staffing arrangements require coordination so a case is recorded once by the responsible employer. 1904.31(a), (b)

Separate logs generally apply to establishments expected to operate for at least a year. Short-term establishments may be grouped in a log covering short-term sites, including by region or company division. The rule also explains where cases involving employees working at different locations belong. 1904.30

For a company with crews moving between projects, resolve that organization before entering the row. A clear establishment structure makes the log, annual summary and later review easier to follow.

4. Complete The Header And Case Details

Enter the year and establishment information in the form's header. In columns A through F, provide the case identifier, employee information, date, location and a concise description. The official form supplies the fields and instructions. OSHA Forms Package

Source for the column layout: OSHA Form 300.

Keep the description factual. A reader should understand what the case concerns without guessing from a vague word such as "hurt." For example, a fictional description might read, "Left forearm cut while handling a metal edge in the material staging area." This illustrates writing style only; it does not establish recordability or describe a customer event.

5. Protect Privacy Cases

For cases covered by the privacy provisions, enter "privacy case" instead of the employee's name on the log and maintain a separate confidential identity list. Use the rule's specific case categories to determine when this applies. 1904.29(b)(6), (7), (8)

The rule also permits appropriate discretion in descriptions where someone could be identified despite omitting the name, while still requiring enough information to describe the cause and general severity. 1904.29(b)(9)

Handle this review before sharing a draft log through the company's normal process. The person preparing the document needs to understand both the case description and the applicable privacy treatment.

6. Select The Most Serious Outcome

Choose one outcome in G through J: death, days away, job transfer or restriction, or another recordable case. The form instructs the preparer to select the most serious outcome. OSHA Form 300 Instructions

This classification is different from counting days. A case can include both days away and restricted days even though only one outcome category is selected. Read the applicable days-away and restricted-work provisions when making that assessment. 1904.7(b)(3), (4)

Check the selection against the information available to the reviewer. A later change in the case may require the stored log to be updated. 1904.33(b)(1)

7. Enter Day Counts And The Case Type

Use K for days away and L for days of transfer or restriction. Select one injury or illness type in M. OSHA Form 300

Days away start on the day after injury or illness onset. Count calendar days, including otherwise unscheduled days when the employee would have been unable to work because of the case, subject to the rule's detailed provisions. 1904.7(b)(3)(i), (iv), (v), (vi)

Restricted work has its own criteria and counting instructions. Use those provisions rather than assuming that every modified task or partial day belongs in the same category. 1904.7(b)(4)

Keep the information supporting the count available to the responsible reviewer through your established recordkeeping process. That makes a later correction easier to understand.

8. Complete The Related Incident Report

For each recordable entry, complete Form 301 or an equivalent incident report. Covered cases must be entered on the log and incident report within 7 calendar days of receiving information that a recordable case occurred. 1904.29(b)(2), (3)

An equivalent form must contain the same information, be as understandable and use the same instructions as the form it replaces. 1904.29(b)(4)

Use a consistent case identifier in your working process so reviewers can connect the log entry with the supporting incident information. Keep that organizational choice separate from any assertion that a particular software feature transfers the information automatically.

9. Review, Retain And Summarize

Keep the log, annual summary, incident reports and any privacy case list for 5 years after the covered year ends. Update stored logs for newly discovered recordable cases and changed classifications or outcomes as required. 1904.33

At year-end, review the log and prepare the 300A summary, with executive review and certification under the annual-summary rule. 1904.32

The reporting guide explains the separate posting and electronic-submission steps. Keep those tasks distinct from completing the individual log row.

Where Osha Ask Helps

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Use the flags to help your team find and fix hazards before an injury, including visible concerns involving PPE, fall protection, guardrails, ladders and trenches.

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Use our guide to reporting to OSHA for the official recordkeeping and reporting instructions discussed in this article.

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Osha Ask is an independent software product and is not affiliated with OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor.