Safety Management: OSHA Recordkeeping

OSHA standard 29 CFR 1904 describes the rules for recording and reporting occupational injuries and illnesses. Specific recording and reporting requirements ensure uniform, nationwide data to help analyze causes, identify potential trends, and prevent future occurrences. Injury and illness records are also used locally to implement workplace safety and health programs. Failure to properly record an injury or illness may result in an OSHA violation and citation. Thus, it is extremely important for all employees to know and understand the OSHA rules and requirements for recording an injury or illness.

• List the criteria used to determine what makes a case OSHA recordable
• Describe what makes a case work-related
• Differentiate between a new case and the recurrence of an existing case
• List and describe the general recording criteria
• Determine if a case is recordable
• Describe OSHA's recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including the purpose of the OSHA recordkeeping forms