OSHA Form 300A is a summary of injuries and illnesses from the previous year that are “work-related” and “recordable.” This means not all injuries and illnesses experienced in the workplace are considered “work-related”—a matter of context—or rise to the level of “recordable”—a matter of degree. We’ll come back to how OSHA defines those terms in a moment.

OSHA Reporting is a three-step process:

1. If an incident of injury or illness meets the criteria of “work-related” and “recordable,” the employer must fill out a Form 301 Report. 
2. Then, the incident must be recorded in the employer’s Form 300 Log for that worksite. 
3. Finally, after the year’s end, the employer must use the Log to complete their Form 300A Summary.

These reporting requirements apply to employers with more than 10 employees in nonexempt, hazardous industries, such as agriculture, construction, and manufacturing. 

Other employers and industries are referred to as “partially exempt” because there are still particular circumstances in which they must comply:

1. OSHA requires certain incidents—fatalities, hospitalization, dismemberment—to be reported, regardless of employer status
2. OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics can require—upon written notice—individual employers who are otherwise exempt to complete Form 300A.

Partially exempt industries include retail, finance, and other low-hazard work environments. For a complete list of partially exempt industries by NAICS code, check out OSHA’s website.

Just because an employee experiences pain from an injury or symptoms from an illness in the workplace does not necessarily make it “work-related.”

According to OSHA, “recordable” work-related injuries and illnesses are those that result in:

• death,
• loss of consciousness,
• days away from work,
• restricted work activity or job transfer, or
• medical treatment beyond first aid.

Related Terms: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)