Does the 301 have to be a separate form?

No. A workers' compensation report, insurance form or internal incident report can substitute for the 301 if it contains the same information: what happened, the injury, the object or substance, and the treatment.

How long do I keep the OSHA 300 log?

Five years following the end of the calendar year the records cover. The 300, 300A and 301 must all be retained.

What do I write for a privacy case?

Write "privacy case" in place of the employee's name on the 300 log and keep a separate confidential list linking the case number to the employee.

Toolve / Recordable / 300 log & 301

The 300 log and the 301 report

Three forms, one case. The 301 records what happened; the 300 log summarises it on one line; the 300A is the annual total you post. Most compliance problems are form-mapping problems, not judgement problems.

Which form does what

Form	What it holds	When
301 — Incident Report	The narrative: what happened, the injury or illness, the object or substance involved, the treatment given, days away or restricted	Within seven calendar days of learning about the case
300 — Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses	One line per case: case number, employee name (or "privacy case"), job title, date, where the event occurred, description, and the classification	Same seven days; updated if the case changes (for example days away become restricted work)
300A — Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses	Annual totals for the establishment: number of cases by type, days away, days of restricted work, injury types	Post from 1 February to 30 April, then keep it

A workers' compensation report can replace the 301 if it carries the same information (1904.29(b)(2)). It does not replace the 300 entry.

The classification column is where calls get made

Death — a separate column; any work-related fatality is also reportable to OSHA within 8 hours (1904.39).
Days away — count calendar days the employee would have worked but could not. Cap at 180.
Restricted work or transfer — days the employee worked but could not perform the routine functions of the job, or worked a shorter day. Also capped at 180.
Other recordable cases — medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant injury diagnosed by a physician, with no days away or restriction.

Privacy-concern cases (1904.29(b)(7))

Some cases are recorded but de-identified. Instead of the name, write "privacy case" on the 300 log, and keep a separate confidential list that maps the case number to the employee. The categories include:

an injury or illness to an intimate body part or the reproductive system;
an injury or illness resulting from a sexual assault;
mental illness;
HIV infection, hepatitis, or tuberculosis;
needlestick injuries and cuts from sharp objects contaminated with another person's blood or other potentially infectious material;
other illnesses where the employee independently and voluntarily requests that the name not be entered.

Retention and updates

Keep the 300, 300A and 301 for five years following the end of the calendar year they cover (1904.33). During that period you must update the log for changes — a case that gains days away later, or a classification that changes — and provide records to employees, former employees, representatives and OSHA on request.

Electronic submission

Larger establishments in designated industries submit injury and illness data through OSHA's Injury Tracking Application (ITA); smaller ones in those industries submit the 300A summary. The thresholds and the industry list have changed more than once — check OSHA's current ITA requirements for the establishment's size and NAICS code rather than relying on an old guide.

Not sure whether the case is recordable? Walk it through the decision tool — it returns the call, the citation and the privacy flag.

Recordable or not — the decision tool · All recordkeeping pages · Privacy · Contact

The 300 log and the 301 report

Which form does what

The classification column is where calls get made

Privacy-concern cases (1904.29(b)(7))

Retention and updates

Electronic submission

Basis & sources