OSHA’s Form 300A: What You Need to Know

What is Form 300A?

OSHA’s Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses)  is a separate form aside from Form 300. It is a summary of all the work-related injuries and illnesses that have occurred in the workplace during the previous calendar year. Each of these incidents is also required to be individually recorded on Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses).

If you are required to keep records of work related injuries and illnesses, you are required to fill out Form 300A, regardless of whether or not you had any recordable injuries or illnesses.

When do I need to have it completed?

Form 300A needs to be posted in a conspicuous place where other notices to employees are generally posted by February 1. The form must then remain on display until April 30.

It should be noted that you do not have to submit your Form 300A to OSHA unless you are asked to do so.

What if I have multiple sites?

If you have multiple physical establishments, you as the employer are required to complete a separate Form 300A and post it in each location for employees to see.

What is considered a recordable incident?

According to OSHA, you should record any work-related injury or illness that results in any of the following:

• Death
• Loss of consciousness
• Days away from work
• Restricted work activity or job transfer
• Medical treatment beyond first aid

OSHA also states that you must record any work-related injuries or illnesses that are diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional. Additionally, any work-related case involving cancer, chronic irreversible disease, a fractured or cracked bone, or a punctured eardrum.

Any additional criteria?

Yes, the following conditions must also be recorded if they are work-related:

• Any needlestick injury or cut from a sharp object that is contaminated with another person’s blood or other potentially infectious material;
• any case requiring an employee to be medically removed under the requirements of an OSHA health standard;
• tuberculosis infection as evidence by a positive skin test or diagnosis by a physician or other licensed health care professional after exposure to a known case of active tuberculosis;
• an employee’s hearing test reveals 1) that the employee has experienced a Standard Threshold Shift (STS) in hearing in one or both ears and 2) the employee’s total hearing level is 25 decibels or more above audiometric zero in the same ear as the STS.

 How to complete a Form 300A

If you’ve never completed a Form 300A before, it can be a bit tricky. The first thing you will need is your completed Form 300. Once you have that, you are ready to complete Form 300A.

• Calculate the total number of cases you had recorded. This information will be found in Columns G-J on Form 300. Enter the total for each type of recordable case into Form 300A. Enter a “0” if there where none.
• Add up the total number of days away from work found on Form 300, in Column K and the total days of transfer or restriction found in Column L, of Form 300. Enter these totals into the “Number of Days” portion of Form 300A. Enter a “0” if there where none.
• Count the number of cases you had for each injury or illness type from Form 300 in Column M. Enter these totals into the “Injury and Illness Types” portion of Form 300A. Enter a “0” if there where none.
• Complete the Establishment Information portion with your organization’s name, address, industry description, and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) or North American Industrial Classification (NAICS) if you have access to that information.
• Figure out the average number of employees that were employed in that year and enter that into Form 300A. To help calculate this number, here are some tips:

1. Establish how many employees in your establishment are paid in all periods throughout the year. This includes all categories of employees (salaried, hourly, part-time, seasonal, and temporary).
2. Add up the total number of pay periods you had during that year. This includes periods where you may of had no employees.
3. Divide step one by step two.
4. Round up to the nearest whole number and enter that figure into Form 300A.

• Add up the total number of hours worked by all employees during that year and enter that figure into Form 300A. Do not include any vacation hours, sick leave, or other paid time off. If you don’t have the exact number, use this formula to estimate:

1. Calculate the number of full-time employees you had for the year and multiply it by the number of work hours a full-time employee would work in a year. This is the total number of hours worked for full-time employees.
2. Take the figure from step one and add the number of overtime hours, hours worked by other employees (part-time, temporary, seasonal).
3. Round the calculation from step two up to the next whole number. Record this figure into Form 300A.

• To complete Form 300A, you need to have an executive from the company sign it. This could be an owner, officer of the corporation, highest-ranking official working at the location, or an immediate supervisor of the highest-ranking company officially working in the establishment.

Additional Resources

• Understanding the OSHA 300 Log and Other Incident Paperwork– creativesafetysupply.com
• OSHA 300– blog.creativesafetysupply.com
• OSHA Proposes New Rule– safetyblognews.com
• Avoid OSHA Citations: What You Need to Know to Stay Compliant– creativesafetypublishing.com
• What you Need to Know About OSHA– bridge-to-safety.com
• Is OSHA’s Proposal for E-Reporting Going too far?– blog.5stoday.com
• Permit-Required Confined Spaces – Do You Know What They Are?– babelplex.com
• GHS labels: What you need to know– hiplogic.com
• Why You Should Use Takt Time Production & How To Do It– kaizen-news.com