OSHA 300 Log Posts February Through March
by Joe Wheeler

It’s February. Do you know where your OSHA 300 log is?

It better be hanging in your office in plain sight, all duly filled out and signed because the fine for not displaying this particularly stale piece of interior decoration is a nifty $1000.

Nevada Contractors Insurance gave a number of seminars on the proper care and handling of the OSHA 300 log in January, just in time to pull out the tape, thumbtacks, or Hilti gun and mount the thing where the rest of the world can see it. Especially the folks at OSHA if they happen to drop by.

Some 400 contractors have been trained on the OSHA 300 Log at the offices of Risk services-Nevada since December 2002

The log tracks workers’ compensation injuries in that occur in construction. The entries are primarily for injuries that required the worker to take time off from work. Even if it was only a single day off, that’s enough to warrant an entry. Conversely, if there had been an accident and the employee did not take lost time – he got up, dusted himself off and went back to work– then there would be no entry required. Unless he lost consciousness, in which case you would report it. Or if the worker seeks medical treatment. That’s reportable, too. If the worker is transferred to another job after an accident, that’s reportable, but not if he’s eating lunch at the time. That’s not reportable.

Confused yet?

"The government helped make it easier by tripling the number of pages, doubling the length of time it’s posted and quadrupling the number of boxes to be checked," Steve Medellin, Risk Services-Nevada, who taught the class.

The OSHA 300 log resembles the old form, yet features new categories and new posting requirements. It also comes with several companion forms, the 300A and 301.

The log is required by federal OSHA, and the rule enforced by Nevada’s state OSHES (Occupational Safety & Health Enforcement Division).

Some 400 safety people, supervisors, foremen and workers attended the seminar series.

The OSHA 300 LOG At A Glance:

When do you document injuries?

1) Any fatality;
2) Any injury with a lost workday;
3) Non-fatal injuries with NO lost days that resulted in:
           A) A transfer to another job of termination of employment;
           B) Require medical treatment other than first aid;
           C) Involve loss of consciousness or restriction of work or motion.

The Log Space by Space:

The upper right hand portion of the log must be completely filled out with:
1) Company name;
2) Company address;
3) This must be signed, dated and the totals added up when you post for the month of February - even if you have zero entries.

Column by Column:

Case or file number. This is the year and the accident number (example: 01-1);
Date of injury;
Employee’s name;
Occupation of the employee (example: plumber, electrician, welder);
Department (example: field, office, or yard);
Description of injury (example: puncture wound to right foot)

The "Injuries" Portion of the Log:

Column 1: Enter date of death;
Column 2: Mark a check if the injury involved days away from work, days with restricted work activity or both;
Column 3: Mark a check if injury involves days away from work;
Column 4: Enter number of days away from work;
Column 5: Enter number of days of restricted activity;
Column 6: Injuries without lost workdays. Mark a check if no entry was made in columns 1 or 2 above, but the injury was recordable as defined above.

Injury versus Illness.

An injury is the result of an accident on the job site;
An illness is caused by an occupational disease;

For more help with your OSHA 300 LOG, call Risk Services-Nevada at (702) 678-6868.

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