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The OSHA 200 and 300 Forms - Frequently Asked Questions for OSHA's Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Rule

The OSHA 200 and 300 Forms - Frequently Asked Questions for OSHA's Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Rule

On January 1, 2002, OSHA changed the injury and illness reporting forms, eliminating the 200 form and replacing it with a new 300 series. This page provides general guidance about OSHA's Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Rule - the revised recordkeeping rule and provides links to more detailed guidance.

General Guidance

Question 1. Why did OSHA change the 1904 regulation?

OSHA says it revised the rule to

1. collect better information about the incidence of occupational injuries and illnesses,
2. improve employee awareness and involvement in the recording and reporting of job-related injuries and illnesses,
3. simplify the injury and illness recordkeeping system for employers, and
4. permit increased use of computers and telecommunications technology.

Question 2. What recordkeeping actions took place on January 1, 2002?

A number of actions took place on January 1, 2002, including:

• The revised 29 CFR Part 1904, entitled Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, is in effect.

Three new recordkeeping forms came into use:

• OSHA Form 300, Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
• OSHA Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
  (The 300 and 300A forms will replace the former OSHA Form 200, Log and Summary of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses)
• OSHA Form 301, Injury and Illness Incident Report
  (The 301 form replaces the former OSHA Form 101, Supplementary Record of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)/OSHA publications: Recordkeeping Guidelines for Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 1986 and A Brief Guide to Recordkeeping Requirements for Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 1986 was withdrawn.

All letters of interpretation regarding the former rule's injury and illness recordkeeping requirements was withdrawn and removed from the OSHA CD-ROM and put into the OSHA Archive Set.

Question 3. Where can I get copies of the new forms?

Copies of the forms can be obtained on EHSO's web site at on the OSHA forms page or from the OSHA publications office at (202) 693-1888.

Question 4. Can I compare injury and illness rates generated from my OSHA form 300, and the new regulation, to injury and illness rates generated from my OSHA 200 Log under the old rule (i.e., compare 2001 data with 2002 data)?

The new recordkeeping rule changes some of the criteria used to determine which injuries and illnesses will be entered into the records and how they will be entered. Therefore, employers should use reasonable caution when comparing data produced under the old 1904 regulation with data produced under the new rule.

Question 5. Are the recordkeeping requirements the same in all of the States?

Yes. The States operating OSHA-approved State Plans must adopt occupational injury and illness recording and reporting requirements that are substantially identical to the requirements in Part 1904 and which should also be in effect on January 1, 2002. For more information, see the discussion under "States Requirements," CFR#1904.37.

Detailed Guidance

Most of the questions that OSHA has received about the detailed provisions of the new rule are answered in the regulation itself. However, other questions arise that are not directly answered, and OSHA has developed additional guidance to help employers comply with the recordkeeping requirements. The following table of contents provides links to additional guidance, or, if additional guidance has not been developed, to the regulation.

1904.0 Purpose

1904.1 Partial exemption for employers with 10 or fewer employees.

1904.2 Partial exemption for establishments in certain industries.

1904.3 Keeping records for more than one agency.

1904.4 Recording criteria.

1904.5 Determination of work-relatedness.

1904.6 Determination of new cases.

1904.7 General recording criteria.

1904.8 Recording criteria for needlestick and sharps injuries.

1904.9 Recording criteria for cases involving medical removal under OSHA standards.

1904.10 Recording criteria for cases involving occupational hearing loss.

1904.11 Recording criteria for work-related tuberculosis cases.

1904.12 Recording criteria for cases involving work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

1904.29 Forms.

1904.30 Multiple business establishments.

1904.31 Covered employees.

1904.32 Annual summary.

1904.33 Retention and updating.

1904.34 Change in business ownership.

1904.35 Employee involvement.

1904.36 Prohibition against discrimination.

1904.37 State recordkeeping regulations.

1904.38 Variances from the recordkeeping rule.

1904.39 Reporting fatalities and multiple hospitalization incidents to OSHA.

1904.40 Providing records to government representatives.

1904.41 Annual OSHA Injury and Illness Survey of Ten or More Employers.

1904.42 Requests from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for data.

1904.43 Summary and posting of year 2000 data.

1904.44 Retention and updating of old forms.

1904.45 OMB control numbers under the Paperwork Reduction Act

1904.46 Definitions