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7 Incident Reporting, Investigation, and OSHA Recordkeeping

Safety Manual · 2026 Edition · Rev 2.0 · Effective August 2026 · Owner DF

7.1 Employee Reporting​

Report all injuries, illnesses, and near misses to your supervisor immediately, whether or not anyone is hurt. In case of injury, get first aid as soon as possible. The First Aid Treatment Form (Appendix D) is completed for every first-aid episode, including refused treatment.

7.2 Reports to OSHA​

29 CFR 1904.39

Mandatory deadlines

Work-related fatality — report to OSHA within 8 hours.

Work-related in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye — report within 24 hours.

How: 1-800-321-6742 (OSHA), the nearest OSHA Area Office (Chicago: 312-353-2220), or osha.gov. Only the Safety Coordinator or management makes this report after immediate notification from the site.

7.3 Incident Investigation​

Accidents and near misses expose hazards. Every recordable injury, and every near miss with serious potential, is investigated using the Supervisor's Report of Injury or Illness (Appendix C) to record the incident, determine root causes (why was the unsafe act committed? why did the unsafe condition exist?), and plan corrective follow-up to prevent recurrence. The scene is preserved for serious incidents until the investigation is complete. Findings are shared with affected crews and tracked to closure by the Safety Coordinator.

7.4 Recordkeeping (29 CFR Part 1904)​

  • OSHA Form 300 — log each recordable injury/illness within 7 calendar days of learning of it.

  • OSHA Form 301 (or equivalent) — incident report completed for each recordable case within 7 days.

  • OSHA Form 300A — annual summary certified by a company executive and posted at each establishment from February 1 through April 30.

  • Electronic submission — establishments with 20–249 employees in construction (NAICS 236) must submit Form 300A data through OSHA's Injury Tracking Application by March 2 each year; establishments with 100+ employees in designated industries also submit Forms 300/301 data.

  • Retention — five years, updated as cases develop. Employee privacy cases are handled per 1904.29(b)(6)–(10).

Companies with 10 or fewer employees at all times during the year are partially exempt from routine 300-log recordkeeping, but the 8/24-hour fatality and severe-injury reports to OSHA are always required.

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