How to Use the OSHA 300 Log Recordkeeping Classifier Prompt to Decide Which Injuries Belong on the Log

Most recordkeeping mistakes on the OSHA 300 log come from two directions. Some employers record every incident out of caution and inflate their numbers. Others skip cases that look minor but involved a prescription strength medication or a work restriction, which makes them recordable. The rules in 29 CFR Part 1904 are precise, and the answer depends on treatment and work status, not on how bad an incident looked. The OSHA 300 Log Recordkeeping Classifier: 29 CFR 1904 Recordability Tests, First Aid vs Medical Treatment, Day Counts, Privacy Cases, and the 300A Posting prompt walks each incident through the recordability tests, rules on every treatment, counts the days correctly, and writes ready to enter log rows.

What the prompt produces

1. A recordability walk for each incident, covering work relatedness, whether it is a new case, and the general recording criteria.
2. A first aid versus medical treatment ruling for every treatment, using the closed first aid list and flagging common traps.
3. Day counts for restricted work and days away, counted in calendar days starting the day after the injury and capped at 180.
4. A privacy case check and what to write in the name column when it applies.
5. Ready to enter 300 log rows with case numbers, classification columns, and injury or illness type.
6. A 300A reminder covering certification, the February 1 to April 30 posting period, and whether electronic submission may apply.

How to fill the inputs

Establishment gives the NAICS code, peak employee count, and number of sites. These decide partial exemptions and electronic submission rules.

IncidentNotes lists each incident with the date, job title, what happened, body part, and location. Facts beat adjectives here.

TreatmentRecords is the most important input. List every treatment, who gave it, and any prescription or recommendation, including the dose. A physician recommending 800 mg ibuprofen is very different from an employee taking two over the counter tablets on their own.

WorkStatus captures what happened after: full duty, restrictions with dates, or days away with dates.

SensitiveFlags notes details like needlesticks, injuries to intimate body parts, or mental health diagnoses that can make a case a privacy case.

CurrentLog lists the case numbers already used this year so the new rows continue the sequence.

Reading the example output

The example covers three incidents at a 140 person distribution warehouse:

• A laceration that is not recordable. Cleaning the wound, Steri-Strips, and a tetanus shot are all first aid. The emergency room visit by itself does not make the case recordable.
• A back strain that is recordable. The physician recommended prescription strength ibuprofen, which counts as medical treatment, and a lifting limit created nine restricted days. The prompt marks the restriction VERIFY, because it depends on whether lifting over 20 pounds is a routine part of the job.
• A needlestick that is recordable and a privacy case. Post exposure prophylaxis is prescription treatment, so the case is recordable even though contamination is unknown. The name column reads Privacy Case.
• Day counting is careful. Leaving early on the day of injury counts as zero days away, because counting starts the next day.
• The log rows are ready to type. Each row has the classification column and day counts, and the output reminds you that the 301 form is due within seven calendar days.

Tips for better results

• Collect clinic paperwork before you run the prompt. Work status forms and prescriptions settle most questions.
• Paste job descriptions when restrictions are involved. A restriction only counts if it keeps the employee from a routine job function.
• Review open cases monthly. Day counts change as restrictions are extended or lifted.
• Keep a separate confidential list of names for privacy cases, linked by case number.

Mistakes to avoid

• Do not treat an emergency room visit, an X-ray, or an evaluation by itself as medical treatment.
• Do not forget weekends and days off when counting restricted or away days.
• Do not record the employee's name on the log for a privacy case.
• Do not assume electronic submission rules from memory. The industry lists and size thresholds are worth checking every year.

Who it is for

Safety coordinators, HR generalists who handle recordkeeping, plant and warehouse managers, occupational health nurses, and small business owners who need to keep an accurate OSHA 300 log without a full time safety department.

Related PromptDig links

Open the OSHA 300 Log Recordkeeping Classifier: 29 CFR 1904 Recordability Tests, First Aid vs Medical Treatment, Day Counts, Privacy Cases, and the 300A Posting prompt and paste your incident and treatment notes. For more prompts for operations and compliance work, Browse more prompts. If you have a safety or HR prompt that saves your team time, Share a prompt.