The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established to ensure American workers are healthy and safe in their work settings. To uphold such created standards, employers are required to fill out forms at specific times under certain rules. There are several exceptions to OSHA’s 300 series recordkeeping rule to watch out for as you learn further about OSHA compliance.
What is the OSHA 300 Series?
The 300 form series for OSHA is paperwork to identify any injuries or illnesses which are work-related. The standard 300 form is formally called the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses and is a basic requirement to be completed by your establishment. This recordkeeping form tracks the extremity and breadth of incidents. Cases should be recorded ASAP when any critical occurrence takes place. OSHA form 300A is a summary form of these cases to be submitted annually, while OSHA form 301 is a single-report for incidents in which further employee details are to be recorded.
Employers are required to complete these forms unless they are respectively exempt. The information included in these forms is vital for determining serious hazards in your industry—injuries and illnesses should be classified clearly to understand exactly what happened. Knowledge acquired from the forms can establish better workplace safety to lessen and phase out identified hazards for employees.
Determining Your Establishment’s Standing
There are a couple of main exceptions to OSHA’s 300 series recordkeeping rule. One acknowledged exception is if you are an employer who had 10 or fewer employees during the previous calendar year. If this is the case, there is no need to routinely record workplace injuries and illnesses.
Successive to this exception is the exemption for establishments that are determined to be in low-hazard industries. While the majority of medical offices and dental practices are partially exempt from recordkeeping for OSHA, those in animal care or the veterinary profession, are not exempt from these recordkeeping requirements. Be aware as well of the definitions that OSHA uses to define these recordkeeping requirements, as in what counts as a recordable injury or illness for your business. You can check if your industry has a partial exemption by locating your North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code on OSHA’s List of Partially Exempt Industries.
The Criticalness of OSHA Compliance
Understanding the significance of this OSHA compliance documentation remains critical. If you need OSHA compliance education, there is imperative information in reach. Gamma Compliance Solutions is here to provide the necessary materials to aid training as you become compliant to OSHA’s rules, particularly for those expected to have veterinary OSHA compliance.
Appropriate materials are available at your fingertips, whether that be mandatory recordkeeping form copies or customized manuals for those in the industry. Be certain to discern details of what is required of your practice for compliance, as everyone hopes to maintain a healthy and safe work environment.