OSHA recordable injury — the test that decides what goes on the 300 log

Three things together: it is work-related (29 CFR 1904.5), it is a new case (1904.6), and it meets at least one general recording criterion in 1904.7 — death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional. Separate rules in 1904.8 through 1904.11 also cover needlestick and sharps injuries, medical removal, hearing loss, and tuberculosis.

No. First aid alone never makes a case recordable, and OSHA's list in 1904.7(b)(5)(ii) is complete: non-prescription medication at non-prescription strength, tetanus shots, cleaning or soaking surface wounds, bandages and butterfly strips, hot or cold therapy, non-rigid supports such as elastic wraps, temporary splints used for transport, draining a blister or drilling a nail, eye patches, removing something from the eye with only irrigation or a cotton swab, removing splinters by simple means, finger guards, massages, and drinking fluids for heat stress. Anything else is medical treatment.

Not by itself. A visit solely for observation or counseling is not medical treatment, and neither are diagnostic procedures such as x-rays and blood tests. What matters is the treatment given or recommended. If a physician or other licensed health care professional recommends medical treatment — stitches or a prescription, for example — you must record the case even if the worker doesn't follow the recommendation.

Companies with 10 or fewer employees at all times during the last calendar year are partially exempt (29 CFR 1904.1), and the count is company-wide, not per location. Establishments in certain industries listed in Appendix A to Subpart B are also partially exempt (1904.2), and that exemption applies establishment by establishment. Either exemption ends if OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics asks you in writing to keep records, and neither one covers severe-injury reporting: every employer must report a work-related fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye (1904.39).

Not on its own. Recordability depends on facts a photo can't show: the treatment given, the worker's job status, medical diagnoses, and the case history. The injury log in a signed-in OSHA Scan account asks the recording questions in order — work-relatedness, new case, the general recording criteria, and OSHA's first aid list — shows the 29 CFR 1904 rule behind each, and counts calendar days up to the 180-day cap. Its answer is a suggestion that a person confirms; the recordability decision stays with you. Photo scans are separate: they review the work area for visible hazards — like the exposed grinder wheel in this example — so you can correct the condition behind an injury and keep a dated record of the fix.