February 2026 Safety Tip

OSHA 300 Reporting

Deadline for completing and posting reports is January 31, 2026.

It’s that time of year again! Time to fill out your 2025 OSHA 300 log and post your current OSHA 300A form in your work location(s) from February 1 through April 30, 2026. The posting of the OSHA 300A form is required in statute and inspectors visiting sites will be looking for current forms.

See details below for information on completing your OSHA 300 reports. 

What is the OSHA 300?

The OSHA 300 is a log for employers to record all recordable injuries and illnesses that occur in the workplace. This log includes the following information: where and when the injury or illness occurred, the nature of the case, the name and job title of the injured or ill employee, and the number of days the injured or ill employee was away from work and/or days of restricted/light duty, if any.

What Injuries or Illnesses Should Be Reported on the OSHA 300 Log?

Employers must record all new cases of work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses if they involve any of the following:

• Death
• Days Away from Work
• Restricted Work or Transfers to Another Job
• Medical Treatment Beyond First Aid
• Loss of Consciousness
• Significant Injury or Illness Diagnosed by a Physician or Other Licensed Health Care Professional

What Qualifies as Work-Related?

Injury or illness resulting from any of the following:

• Caused by Events or Exposures in the Work Environment
• Contributed to by Events or Exposures in the Work Environment
• Significantly Aggravated by Events or Exposures in the Work Environment

How are Injuries and Illnesses Recorded?

The OSHA 300 logs requires employers to check one of six boxes to categorize the injury/illness:

1. Injury
2. Skin Disorder
3. Respiratory Condition
4. Poisoning
5. Hearing Loss
6. All Other Illnesses

What are the Record Retention Requirements?

The logs must be maintained at the worksite for at least five years.

What OSHA Reports are Required?

The following are used to record work-related injuries and illnesses: 

• OSHA 300 Log- Log of recordable work-related injuries and illnesses
• OSHA 300A Form – Summary of work-related injuries and illnesses, which is to be posted in the workplace annually from February 1 until April 30

On the OSHA 300 log, there are spaces to record days of job transfer or work restriction, as well as days away from work. Calendar days (rather than scheduled workdays) are used for recording days away from work. If an injury or illness causes a worker to miss work, the employer must record weekend days, holidays, and other days that the worker might not have been scheduled to work. Employers may limit days away from work to 180 days.

Resources

• OSHA Record Keeping Reports -  Instructions and templates for completing the OSHA 300 log and OSHA 300A form
• OSHA Recordkeeping & Reporting Requirements - OSHA reporting information directly from the federal register

WCMB is here to help. Email WCMB@mt.gov for assistance.