Safety Management and OSHA Recordkeeping
The 300 Log, the three forms, the rates, the investigation and the program behind them — 29 CFR Part 1904, free and self-paced
Somebody in every company has to decide, usually on a Friday afternoon, whether the cut that took four stitches goes on the log. Get it wrong one way and you under-report; get it wrong the other way and you carry a rate you did not earn. This free, self-paced course works through the whole system in the order it reaches you: what is recordable and why, which of the three forms it goes on and when, how the rates are built and what they can and cannot tell you, how to investigate an incident without stopping at "the worker was careless", and the program — inspections, written plans, a reporting procedure that does not scare people — that the paperwork is supposed to be measuring. Everything is quoted with the paragraph it comes from, and where OSHA requires nothing at all, the course says so and tells you who does.
What you will be able to do
- Decide whether a case is recordable using the three tests of 1904.4, and defend the decision from the text
- Apply the closed first aid list and the day-counting rules without guessing
- Put each case on the right form, in the right column, within the right deadline
- Run the annual cycle: review, certify, post, submit electronically and retain
- Calculate TRIR, DART, lost time and severity rates, and compare them against the right benchmark
- Investigate an incident to its root causes using OSHA's four-step method, and write corrective actions that hold
- Build the inspection, written program and reporting-culture side that the numbers are supposed to reflect
Course outline
What is recordable: the logic of Part 1904
Who keeps records at all, the three tests every case has to pass, the six criteria and the closed first aid list, and the counting rules that decide how a case is classified.
The three forms and the annual cycle
The 300 Log, the 301 Incident Report and the 300A summary: what goes where, the seven-day clock, privacy cases, who may see the records, and the February-to-April cycle that closes the year.
Rates and what they are worth
One formula, four rates, and a denominator nobody checks. How TRIR, DART, lost time and severity are built, what OSHA does with them, and how to benchmark honestly.
Incident investigation and root causes
OSHA's four-step method: preserve and document the scene, collect information, determine the root causes, implement corrective actions — and why the investigation looks at programs rather than at people.
The program behind the numbers
Inspections, the written programs that are actually required, a reporting procedure that does not deter anyone, and the annual rhythm that keeps the whole system alive.
Who it's for: Safety managers and coordinators, HR and office managers who keep the log in a small company, superintendents and plant managers who sign the summary, and anyone preparing for the recordkeeping portion of an OSHA 30 class.
Frequently asked questions
Sources & references
- 29 CFR Part 1904 — Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
- 29 CFR 1904.4 — Recording criteria: work-related, new case, meets the criteria
- 29 CFR 1904.5 — Determination of work-relatedness and the nine exceptions
- 29 CFR 1904.7 — General recording criteria, the closed first aid list and the day-counting rules
- 29 CFR 1904.29 — Forms, the seven-day deadline, equivalent forms and privacy concern cases
- 29 CFR 1904.32 — The annual summary: review, certification by a company executive, posting February 1 to April 30
- 29 CFR 1904.33 — Retention and updating: five years, and the duty to update stored logs
- 29 CFR 1904.35 — Employee involvement: a reasonable reporting procedure, and access to the records
- 29 CFR 1904.39 — Reporting fatalities, in-patient hospitalizations, amputations and losses of an eye
- 29 CFR 1904.41 — Electronic submission of injury and illness records, and the March 2 date
- 29 CFR 1926.20 — Accident prevention responsibilities and inspections by competent persons
- 29 CFR 1926.21 — Safety training and education in construction
- OSHA — Incident [Accident] Investigations: A Guide for Employers (December 2015)
- OSHA 3885 — Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs
- OSHA — Clarification on how the formula is used to calculate incidence rates (August 23, 2016)
- OSHA — Site-Specific Targeting, CPL 02-01-064, February 7, 2023 (archived)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses incidence rate series
- WAC 296-155-110 (Washington State Plan) — accident prevention program, orientation, weekly crew meetings and walk-around inspections
- 8 CCR 3203 (California) — Injury and Illness Prevention Program, inspections and training documentation
- OAR 437-001-0765 (Oregon) — safety committees and safety meetings
Content checked against these sources — last reviewed September 14, 2026.
Not OSHA-authorized training. SteelToeTools is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized by OSHA or the U.S. Department of Labor. This free educational content does not satisfy any OSHA or other regulatory training requirement, and no card, certificate, or credential is issued. Only OSHA-authorized trainers can deliver OSHA Outreach Training (10-Hour and 30-Hour) and issue DOL cards. Always follow your employer's training program and applicable federal, state, and local requirements.