OSHA requires covered employers to record work-related injuries and illnesses in an annual OSHA 300 log. The log must be kept up-to-date and available for employees to review. At the end of each year, the employer is required to sign the log and post it. OSHA has now issued guidance which makes some workplace exposure to the coronavirus (COVID-19) recordable in the 300 log.
According to OSHA, COVID-19 can be a recordable illness if an employee is infected due to the performance of their work-related duties. That said, employers are only required to record COVID-19 illnesses if all of the following criteria are met:
- The illness to be recorded is a confirmed case of COVID-19;
- The illness is work-related; and
- The illness involves at least one of the general reporting criteria (i.e. medical treatment beyond first aid, days away from work, etc.).
More information regarding coronavirus-related OSHA reporting requirements can be found by visiting the U. S. Department of Labor’s “Injury and Illness Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements” page at www.OSHA.gov. Businesses should also take time now to review their safety plans with legal counsel to make certain it is up to date.