How many years of OSHA logs need to be kept?
The records must be maintained at the worksite for at least five years. Each February through April, employers must post a summary of the injuries and illnesses recorded the previous year. Also, if requested, copies of the records must be provided to current and former employees, or their representatives.
All employers are required to notify OSHA when an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. A fatality must be reported within 8 hours. An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours.
Establishments with 250 or more employees that are currently required to keep OSHA injury and illness records, and establishments with 20-249 employees that are classified in certain industries must electronically submit their Form 300A Summary data to OSHA.
The OSHA 300 Log
The 300 log is where you record or log all of your work-related injuries and illnesses that occur in a calendar year. You are also required to keep one of these logs for each address where you have employees working.
Employers must save the OSHA 300 Log, the Form 300-A (annual summary), privacy case lists, and the Form 301 Incident Report forms for five years. The stored OSHA 300 Logs must be updated by the employer to include any newly discovered recordable injuries or illnesses.
Exposure records must be maintained for 30 years. Medical records must be maintained for the duration of employment plus 30 years.
You are correct in your understanding that, while employers are required to complete both OSHA Form 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses and OSHA Form 300-A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, only the latter, Form 300-A, is required to be posted in the workplace.
There are four groups of OSHA standards: General Industry, Construction, Maritime, and Agriculture. (General Industry is the set that applies to the largest number of workers and worksites). These standards are designed to protect workers from a wide range of hazards.
Examples of OSHA standards include require- ments to provide fall protection, prevent trenching cave-ins, prevent exposure to some infectious diseases, ensure the safety of workers who enter confined spaces, prevent exposure to such harmful substances as asbestos and lead, put guards on machines, provide respirators or ...
You must keep a separate OSHA 300 Log for each establishment that is expected to be in operation for one year or longer.
What records does OSHA require employers to keep?
The OSH Act of 1970 requires the Secretary of Labor to produce regulations that require employers to keep records of occupational deaths, injuries, and illnesses. The records are used for several purposes. Injury and illness statistics are used by OSHA.
OSHA standard, 29 CFR 1910.1020, Access to employee Exposure and Medical Records defines "employee exposure records" to include material safety data sheets. The standard requires all employee exposure records to be maintained for at least 30 years.
How long should you keep health and safety documents? Most health and safety records need to be kept for five years; however, risk assessment records should be kept if the process or activity is performed. Also, civil claims for injury can be made up to three years after an incident.