Injury and illness recordkeeping

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Where to find help

Looking for help? One place to start is the OSHA website, experts say.

“I think [OSHA knows] that recordkeeping can be confusing for a lot of people, so they do have a lot of re-sources available for it,” Gizzi said.

Tilton added that you can call your nearest OSHA or State Plan office and ask to speak with a compliance assistance specialist. Be patient, he advised, because an office may have only one. You might have to schedule an appointment, but the service is free.

Admittedly, it’s not a popular suggestion for some employers, but Tilton recommends employers hire a dedicated staff member to oversee their recordkeeping and other aspects of organizational safety, if they don’t already have such a person.

He said employers can spend money on the front end or hundreds of dollars an hour on lawyers and possibly a couple hundred thousand dollars or more, on top of that, for a workplace injury or illness.

“I will always ask a client to spend the money to bring someone in house, who is a part of the company, who is wearing the (company) shirts, driving their trucks, and seeing these men and women every morning for coffee,” Tilton said. “I always love an in-house person. It’s probably a whole lot more expensive. It’s an extra salary, but it really can make a difference.”

Gizzi highlighted that insurance brokers often have safety professionals on staff to help; Assurance has 24. Also, a number of third-party consultants are available to help employers navigate through proper recordkeeping.

The benefits of recordkeeping (even if it’s not required)

Experts recommend getting in the habit of keeping records and documenting injuries or illnesses even if your establishment isn’t required to do so.

That habit can play a part in strengthening incident investigations, which includes taking photographs, getting statements from witnesses and examining root causes.

These actions allow employers to spot trends. For example, if injuries or near misses are occurring at certain times and/or locations in a facility. Employers also can use the photos and incident reports as training tools, Tilton said.

When it comes to safety training, recordkeeping is likely not front of mind compared with subjects such as fall protection, powered industrial trucks, ladders and scaffolding.

Tilton said training on recordkeeping is needed for anyone who is tasked with filling out OSHA forms or asked to help fill them out.

“I think it’s training that’s overlooked,” he said. “OSHA 300 logs don’t save lives; scaffold training does. In defense of my employers, they overlook [recordkeeping] a lot and focus on hazards.

“Somebody in the office needs to be responsible for record retention, and that individual needs to be an OSHA 1904 expert who can then teach (others).”

Another key step is ensuring workers report injuries and incidents.

Tilton said a company in Tampa, FL, has put up signs around its facility in English and Spanish informing workers that they can’t be punished for reporting injuries.

“Does that change culture overnight?” Tilton asked. “No, but it does help.”