When an employee gets hurt, employers must evaluate whether the injury is “work-related” for OSHA recordkeeping purposes.
In doing so, there can be a tendency to read the rules too narrowly based on a more colloquial or “common sense” understanding of “work-related” rather than according to OSHA regulations and guidance. This may result in missed entries on OSHA logs and potential penalties.
Let’s break down what’s actually required and more importantly, where companies may trip up.
Under OSHA’s recordkeeping standard, employers must record certain work-related injuries and illnesses on their OSHA 300, 300A, and 301 logs. These logs serve as a running account of workplace injuries and are relevant to both compliance and safety trend tracking.
The key question is typically: was the injury or illness “work-related”?
OSHA’s answer is broader than many employers realize. An injury or illness is work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment caused, contributed to, or significantly aggravated the condition. That word “contributed” is doing heavy lifting. Work doesn't have to be the sole or even the primary cause — it just has to be a cause.
There’s another critical piece: the geographic presumption. If an injury results from an event or exposure in the work environment, it's presumed work-related unless a specific exception applies. The burden falls on the employer to prove an exception — not on the employee to prove the connection.
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