Paperwork Retention and Updating
You must save the following forms for at least 5 years following the end of the calendar year to which the records pertain:
- OSHA Form 300, Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses;
- privacy case list (if one exists);
- OSHA Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses; and
- OSHA Form 301, Injury and Illness Incident Reports.
The five-year time period enables employers, employees, and researchers to obtain sufficient data to discover patterns and trends of illnesses and injuries and, in many cases, to demonstrate the statistical significance of such data.
Do I have to update the OSHA 300/300A/301 forms during the five-year storage period?
- Yes, during 5-year storage period, you must update your stored OSHA 300 Logs to include newly discovered recordable injuries or illnesses and to show any changes that have occurred in the classification of previously recorded injuries and illnesses. If the description or outcome of a case changes, you must remove or line out the original entry and enter the new information.
- No. You are not required to update the OSHA 300A Annual Summary or the OSHA 301 Incident Reports, but you may do so if you wish.
Change of Business Ownership
If your business changes ownership, you are responsible for recording and reporting work-related injuries and illnesses only for that period of the year during which you owned the establishment. You must transfer the records to the new owner. The new owner must save all records of the establishment kept by the prior owner, but need not update or correct the records of the prior owner.
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3-6. How long must you save the OSHA 300/300A/301 forms following the end of the calendar year?
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