CET Record Keeping and Documentation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Employers with 10 or fewer employees at all times during the previous calendar year are generally:
- Required to keep all OSHA records but not post them
- Partially exempt from OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping (Correct answer)
- Required only to submit records electronically
- Fully exempt from all OSHA regulations
Correct answer: Partially exempt from OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping
OSHA's recordkeeping rule partially exempts employers who had 10 or fewer employees during the entire previous calendar year from routine injury and illness recordkeeping, though they must still report severe injuries.
Question 2: Under OSHA recordkeeping rules, a 'privacy concern case' allows the employer to:
- Omit the case entirely from the Form 300 Log
- Withhold the employee's name on the Form 300 Log (Correct answer)
- Submit the Form 300A without executive certification
- Retain records for only three years instead of five
Correct answer: Withhold the employee's name on the Form 300 Log
For privacy concern cases (e.g., sexual assaults, HIV infections), OSHA permits employers to enter 'privacy case' in place of the employee's name on Form 300 to protect confidentiality.
Question 3: When counting 'days away from work' on the OSHA 300 Log, the employer should:
- Include the day of injury or illness in the count
- Begin counting the day after the injury or illness occurred (Correct answer)
- Count only scheduled workdays missed
- Cap the count at 180 days regardless of actual absence
Correct answer: Begin counting the day after the injury or illness occurred
OSHA's counting rules exclude the day of injury or onset of illness; days away begin with the first calendar day the employee was unable to work.
Question 4: Under 29 CFR 1910.1200 (Hazard Communication Standard), training records for employees handling hazardous chemicals should document:
- Only the date of training and the trainer's name
- The chemicals covered, methods used, and the employee's demonstration of competency (Correct answer)
- The cost of training materials per employee
- The chemical manufacturer's safety data sheet revision dates
Correct answer: The chemicals covered, methods used, and the employee's demonstration of competency
Complete HazCom training documentation should show what chemicals were covered, what training methods were used, and evidence that employees understood the information—demonstrating regulatory compliance.
Question 5: An employer's OSHA electronic submission requirement under 29 CFR 1904.41 is triggered when the establishment has:
- 20 or more employees in any high-hazard industry, or 100 or more employees in any industry (Correct answer)
- Fewer than 10 employees in any industry
- Any recordable incident in the prior year
- Received an OSHA inspection within the past three years
Correct answer: 20 or more employees in any high-hazard industry, or 100 or more employees in any industry
Establishments with 20–249 employees in designated high-hazard industries must electronically submit Form 300A data; those with 100 or more employees in any NAICS code covered must submit Forms 300, 300A, and 301.
Question 6: For OSHA recordkeeping purposes, a case is considered 'work-related' if:
- The employee was on the employer's premises regardless of activity
- An event or exposure in the work environment caused or contributed to the injury or illness (Correct answer)
- The employee filed a workers' compensation claim
- A physician certifies the injury was sustained at work
Correct answer: An event or exposure in the work environment caused or contributed to the injury or illness
OSHA defines a work-related case as one where an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or significantly contributed to the resulting condition.
Question 7: What is the maximum number of days an employer is required to count for 'job transfer or restriction' days on the OSHA 300 Log?
- 90 days
- 120 days
- 180 days (Correct answer)
- There is no cap; actual days must be recorded
Correct answer: 180 days
OSHA caps the recordable count of days away from work and days of job transfer or restriction at 180 days per case to limit open-ended record-keeping.
CET Record Keeping and Documentation 2
Employers with 10 or fewer employees at all times during the previous calendar year are generally: