COSS OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An employee reports a work-related hearing loss confirmed by an audiologist. The employee's standard threshold shift is 25 dB averaged across 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz in one ear. Is this recordable?
- No, hearing loss is never OSHA recordable
- Yes, any confirmed work-related hearing loss is recordable
- Yes, because the standard threshold shift meets or exceeds 25 dB (Correct answer)
- No, it must be confirmed by an otolaryngologist to be recordable
Correct answer: Yes, because the standard threshold shift meets or exceeds 25 dB
A work-related standard threshold shift of 25 dB or more averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz makes the case recordable on the OSHA 300 Log.
Question 2: What is the purpose of the OSHA 301 Incident Report (or equivalent)?
- To summarize annual injury and illness totals for posting
- To provide detailed information about each individual recordable case (Correct answer)
- To notify OSHA of any work-related fatality within 8 hours
- To track near-miss events that did not result in injury
Correct answer: To provide detailed information about each individual recordable case
The OSHA 301 Incident Report captures detailed information about each individual recordable injury or illness, supplementing the OSHA 300 Log.
Question 3: Which of the following correctly describes the 'geographic presumption' in OSHA recordkeeping?
- Any injury occurring at a company facility is automatically work-related (Correct answer)
- Injuries to employees traveling on company business are always non-recordable
- An injury is presumed non-work-related if it occurs in a company parking lot
- Only injuries that occur inside a building are subject to OSHA recordkeeping
Correct answer: Any injury occurring at a company facility is automatically work-related
Under the geographic presumption, any injury or illness occurring in the work environment is presumed to be work-related unless an exception applies.
Question 4: An employee working from home injures their back while lifting a work-related file box. How should the employer treat this case under OSHA recordkeeping?
- Non-recordable — injuries at home are never work-related
- Recordable if it meets general recording criteria, since it occurred during work activities (Correct answer)
- Recordable only if the employee reports it within 24 hours
- Non-recordable because home offices are excluded from OSHA jurisdiction
Correct answer: Recordable if it meets general recording criteria, since it occurred during work activities
OSHA requires employers to record home-office injuries if they occur while performing work tasks and meet general recording criteria.
Question 5: What is the OSHA definition of a 'restricted work case' for recordkeeping purposes?
- Any case where the employee misses at least one full workday
- A case where the employee cannot perform one or more routine job functions or is assigned to another job temporarily (Correct answer)
- A case that requires surgery or hospitalization
- A case where OSHA issues a citation related to the injury
Correct answer: A case where the employee cannot perform one or more routine job functions or is assigned to another job temporarily
A restricted work case occurs when an employer or health care professional recommends keeping the employee from performing routine job functions or reassigns them to a different job.
Question 6: Under OSHA recordkeeping rules, how long must employers retain the OSHA 300 Log, the OSHA 300A Summary, and the OSHA 301 Incident Reports?
- 1 year
- 3 years
- 5 years (Correct answer)
- 10 years
Correct answer: 5 years
Employers must retain the OSHA 300, 300A, and 301 forms for 5 years following the end of the calendar year the records cover.
Question 7: Which of the following work-related conditions is always recordable regardless of treatment received?
- A minor laceration requiring only a bandage
- A needle stick or sharps injury contaminated with another person's blood (Correct answer)
- A mild headache from workplace noise
- An allergic reaction treated with over-the-counter antihistamines
Correct answer: A needle stick or sharps injury contaminated with another person's blood
Needlestick and sharps injuries contaminated with another person's blood or other potentially infectious material are always recordable.
COSS OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements 3
An employee reports a work-related hearing loss confirmed by an audiologist.
The employee's standard threshold shift is 25 dB averaged across 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz in one ear.
Is this recordable?