COSS OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following correctly describes the privacy case protections under OSHA recordkeeping rules?
- All cases involving mental illness must have the employee's name withheld on the 300 Log
- Employers may withhold names in all cases to protect employee privacy
- For certain sensitive cases, employers must enter 'privacy case' on the 300 Log instead of the employee's name (Correct answer)
- Privacy protection applies only to female employees
Correct answer: For certain sensitive cases, employers must enter 'privacy case' on the 300 Log instead of the employee's name
For sensitive cases such as sexual assaults, mental illness, or HIV/AIDS, employers must enter 'privacy case' on the 300 Log instead of the employee's name.
Question 2: When must an employer update a previously recorded injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log if the outcome changes (e.g., a restricted work case becomes a days-away case)?
- Only at the end of the calendar year
- Within 7 calendar days of learning of the change (Correct answer)
- Within 6 months of the original entry
- No update is required once a case is recorded
Correct answer: Within 7 calendar days of learning of the change
Employers must update the 300 Log within 7 calendar days whenever the outcome or severity of a previously recorded case changes.
Question 3: A supervisor observes an employee limping and suspects a work injury but the employee denies any injury. What should the employer do regarding OSHA recordkeeping?
- Record the case immediately based on the supervisor's observation
- Take no action unless the employee formally reports the injury
- Investigate to determine whether a recordable injury occurred and document the investigation (Correct answer)
- Notify OSHA of the suspected injury within 8 hours
Correct answer: Investigate to determine whether a recordable injury occurred and document the investigation
Employers should investigate reasonable indicators of a work-related injury and document their findings to make an informed recordability determination.
Question 4: Which statistic is used to calculate a company's OSHA Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR)?
- Number of recordable cases × 100,000 ÷ total hours worked
- Number of lost workday cases × 200,000 ÷ number of employees
- Number of recordable cases × 200,000 ÷ total hours worked (Correct answer)
- Number of fatalities × 1,000,000 ÷ total hours worked
Correct answer: Number of recordable cases × 200,000 ÷ total hours worked
TRIR = (number of recordable cases × 200,000) ÷ total hours worked, where 200,000 represents 100 full-time equivalent workers at 2,000 hours per year.
Question 5: Under OSHA's anti-retaliation provisions related to recordkeeping (29 CFR 1904.35), employers are prohibited from doing which of the following?
- Offering safety incentive programs
- Disciplining employees who report work-related injuries or illnesses in good faith (Correct answer)
- Requiring employees to report injuries within a reasonable time
- Maintaining a drug-free workplace program
Correct answer: Disciplining employees who report work-related injuries or illnesses in good faith
Employers may not discriminate against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses, as this would undermine accurate recordkeeping.
Question 6: An employee with a pre-existing back condition re-injures the back while performing routine job duties. How should the employer treat this for recordkeeping?
- Non-recordable — pre-existing conditions are excluded from OSHA recordkeeping
- Recordable if work activities significantly aggravated the pre-existing condition (Correct answer)
- Recordable only if the employee had no prior medical treatment for the condition
- Non-recordable unless the employee requires surgery
Correct answer: Recordable if work activities significantly aggravated the pre-existing condition
Work-related aggravation of a pre-existing condition is recordable if workplace events or exposures significantly aggravated the condition beyond its natural progression.
Question 7: What does OSHA require regarding employee access to the OSHA 300 Log?
- Employees may only view their own individual entries
- Employers must provide copies of the 300 Log to any requesting employee, former employee, or personal representative by the end of the next business day (Correct answer)
- The 300 Log is confidential and may never be shared with employees
- Employees must file a formal FOIA request to access the 300 Log
Correct answer: Employers must provide copies of the 300 Log to any requesting employee, former employee, or personal representative by the end of the next business day
OSHA requires employers to provide copies of the 300 Log to current or former employees, or their representatives, by the end of the next business day after the request.
COSS OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements 5
Which of the following correctly describes the privacy case protections under OSHA recordkeeping rules?