Regulation library · 29 CFR 1904
The paperwork standard with real teeth.
Part 1904 decides which injuries and illnesses go on your OSHA 300 Log, what you must report to OSHA directly, and what gets posted and submitted every year. Recordkeeping citations are among the easiest for inspectors to write — the evidence is the document you didn't keep.
Key sections at a glance
§1904.7
General Recording Criteria
§1904.39
Reporting Fatalities & Severe Injuries
§1904.32
300A Annual Summary
§1904.41
Electronic Submission (ITA)
§1904.35
Employee Involvement & Access
Who must keep records
Employers with more than ten employees must maintain OSHA injury and illness records unless their industry is on the low-hazard exempt list in Appendix A to Subpart B. Exempt or not, every employer must report fatalities and severe injuries directly to OSHA: fatalities within 8 hours, and any inpatient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye within 24 hours.
Three forms carry the system: the OSHA 300 Log of work-related injuries and illnesses, the 301 incident report completed for each recordable case within 7 calendar days, and the 300A annual summary that must be certified by a company executive and posted in the workplace from February 1 to April 30 each year. Establishments meeting size and industry criteria also submit data electronically through OSHA's Injury Tracking Application by March 2.
What makes a case recordable
A case is recordable when it is work-related, is a new case, and involves death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness — plus specific criteria for needlesticks, hearing loss, and tuberculosis. The recurring judgment calls live in the definitions: §1904.7's general recording criteria and the first-aid list in §1904.7(b)(5)(ii) settle most "is this recordable?" debates, and OSHA's interpretation letters settle the rest.
Recordkeeping in RegLogic
Part 1904 questions arrive as edge cases — is this restricted work? does a prescription offered but declined count as medical treatment? RegLogic's plain-language search lands on the controlling paragraph, with the relevant interpretation letters attached and current text guaranteed by same-day updates. Pin §1904.7 and its neighbors, annotate your company's decision rules, and every site records the same way.
Read OSHA Recordkeeping (1904) — searchable, color-coded, always current — in RegLogic.
Start HereFAQ
Common questions
What must be reported directly to OSHA, and how fast?
Work-related fatalities within 8 hours; inpatient hospitalizations, amputations, and eye losses within 24 hours. This applies to all employers regardless of size or recordkeeping exemption.
When does the 300A have to be posted?
The certified annual summary must be posted in a visible workplace location from February 1 through April 30 covering the prior calendar year — even if there were zero recordable cases.
Is first aid recordable?
No. Cases requiring only treatments on the specific first-aid list in §1904.7(b)(5)(ii) — like non-prescription medication at OTC strength, bandages, or hot/cold therapy — are not recordable, provided no other recording criterion is met.
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