COSS OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An employee is injured on Monday and cannot return to work. On which day does the employer begin counting restricted workdays or days away from work?
- The day of the injury itself
- The day after the injury (Correct answer)
- Three days after the injury
- When a physician certifies lost time
Correct answer: The day after the injury
OSHA counts days away from work or restricted workdays beginning the day after the injury or onset of illness.
Question 2: Which of the following employers is EXEMPT from OSHA recordkeeping under the partial exemption for low-hazard industries?
- A construction contractor with 10 employees
- A retail clothing store with 12 employees (Correct answer)
- A manufacturing plant with 8 employees
- A hospital with 20 employees
Correct answer: A retail clothing store with 12 employees
Retail trade establishments classified in specific low-hazard SIC codes are partially exempt from routine OSHA recordkeeping regardless of size.
Question 3: What is the maximum number of calendar days an employer has to record a work-related injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log after receiving information that it is recordable?
- 3 calendar days
- 5 calendar days
- 7 calendar days (Correct answer)
- 10 calendar days
Correct answer: 7 calendar days
Employers must enter recordable cases on the OSHA 300 Log within 7 calendar days of receiving information that the case is recordable.
Question 4: A worker is exposed to a chemical and develops dermatitis that requires prescription medication. How should this be classified on the OSHA 300 Log?
- Injury — skin disorder
- Illness — skin disorder (Correct answer)
- First aid only — not recordable
- Near miss — supplemental record only
Correct answer: Illness — skin disorder
Skin disorders caused by workplace exposure to chemicals are classified as illnesses, not injuries, on the OSHA 300 Log.
Question 5: Under OSHA recordkeeping, which of the following counts as 'medical treatment beyond first aid' and therefore makes a case recordable?
- Use of a non-prescription pain reliever at prescription strength (Correct answer)
- Application of a bandage or butterfly closure
- Use of a non-rigid means of support such as an elastic bandage
- Tetanus immunization given as routine preventive measure
Correct answer: Use of a non-prescription pain reliever at prescription strength
Use of prescription medication or non-prescription drugs at prescription strength constitutes medical treatment beyond first aid.
Question 6: If an employer discovers that a previously recorded case was incorrectly classified, what is the correct action?
- Create a new OSHA 300 Log entry and leave the old one unchanged
- Draw a line through the incorrect entry and enter the corrected information (Correct answer)
- Destroy the original log and rewrite the entire year's entries
- Submit an amendment form to OSHA within 30 days
Correct answer: Draw a line through the incorrect entry and enter the corrected information
Employers should draw a single line through the incorrect entry and enter the corrected information; they must not erase or white out entries.
Question 7: Which OSHA form must be posted in the workplace for employees to review, and during what time period must it be posted?
- OSHA 300 — posted year-round
- OSHA 300A — posted February 1 through April 30 (Correct answer)
- OSHA 301 — posted for 30 days after each incident
- OSHA 300A — posted January 1 through March 31
Correct answer: OSHA 300A — posted February 1 through April 30
The OSHA 300A Summary must be posted from February 1 through April 30 of the year following the year covered by the form.
