Sunday, April 30, is the last day employers are required to post their 2022 Form 300A, Annual Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. Although you can now take down the notice — which you should have been displaying since February 1 — don’t discard them quite yet!
Employers must retain their Form 300A summaries, as well as their Form 300, Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses and Form 301, Injury and Illness Incident Report, for five years following the end of the calendar year that these records cover. Also note that during this five-year period, employers are required to update their Form 300 with any newly discovered recordable injuries and illnesses. Even so, employers can take this opportunity to spring clean and toss any pre-2017 records.
Employers who were required to electronically submit their 2022 Form 300A injury and illness data to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration by March 2 must also keep and maintain their Form 300, Form 300a and Form 301 records.
And keep in mind that employees, former employees and their properly authorized personnel representatives are entitled to copies of the Form 300 (with all personal identifying information deleted unless under certain circumstances) and current or archived Form 300As. After a request is made, employers must provide these copies by the end of the next business day. It’s unlawful for an employer to terminate or discriminate against an employee for requesting access to an occupational injury or illness report.
So, while employers must keep these work-related injuries and illnesses forms for their own records and to provide copies to appropriate requesters, they’re no longer required to publicly post the annual summary.
Katie Culliton, Editor, CalChamber
CalChamber members can use the Log 300 wizard on HRCalifornia to determine whether a business is subject to Cal/OSHA’s Log 300 recording, reporting and posting requirements, and can read more about Recording Work-Related Injury and Illness in the HR Library. Not a member? See how CalChamber can help you.
