THE COHEN GROUP
  Environmental Health & Safety Consulting Services

The Cohen Group Newsletter - Volume 8  Issue 1, Article 3.  January, 2006

As we move toward the second month of the New Year, February denotes the time to post the Summary of Work Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300A). This document is a summary of the workplace injury and illness data compiled on the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300) from the prior year. The Summary must be posted in a conspicuous place (i.e., where notices are customarily posted for employees) from February 1 through April 30. The Summary must be completed and posted even if no work related injuries or illnesses occurred in 2005. The summary must also be certified by a company executive. A separate Cal/OSHA Form 300 and 300A must be maintained for each location where business is conducted for one year or longer. You do not need to maintain a separate Form 300 or 300A for short term establishments (less than one year).

Form 300A requires the following information (summarized from Form 300):

·   Total number of occupational injury (non first-aid) and illness cases for each of the following 6 categories:
    1. Injuries
    2. Skin disorders
    3. Respiratory conditions
    4. Poisonings
    5. Hearing loss
    6. All other illnesses

·   Cumulative number of occupational injury/illness cases involving each of the following 4 categories:
     1. Deaths
     2. Days away from work (number of cases which involved missed days from work)
     3. Job transfer or restriction
     4. Other recordable cases

·   Cumulative total number of days (from all injuries or illnesses):
     1. Away from work
     2. Job transfer or restriction

You must also enter the SIC (Standard Industry Classification) number or NAIC number (National American Industrial Classification), if known and average number of employees during the year and total hours worked for all employees for the year. The form must be signed by a company executive, who certifies its accuracy.

You do not need to send the completed forms to Cal/OSHA (unless specifically requested) or your insurance carrier. However, failure to post a copy of Form 300A can result in a Cal/OSHA citation. Cal/OSHA injury and illness records do not need to be kept if your company had 10 or fewer employees at all times during the last calendar year. The log is also not required for employers in the retail, service, finance, insurance and real estate sectors (classified as low hazards). You must keep the Log (300) and Summary (300A) for 5 years following the year to which they pertain.

The forms can be accessed through the Department of Industrial Relations website at http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/puborder.asp. Also on the website is a worksheet for calculating the average number of employees who worked for your establishment and total number of hours worked. If you have any questions about how and what to record, what industries are exempt, or any other Cal/OSHA posting requirement, you can also call or email The Cohen Group.