Don’t Ghost Your OSHA Post!

By Ben Opp, SPHR, HR Hotline & Content Advisor
Published February 18, 2025

It’s that time again! If you haven’t already, make sure to post your OSHA 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses in a conspicuous location, and keep it up through April 30. If you aren’t sure what this means or whether it applies to your organization, read on. 

Q: What’s an OSHA 300 log?

If you have 11 or more employees, you need to keep track of work-related injuries and illnesses on an OSHA 300 log. At the end of the year, you need to summarize this data on the 300A Summary form, get it signed by the top executive at the worksite, and post it where all employees can see it from February 1st through April 30th.

Q: Are any employers exempt from keeping a log?

Yes, employers in some non-hazardous industries are exempt from this requirement. You’ll need your NAICS code to figure this out, and if you don’t know that code, you may want to inquire with your accountant, operations team, or company owner. Then, you can check OSHA’s list of exempt industries to see if your code is listed.

Q: What about public employers, like libraries and park district?

Recent guidance from the Illinois Department of Labor indicates that all Illinois public employers, regardless of size, employee headcount, or NAICS code, must keep an OSHA 300 log. This is because Illinois public employer safety rules are enforced by a state agency with stricter requirements than those of federal OSHA.

Q: Do we need to send this information to OSHA?

Possibly – again, this depends on your NAICS code. Employers in certain hazardous industries may need to submit their 300A summary, as well as data from their 300 log and 301 report forms, directly to OSHA on an annual basis. For a full breakdown of these rules, refer to our detailed prior article.

As always, the HR Hotline is standing by to assist HR Source members with questions! Give us a call at 800-448-4584 or submit your Hotline question online.