Cal/OSHA Injury and Illness Summary Must Be Posted February 1, 2010

Employers must provide a safe work environment for their employees.  The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 requires some employers to prepare and maintain logs of work-related injuries and illnesses.  The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is tasked with overseeing these workplace health and safety regulations.

California companies with more than ten employees throughout 2009 who are not otherwise exempt from the posting requirement must post the Cal/OSHA injury and illness summary record (Cal/OSHA Form 300A) from February 1, 2010 through April 30, 2010.  The form should be displayed in a visible area in the company so that all employees may view it.

Cal/OSHA Form 300A (Form 300A) contains a summary of significant work related accidents and illnesses.  If the company had no recordable occupational injuries or illnesses in 2009, it must post Form 300A with zeros in the total lines.  Please click here for a copy of Cal/OSHA Form 300A: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/DoshReg/ApndxB300AFinal.pdf

In addition to completing and posting Form 300A, all eligible companies must also complete Cal/OSHA Form 300.  The Form 300 is used to record more detailed information about each injury and illness and thus is not to be posted due to employee privacy concerns.  Please click here for a copy of Cal/OSHA Form 300: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/DoshReg/ApndxA300Final.pdf

Companies may also be exempt from this posting requirement if they are classified under certain Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes, unless otherwise asked to do so in writing by OSHA, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), or a state agency operating under the authority of OSHA or the BLS.  Some partially exempt industries in California include:  retail bakeries (SIC 546); new and used car dealers (SIC 551 and 552); eating and drinking places (SIC 58), dental offices (SIC 802), and real estate agents and managers (SIC 653).  Please click here for a table of industries exempt from the above posting requirement in California:

https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/

For more information on the Cal/OSHA Forms 300 and 300A, please visit: http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/RecKeepOverview.pdf

If you have any questions, please contact me or any of our other employment law attorneys.   Best, Cindy Bamforth