FORM 300 AND HEARING SHIFTS
Did you know that a Hearing Threshold shift requires a form 300 be filled out?
A Form 300 log is required for each physical establishment location that is expected to be in operation for at least one year.
Identify the Required Recordings
An employee’s hearing test result that the employee has experienced a standard threshold shift in hearing in one or both ears is considered a work-related injuries or illnesses that must be recorded in the Form 300 Log.
The OSHA Regulation 29 C.F.R. §1904.7 contains an in-depth overview of recordable injuries and illnesses. Additional information on determining medical treatment and first aid can be located at 29 C.F.R. §1904.7(b)(5).
Determine Work-Relatedness
When an accident occurs, an employer must document a recordable injury or illness on the OSHA Form 300 log within seven days. An injury or illness is considered work-related and must be recorded on the log unless an exception applies.
Complete the OSHA Form 300
Employers must fill out the OSHA Form 300:
The Form 300 will contain information related to an employee’s health and must be kept confidential to the extent possible while using the information for occupational safety and health purposes. OSHA provides guidance that includes the forms needed for maintaining occupational injury and illness records along with step-by-step instructions.
Complete and Post the OSHA 300A Annual Summary
The information from the OSHA Form 300 Log is transferred onto the 300A Summary by matching the corresponding lettered column on the log with the lettered blank space on the summary.
The employer must complete the establishment information section and have the summary signed by an authorized executive of the company.
Employers must complete the 300A summary form and post the summary in the workplace from February 1 to April 30 of the year following the year covered by the form at each job site in a conspicuous area where notices to employees are customarily placed. For example, accidents occurring in 2015 will be summarized on the Form 300A and posted from February through April 2016. Copies of the 300A summary should be provided to any employees who may not see the posted summary because they do not regularly report to a fixed location.
Submit Electronic Reports to OSHA
Employers with 20 or more employees that are subject to OSHA’s recordkeeping regulation must electronically submit to OSHA information from Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) by March 2.
Employers with fewer than 20 employees at all times during the year do not have to submit information electronically to OSHA.
The requirement to electronically submit information from OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses), and OSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) was eliminated in 2019.
Retain the Log and Summary The OSHA Form 300 Log and the OSHA 300A(-1) Summary must be kept for five years following the year that the log and summary pertain to.