Glossary

OSHA recordable injury

A work-related injury or illness meeting OSHA's recording criteria, such as lost time, restricted duty or care beyond first aid, entered on the OSHA 300 log.

Also called: recordable injury, recordable incident, OSHA recordable, recordable case

A recordable case is a work-related injury or illness that meets the criteria in OSHA's recordkeeping rule, 29 CFR Part 1904, and must be entered on the Form 300 log with a Form 301 incident report. The triggers are death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness, plus significant injuries or illnesses a physician diagnoses, such as a fractured bone or a chronic irreversible disease. First aid, such as cleaning a wound, a bandage or over-the-counter medication at ordinary strength, is not recordable.

Recording differs from reporting. Employers must report a work-related fatality to OSHA within 8 hours, and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours, whether or not they are otherwise exempt from recordkeeping (OSHA, checked October 2026). Employers with 10 or fewer employees, and those in certain low-hazard industries, are partially exempt from routine recording.

Recordables drive the safety rates that customers and insurers read. The total recordable incident rate is recordables x 200,000 ÷ hours worked (BLS); see total recordable incident rate and DART rate. A recordable case is not the same as a workers' comp claim: one can exist without the other, and the comp claim count feeds the experience modification rate. The guide on OSHA recordkeeping and insurance explains the log, and the OSHA incident rate calculator computes your rates.

Last reviewed October 10, 2026

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Related terms

Total recordable incident rate (TRIR) A safety metric showing OSHA-recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in a year, calculated from case counts and hours worked. DART rate An OSHA incident rate counting injury and illness cases that caused days away from work, restricted duty or a job transfer, per 100 full-time workers. Experience modification rate (EMR) A multiplier on workers' compensation premium comparing an employer's actual claim losses with the losses expected for its industry and size. Loss control The inspections, safety programs and physical improvements that a business and its insurer use to make claims less frequent and less severe. Workers' compensation State-mandated no-fault insurance that pays medical care and part of lost wages for work-related injuries, in exchange for limits on employee lawsuits.

Related guides

The experience modification rate (EMR) explained How the NCCI experience mod is calculated from payroll and losses, which policy years count, why frequency outweighs severity, and how to check your worksheet. Heat illness, workplace heat rules and workers' comp Where OSHA's heat rule stands in October 2026, which states already regulate heat, and how heat illness claims reach your comp policy and experience mod. Insurance loss control inspections: what to expect What an insurer's loss control inspection covers, the policy wording behind it, how to prepare, how to answer recommendations and what ignoring them can cost. OSHA recordkeeping, injury rates and insurance Which injuries go on the OSHA 300 log, how TRIR and DART are calculated, and how underwriters, contract owners and your experience mod read the numbers. Remote employees and workers' comp: coverage, claims and state rules How workers' comp applies to employees working from home, which state's law and policy govern a remote hire, and how home-office injuries are judged. Reporting a workplace injury: what employers must do Who you must tell, and how fast: OSHA's 8- and 24-hour rules, the carrier and state first report, Forms 300 and 301, and why deadlines differ by state.

Related tools

OSHA incident rate calculator (TRIR and DART) Calculate TRIR, DART rate, lost-time case rate and severity rate from your OSHA 300 log and hours worked, and compare them with an industry rate.

Related en español

Cómo reportar una lesión en el trabajo: lo que debe hacer el empleador A quién avisar y en qué plazo: las reglas de 8 y 24 horas de OSHA, el reporte a la aseguradora y al estado, los Formularios 300 y 301, y por qué varían. Enfermedades por calor, reglas de calor laboral y compensación al trabajador Dónde está la regla de calor de OSHA en octubre de 2026, qué estados ya regulan el calor y cómo estos reclamos afectan su póliza y su modificador.