OSHA – Keeping an Illness and Injury Log
Posted:
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
Category:
OSHA and Safety
Keeping an illness and injury log can be tough – sometimes, it can be downright confusing. There are many situations where you might be hard-pressed to find which date or type of injury to record, especially with those that develop over a period of time or are on the grey line between personal and work-related. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the frequently asked questions regarding injury logs, and hopefully be able to clear up some of the basic principles of keeping a log in general.
Say an employee develops carpal tunnel syndrome at the worksite. It may be definitive that it is a work-related injury, and that he needs medical attention for it, but it is hard to determine the date that should be recorded for the injury. If he has had it diagnosed by a medical professional, then the date recorded should be the date he was diagnosed. If the diagnosis can be traced back to a certain date, that date should be recorded. Similarly, if the injury was at first assumed to not be work-related but later was found to be, in fact, work-related, the date recorded should be that of the original injury and diagnosis.
Determining what is and is not a recordable case can also be difficult. Recordable injuries include any work-related injuries that result in death, loss of consciousness, treatment beyond first aid, any number of days away from work, restriction of normal working duties, or transferring to another position at work. Only injuries that are actually work-related and recordable should be recorded. For example, if someone develops a work-related rash, but it can be treated with a non-prescription ointment, it shouldn’t be recorded. If the employee gets a medical examination and is prescribed something, it should. If it is treated with a non-prescription ointment but is, say, on the employee’s hands and therefore he is unable to perform duties, it should be recorded. There are many ins and outs and loopholes that can confuse you, but common sense should be followed at all times.
Sticking to the handbook and checking all relevant clauses is important to properly recording illnesses and injuries. It might sound overwhelming getting every piece of information down right, but after a certain amount of time it becomes almost rote, and showing that you have a clear understanding of OSHA guidelines is an attractive skill to any employer.
