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PHR · Question #8

As an HR Professional you should be familiar with OSHA forms for maintaining employee records. OSHA form 301 is used to document the incident that caused the work-related injury or illness. How long i

The correct answer is B. Five years following the year of the incident. OSHA regulations require employers to retain Form 301 Incident Reports for five years following the end of the calendar year in which the records were created.

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Question

As an HR Professional you should be familiar with OSHA forms for maintaining employee records. OSHA form 301 is used to document the incident that caused the work-related injury or illness. How long is an organization required to keep the form on record?

Options

  • AOne year from the date of the incident
  • BFive years following the year of the incident
  • CThree years following the year of the incident
  • D90 days following the year of the incident

How the community answered

(43 responses)
  • A
    7% (3)
  • B
    79% (34)
  • C
    12% (5)
  • D
    2% (1)

Why each option

OSHA regulations require employers to retain Form 301 Incident Reports for five years following the end of the calendar year in which the records were created.

AOne year from the date of the incident

One year is not compliant with 29 CFR 1904.33, which mandates a five-year retention period for OSHA injury and illness records.

BFive years following the year of the incidentCorrect

Per 29 CFR 1904.33, employers must retain the OSHA 300 Log, Form 300A Annual Summary, and Form 301 Incident Reports for five years following the end of the calendar year that the records cover. This retention period ensures OSHA inspectors and employees have access to historical injury and illness data for trend analysis and enforcement.

CThree years following the year of the incident

Three years is insufficient under OSHA's recordkeeping rule; the required retention period is five years, not three.

D90 days following the year of the incident

90 days is far below the regulatory requirement and would leave employers in violation of OSHA's mandatory five-year retention rule under 29 CFR 1904.33.

Concept tested: OSHA Form 301 recordkeeping retention period

Source: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904.33

Topics

#OSHA Form 301#record retention#workplace injury#recordkeeping

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