OSHA Illness & Injury

Occupational Injury is defined as any injury like a cut, fracture, sprain, or amputation that results from a work-related accident or from exposure involving a single incident in the work environment.

Occupational Illness is defined as any abnormal condition or disorder, other than one resulting from an occupational injury, caused by exposure to environmental factors associated with employment, such as acute and chronic illnesses or diseases that may be caused by inhalation, absorption, ingestion, or direct contact with toxic substances or harmful agents.

All occupational illnesses must be recorded regardless of severity. All occupational injures must be recorded if they result in: 1) death; 2) one or more lost workdays; 3) restriction of work or motion; 4) loss of consciousness; 5) transfer to another job; or 6) medical treatment other than first aid.

Employers are required to log injuries and illnesses on recordkeeping forms, keep those logs current, retain them for five years at each establishment, and have them available for inspection by representatives of OSHA or another federal government agency upon request. For companies whose employees do not report to the same location for work each day, the records must be kept at the place from which the employees are paid or at the base from which they operate.