OSHA Recordkeeping, Inspections & Enforcement: An Employer's Guide
Injury logs, electronic submission, severe-event reporting, and how to be ready for an OSHA inspection.
- Logs
- OSHA 300, 300A, 301
- E-file deadline
- March 2
- Severe-event report
- Fatality 8 hrs / hospitalization 24 hrs
OSHA enforces workplace safety through inspections, citations, and penalties, prioritizing high-hazard industries through National Emphasis Programs. Knowing your recordkeeping and reporting duties is the cheapest way to reduce citation risk.
Most employers must record work-related injuries and illnesses on the OSHA 300 log and post the 300A summary each year. Establishments at or above size thresholds must also submit injury data electronically through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA).
Severe events carry hard deadlines: report a work-related fatality within 8 hours and an amputation, in-patient hospitalization, or loss of an eye within 24 hours.
OSHA compliance checklist
- Keep the OSHA 300 log — Record each recordable injury or illness within seven calendar days.
- Post the 300A summary — Display the annual summary from February 1 through April 30.
- Submit electronically (ITA) — Covered establishments e-file required forms by March 2 each year.
- Report severe events on time — Fatalities within 8 hours; hospitalizations, amputations, and eye loss within 24 hours.
- Prepare for inspections — Know your rights, keep records accessible, and abate hazards promptly.
A starting point, not legal advice — verify against the primary sources cited below and current rules for your jurisdiction.
Latest OSHA coverage
- OSHA Whistleblower Retaliation Enforcement Is Rising: How HR Teams Should Respond
- OSHA Cites Roofing Contractor After Fatal Fall — Why Fall Protection Remains the Agency's Top Enforcement Priority in 2026
- OSHA Issues $4.8M in Trenching Penalties After Two Fatal Collapses: What Employers Must Know
- OSHA's Data-Driven Enforcement Is Here: Why Compliance Technology Is No Longer Optional
- OSHA Injury Tracking Application Deadline: What Employers Should Do If They Missed It
Frequently Asked Questions
Employees have only 30 days from the date of the alleged retaliatory action to file a complaint with OSHA under Section 11(c) of the OSH Act. This is one of the shortest filing windows in employment law, which is why adverse actions taken shortly after a safety complaint are so risky for employers.
OSHA can order employers to reinstate terminated employees, pay back wages with interest, and pay compensatory and punitive damages. Recent cases in 2026 have resulted in orders exceeding $200,000 and $315,000 respectively, plus attorney's fees. There is no cap on total damages in OSHA whistleblower cases.
Retaliation includes any adverse action taken against an employee for engaging in protected activity such as reporting a safety concern. This includes termination, demotion, reduction in pay or hours, transfer to a less desirable position, exclusion from meetings or opportunities, and any other action that would dissuade a reasonable employee from raising a safety concern.
OSHA's Whistleblower Protection Program enforces more than 25 federal statutes covering not only workplace safety under the OSH Act but also environmental protection, transportation safety, financial fraud, food safety, and other areas. This means HR teams must be aware that employee complaints in many domains — not just traditional safety — are protected from retaliation.
HR should document the complaint and the date it was received, notify relevant managers of their obligation not to retaliate, place a temporary hold on any pending adverse personnel actions involving the complainant, begin a good-faith investigation of the underlying concern, and monitor the employee's working conditions for any signs of retaliation over the following months.
Under 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1), OSHA requires fall protection for any construction worker on a walking or working surface with an unprotected side or edge that is 6 feet or more above a lower level. Employers must provide guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems.
In 2026, the maximum penalty for a willful or repeat OSHA violation is $165,514 per violation. Serious violations carry a maximum penalty of $16,550 per violation. Multiple violations at a single site can result in combined penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
OSHA issued 5,914 citations for violations of the Fall Protection – General Requirements standard (1926.501) in fiscal year 2025, making it the most-cited OSHA standard for the 15th consecutive year.