OSHA Form 301: incident report guide and preparation worksheet

OSHA Form 301 is the case-level Injury and Illness Incident Report used with the OSHA 300 Log for a work-related recordable injury or illness. A covered employer completes Form 301—or an equivalent form—for each case entered on the 300 Log, generally within seven calendar days after receiving information that a recordable case occurred. The governing federal rule is 29 CFR 1904.29. Use the current official OSHA 300/300A/301 forms package for the actual record. This page is a completion guide and preparation worksheet, not a substitute official OSHA form.

Form 301 is easy to confuse with two other tasks. The 300 Log lists and classifies recordable cases; the 300A summarizes a year's log; the 301 provides details for each corresponding case. Separately, serious events may have rapid OSHA notification requirements under §1904.39. Completing a 301 does not notify OSHA of a fatality or other reportable severe event. Some establishments also submit 301 information through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) under §1904.41; that annual electronic obligation depends on establishment size, industry and current criteria, and is different from keeping the form on file.

The live Complys US 300/300A guide owns the broad “which form?” explanation. This proposed page answers a narrower operational question: how to gather the required Form 301 information and complete the official report accurately. If a current repository owner already covers the full field-by-field task, merge the useful detail rather than publish another URL.

First check whether you need a Form 301

The employer should make a recordability determination under the current federal or State Plan rule. For a covered employer, a 301 corresponds to each recordable case entered on the 300 Log; it is not a form for every first-aid case, property-only event or near miss. A case's work-relatedness, whether it is new, and whether it meets a general or specific recording criterion need assessment under Part 1904. Workers' compensation coverage, insurance notice and OSHA recordability are separate questions. A person may receive workers' comp without the case being OSHA-recordable, or vice versa.

Recordability decision note: Case ID [ ]; establishment [ ]; information received [date/time]; decision-maker [ ]; work-relatedness [facts and rule]; new case [yes/no and reason]; recording criterion [ ]; 300 entry [case number/date]; 301 due date [ ]; disputed or missing facts [ ]; escalation [ ]. This note helps the employer establish the seven-day workflow but does not replace the official form.

Where an incident appears severe, evaluate the §1904.39 notification clock immediately. Do not wait for the 301 due date. The federal rule generally requires notice within eight hours for a work-related fatality and within 24 hours for a work-related in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye, with precise definitions, timing and exceptions. Record how the separate decision was made and any regulator confirmation number.

Download the official form and connect it to the 300 Log

OSHA's recordkeeping forms page links a fillable PDF package with Forms 300, 300A and 301 and instructions. OSHA advises saving the PDF locally and using a suitable reader rather than filling it inside a browser plug-in. Check the current package on the day you complete or publish a form. The Form 301's case number should match the corresponding 300 Log entry, so later review can connect the two records. Do not invent a separate number and assume the match will be obvious.

A different form or computer record can be used only if it meets §1904.29(b)(4): it must contain the same information, be as readable and understandable, and use the same instructions as the OSHA form. OSHA's equivalent-form FAQ says format alone does not determine equivalence. A general incident-investigation report, insurer form or software record is not automatically an acceptable 301 just because it includes the injured worker's name and event date. Compare every required field and instructions before treating it as a substitute.

Preparation worksheet: collect the actual facts securely

This checklist mirrors the main groups on the official OSHA Form 301 package reviewed on 5 October 2026. Complete the current official PDF or a verified equivalent; do not submit the checklist itself as a 301.

The current official form warns that its narrative fields 14–17 should not contain personally identifying information about workers. Keep names and private data in the appropriate controlled fields, and write enough context to understand the event without adding a coworker's phone number or medical history to free text. An internal investigation can have deeper causal analysis and evidence; the 301 is not designed to hold every interview or privileged legal note.

Short example: For a worker injured while moving stock, “hurt back” is less useful than a factual description of the activity, event and confirmed injury category. The preparer might record that the worker was lifting a named type of package from a lower rack, felt pain during the lift and later received a clinician's diagnosis. The exact weight, body movement and diagnosis must come from evidence; do not invent them. The object's role and task context help distinguish an occupational event from a vague symptom entry.

Privacy and access

The 301 contains employee health and identifying information. The official form itself instructs users to protect confidentiality. Under §1904.29(b)(7)–(10), certain cases are privacy-concern cases; the corresponding 300 Log must not show the worker's name and a separate confidential name/case-number list is kept. The employer may need to avoid identifying detail in the nature-of-injury description. Do not treat all cases as privacy-concern cases by preference, or assume that removing a name from the 300 Log means no controlled 301 record is required.

Set access by role, store the official form securely, and control copies shared with employees, representatives, regulators, insurers or other parties under the applicable access rule. If a software workflow exports data, test whether the export includes the right required fields without unnecessary personal information. A public-facing accident dashboard should not expose Form 301 details.

Retention, updating and electronic submission

§1904.33(a) requires covered employers to retain the 300 Log, privacy case list if any, 300A summary and 301 reports for five years following the end of the calendar year they cover. The stored 300 Log must be updated for newly discovered cases or changed classifications during that period; the regulation says employers are not required to update 300A or 301, although they may. Other law or a litigation hold may affect broader incident files, so keep a documented records schedule rather than deleting everything automatically at five years.

OSHA's recordkeeping forms page says not to mail completed paper forms or email electronic forms to OSHA as the ordinary annual electronic process. Establishments required to submit annual injury/illness data use the ITA under current §1904.41. The ITA may require 300A, 300 and 301 information depending on establishment size and listed industry; check exact current coverage and privacy-field exclusions before submission. Separately, a severe-event report uses §1904.39 channels and deadlines. The form, ITA and severe-event systems serve different purposes.

Common mistakes

• Completing 301 for every workplace event. It is the case-level record for a recordable injury or illness under the applicable recordkeeping rule. Use a separate internal incident system for broader near-miss learning.
• Starting the seven-day clock on the injury date without checking when recordable information was received. Section 1904.29 ties the recording deadline to receiving information that a recordable case occurred.
• Using an insurer or software form without a field-by-field equivalence test. OSHA requires the same information and instructions, not merely a similar title.
• Assuming 301 is the serious-event notification. It is not. Evaluate §1904.39 right away for a possible reportable event.
• Putting identifying details in narrative fields. Check the official form's PII warning and privacy-case rules.
• Losing the link to the 300 Log. Use the same case number and the correct establishment.
• Assuming every establishment sends 301 data every year. ITA coverage is conditional; verify size/industry rules.

The observed Complys US OSHA compliance page is a candidate related product page, but this writer pass did not verify that Complys produces an OSHA-equivalent Form 301, selects recordable cases accurately, submits to ITA or makes §1904.39 reports. Do not claim any of those capabilities without current implementation proof. The best immediate next step is to download the official OSHA forms package, compare your existing case process field by field, and identify any deadline or privacy gaps.

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