The Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DIR/DOSH) reminds all California employees of their requirement to post at their place of business a list of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred at the workplace during the last year. The list must be displayed from February 1 through April 30 for employee review.

How To Report Workplace Injuries

The required Cal/OSHA Form 300A is available online at www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/etools/recordkeeping

Employers are required to use form 300A to report the number of injuries each year, even if no work-related injuries occurred.

The information must include the nature of the injury or illness, the severity of the work-related incidents and the number of days the affected employees missed work. Employers with 11 or more employees, except those covered in the California low-hazard establishments in retail, services, finance and real estate sectors, must display form 300A wherever employee notices are usually posted.

How to Use Injury Data To Reduce Incidents

“Employers can use the data to identify injury and illness patterns and make changes to improve their safety program,” said DIR Director John C. Duncan. “It is one of Cal/OSHA’s many efforts to help employers identify recurring problems and eliminate them. Employers needing additional assistance can contact our Cal/OSHA Consultation unit for a free assessment of their safety programs to ensure that they provide a safe and healthful work environment for their workers.”

Employers who want to learn more about the posting requirements and how to reduce workplace injuries can get information at the Division of Occupational Safety and Health Website. For assistance from the Cal/OSHA Consultation unit employers can call (800) 963-9424. Employees with work-related questions or complaints can call the California Workers’ Information Hotline at (866) 924-9757.

A number of companies have been given fines for not meeting health and safety standards and other enforcement action has taken place on an ongoing basis and have not openly published a list of each incident.

Calculate Incidence Rate

An incidence rate is the number of recordable injuries and illnesses occurring among a given number of full-time workers (usually 100 fulltime workers) over a given period of time (usually one year).

To evaluate your firm’s injury and illness experience over time or to compare your firm’s experience with that of your industry
as a whole, you need to compute your incidence rate.

Because a specific number of workers and a specific period of time are involved, these rates can help you identify problems in your workplace and/or progress you may have made in preventing work-related injuries and illnesses.

Annual Summary of Work Related Injuries and Illnesses

All establishments covered by CCRTitle 8 Section 14300 must complete this Annual Summary, even if no work-related injuries or illnesses occurred during the year. Review your Log to verify that the entries are complete and accurate before completing this summary. Using the Log, count the individual entries you made for each category.

If you had no cases, write “0.” Employees, former employees, and their representatives have the right to review the Cal/OSHA Form 300 in its entirety. They also have limited access to the Cal/OSHA Form 301 or its equivalent. See CCR Title 8 Section 14300.35, in Cal/OSHA’s record keeping rule, for further details on the access provisions for these forms.

Worker Safety

A worker’s safety is a personal issue. The safety of the workers themselves or the workers they employ is of paramount importance. The government takes its responsibility to protect workers very seriously.

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations also regulates occupational health and safety laws to protect employees. There is a very clear system for assessing workplace health and safety and its effectiveness is assessed through the use of industry specific and relevant standards such as the General Industry Sector Performance Standard.

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations also maintains a comprehensive website that provides a complete list of occupational health and safety regulations.

If you are not satisfied that any standards established for a workplace will protect your worker, or your workers, take action on your own to take steps to improve their safety.

You can find out how to become a certified employer and report violations directly to OSHA, and we can help you report any violations to make your workplace safer.