OSHA Issues Guidance for Recording Cases of COVID-19

NATIONAL—The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued temporary guidance for contractors on whether a COVID-19 case on the jobsite should be recorded as an illness under OSHA forms, such as OSHA Form 300: Log of Work-Related Injuries. 

Since OSHA does not consider construction to be a high-risk industry (unlike health care or emergency response), the agency will not enforce record-keeping requirements for COVID-19 cases specifically. 

Exceptions: Under OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements, COVID-19 is a recordable illness, and employers are responsible for recording cases of COVID-19, if the case:

• Is confirmed as a COVID-19 illness;
• Is work-related as defined by 29 CFR 1904.5; and
• Involves one or more of the general recording criteria in 29 CFR 1904.7, such as medical treatment beyond first aid or days away from work.

See the agency’s press release for more information.