Ergonomic Injuries and Restricted Work on the OSHA 300 Log

An ergonomic injury becomes a restricted work case when a restriction keeps the employee from a routine function, one done at least weekly, or from a full shift. Job rotation or task changes that do not remove a routine function do not make the case restricted by themselves.

Ergonomic cases can move from discomfort to restricted work quickly.

DART cases are the ones checked in column H (days away from work) or column I (job transfer or restriction) of the 300 Log. Each case is checked once, in the most serious column that applies (death, then days away, then restriction or transfer, then other), but both day counts are entered: days away in column K and restricted or transferred days in column L. Count calendar days, starting the day after the injury or illness began (29 CFR 1904.7(b)(3)). Restricted work means the employee cannot perform one or more routine functions (activities done at least once a week) or cannot work the full workday, whether you impose it or a provider recommends it (1904.7(b)(4)). You may stop counting at 180 days.

Compare restrictions with routine job functions performed at least weekly. DART is where cases and days get confused: the rate counts cases, while the log also carries day totals that leadership often reads as the same thing. The fix is to track each case's status day by day (away, restricted, transferred, or full duty) and derive both the column and the day counts from that record.

As the safety manager you usually own the decision itself, so the most useful habit is writing down the fact each call rests on at the time you make it.

Teams count light duty without checking whether routine functions were actually restricted.

Column H and I cases drive the DART rate and the 300A totals; the day counts in K and L go on the 300A too, and into the ITA file for covered establishments.

• Temporary task modification may or may not change the OSHA classification.
• A restriction that applies only to the day of injury does not make the case recordable as restricted work.

A data entry clerk with tendinitis is limited to four hours of keying a day; keying is most of the job. That keeps them from a routine function for part of the shift, so the case is restricted work. A clerk whose provider only recommends a keyboard tray and breaks, with no limit on duties, is not restricted.

1. Document the routine functions.
2. Record the provider's limits.
3. Compare them with the actual assignment.
4. Count the restricted days.

What to keep in the case file:

• Provider notes with restriction dates and what was restricted
• The employee's routine functions, from a job analysis or supervisor
• Day-by-day status: away, restricted, transferred, or full duty
• Estimates for cases still open at year end and when they were updated

300log keeps days away and restricted days on each case, carries them into the 300A totals, and lets you update the counts as a case develops, so the posted summary and the DART rate come from the same entries.

For a quick answer without an account, use the free rate calculator.

• Counting Days Away From Work on the OSHA 300 Log
• Counting Restricted Work Days on OSHA Logs
• Do You Count the Day of Injury on the OSHA 300 Log?
• OSHA 300A Certification Checklist Before an Executive Signs