January OSHA 300A Preparation Calendar for Busy Safety Teams
Work backward from February 1, 2027: close open cases first, lock hours and headcount mid-month, certify in week three, and post before the month ends.
The short version
Work backward from February 1, 2027: close open cases first, lock hours and headcount mid-month, certify in week three, and post before the month ends. Covered establishments can submit to the ITA as soon as the 300A is final; there is no reason to wait for March.
January is when small recordkeeping gaps become visible.
What you need before you start
Gather these first, and keep them with the record afterward:
- Dated notes from the year-end log review
- The certified 300A with the executive's name, title, and date
- A photo or record showing where and when the 300A was posted
- The ITA submission confirmation, if the establishment is covered
The rule behind the steps
The recordkeeping year is the calendar year. For the 2026 log, the 300A must be reviewed, certified, and posted by February 1, 2027 and stay up through April 30, 2027 (29 CFR 1904.32(b)(6)). Establishments covered by the electronic submission rule send their data to OSHA's Injury Tracking Application (ITA) by March 2, 2027 (29 CFR 1904.41(c)). The regulation sets the date and OSHA has published no weekend rollover; in 2027 it falls on a Tuesday. All year, each recordable case goes on the log within 7 calendar days.
A four-week January plan
- Week of January 4: close open classifications, chase provider notes, and estimate day counts for cases still open.
- Week of January 11: payroll delivers hours worked and pay-period headcounts; calculate annual average employees.
- Week of January 18: reconcile the log totals, prepare the 300A, and route it with the review notes to the certifying executive.
- Week of January 25: post the certified 300A at each establishment, photograph each posting, and prepare the ITA file.
Step by step
- Close open classifications and estimate day counts for open cases.
- Get hours worked and headcount from payroll.
- Reconcile totals and prepare the 300A.
- Route it for certification with the review notes.
- Post by February 1, 2027 and prepare the ITA file.
Tip: Use the month to close open classifications, reconcile totals, calculate hours, route certification, and prepare postings.
Where this usually goes wrong
Teams often wait for payroll hours and lose executive signature time.
Deadlines slip when certification waits on data other teams own: payroll hours, headcount, and an executive's calendar. The fix is to plan backward from the posting date, with named owners for hours worked, headcount, the log review, and the signature.
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.
Special situations
- Zero-case sites still need review when the employer must keep records.
- In years when March 2 falls on a weekend, submit by the Friday before; neither the regulation nor OSHA provides a next-business-day rollover.
Example
A 220-person distributor follows the four-week plan. In the first week two cases are still open: one gets an estimated 45 days away, and the other needs a clinic note, which arrives on January 7. Payroll delivers hours on January 12 with holiday pay already removed. The general manager certifies on January 21, and the summary is on the board on January 26, almost a week before the deadline.
How it affects the rest of your records
The same certified totals feed the posted 300A, the ITA submission, and the rates leadership sees, so a late correction in one place has to be carried into all three.
Where 300log helps
300log keeps each establishment's 300A current as cases are entered, so January is a review rather than a rebuild, and it exports ITA-ready files per establishment. Workspaces that connect an ITA API token can also authorize auto-filing of 300A data.
For a quick answer without an account, use the free deadline calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if we miss March 2?
Submit as soon as you can. The ITA accepts prior-year data through December 31, but the submission is late, and failing to submit can be cited.
Do zero-case establishments have deadlines too?
Yes. If you are required to keep records, you certify and post a 300A with zeros, and covered establishments submit it electronically.
When is the 300A posting deadline for the 2026 log?
Post the certified 300A by February 1, 2027 and keep it up through April 30, 2027.
When is the ITA deadline for 2026 data?
March 2, 2027, for establishments covered by 29 CFR 1904.41. The date comes from the regulation; in 2027 it falls on a Tuesday.
Sources
Primary regulation and agency guidance this article relies on.
- [1]29 CFR 1904.32: Annual summary certification and postingOccupational Safety and Health Administration · osha.gov(opens in a new tab)
- [2]29 CFR 1904.33: Retention and updatingOccupational Safety and Health Administration · osha.gov(opens in a new tab)
- [3]29 CFR 1904.29: OSHA Forms 300, 300A, and 301Occupational Safety and Health Administration · osha.gov(opens in a new tab)
Written and reviewed by the 300log Editorial Team. Guidance, not legal advice: confirm edge cases with OSHA or counsel.