Is Loss of Consciousness Always OSHA Recordable?

Yes. Any work-related loss of consciousness is recordable, however brief, under 29 CFR 1904.7(b)(6). What decides it is work-relatedness: fainting caused solely by a personal medical condition, with no workplace contribution, is not recorded.

Loss of consciousness can feel brief and still matter for recordkeeping.

A case goes on the OSHA 300 Log when three things are true: it is work-related (29 CFR 1904.5), it is a new case (29 CFR 1904.6), and it meets at least one general recording criterion (29 CFR 1904.7). The criteria are death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional (cancer, a chronic irreversible disease, a fractured or cracked bone, or a punctured eardrum). Special rules add needlesticks, medical removal, hearing loss, and tuberculosis (29 CFR 1904.8 to 1904.11).

OSHA says a work-related loss of consciousness is recordable regardless of how long it lasts. Recordability answers change as medical facts arrive, so a case decided on day one without notes is hard to defend in January. The fix is to decide in order (work-relatedness, new case, criteria) and to write down the treatment and work-status facts each decision rests on, including medication strength.

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 sometimes downplay a short fainting episode because no treatment followed.

Each recordable case adds to the 300A totals and the TRIR; days-away and restricted cases also count toward DART. For establishments with 100 or more employees in Appendix B industries, each case also becomes a row in the ITA case data.

• Work-relatedness still has to be analyzed before recording.
• OSHA's first aid list is complete. A treatment that is not on it is medical treatment for recordkeeping, no matter who provides it.

A technician is knocked unconscious for a few seconds when a panel swings shut on their head, then feels fine and declines treatment. The case is recordable anyway, in column J, because the loss of consciousness was caused by a workplace event. A coworker who faints at their desk from a known personal condition, with nothing at work contributing, is not recorded.

1. Document the event and witness accounts.
2. Evaluate work-relatedness.
3. Record it within 7 days if work-related.
4. Watch for later diagnoses, such as a concussion.

What to keep in the case file:

• What the provider recommended, in writing if possible, including medication strength
• Work status notes (full duty, restrictions, or days away) with dates
• The work-relatedness basis and any exception considered
• The date you learned of the case and the date it became recordable

300log records each case's outcome, day counts, and case type in the columns the OSHA 300 Log uses, shows OSHA's definitions (such as restricted work) while you classify, and recalculates the 300A whenever a case changes.

For a quick answer without an account, use the free recordability checker.

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