Workplace Violence Cases on the OSHA 300 Log
An injury from workplace violence is recorded like any other injury: if it is work-related and meets a recording criterion, it goes on the log.
The answer up front
An injury from workplace violence is recorded like any other injury: if it is work-related and meets a recording criterion, it goes on the log. Injuries from a sexual assault are privacy concern cases, so the name is left off and the description can be as general as “injury from assault”.
Violence cases require both recordkeeping discipline and privacy restraint.
The rule in plain English
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).
Applying it to real cases
Record work-related violence injuries when they meet OSHA recording criteria and protect names when privacy rules apply. 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.
At the director level the question is less about one case and more about whether every site applies the rule the same way, with evidence you could show an inspector.
Where teams go wrong
Teams either over-disclose narratives or avoid logging sensitive cases.
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.
Situations that change the answer
- Law enforcement involvement does not replace OSHA recordkeeping review.
- 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 worked example
A nurse is struck by a patient and needs sutures above the eye. The case is recorded with the nurse's name, “Laceration, face, struck by patient”, in column J. A separate assault on a pharmacy technician in the parking garage that involved sexual assault is recorded as a privacy case, described as “injury from assault”, with the police report kept outside the log.
A checklist you can reuse
- Get care and a security response first.
- Collect facts from safety, HR, security, and medical.
- Apply the recording criteria.
- Protect names in privacy cases and keep descriptions general.
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
Where 300log helps
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.
Frequently asked questions
Is prescription medication always recordable?
A recommendation to use prescription medication, or a nonprescription drug at prescription strength, is medical treatment. The exception is medication used solely for diagnosis, such as eye drops to dilate pupils.
Who decides recordability, the doctor or the employer?
The employer. Providers supply the medical facts and recommendations; the employer applies Part 1904 to those facts and records the case.
What if the facts change after we log the case?
Update the log. If a first-aid case later needs medical treatment, or a recordable case later results in days away, change the entry (29 CFR 1904.33(b)).
Is a clinic visit automatically recordable?
No. A visit for observation, counseling, or diagnostic tests is not medical treatment. The case is recordable only if a recording criterion is met, such as treatment beyond first aid or a work restriction.
Sources
Primary regulation and agency guidance this article relies on.
- [1]29 CFR 1904.7: General recording criteriaOccupational Safety and Health Administration · osha.gov(opens in a new tab)
- [2]29 CFR 1904.29 privacy concern case requirementsOccupational 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.