OSHA 301 Incident Report: How to Fill It Out

What the OSHA 301 is and when it is due

The OSHA 301, the “Injury and Illness Incident Report”, is the detailed record of one case. The OSHA 300 log gives each case one line; the 301 gives it a full page.

The rule, in 29 CFR 1904.29:

• Fill out a 301, or an equivalent form, for each recordable injury or illness entered on the 300 log (1904.29(b)(2)). Cases that are not recordable do not need one.
• Do it within 7 calendar days of receiving information that a recordable case has occurred (1904.29(b)(3)), the same deadline as the log.
• An equivalent form is fine if it has the same information, is as readable and understandable, and is filled out using the same instructions (1904.29(b)(4)). The rule notes that many employers use an insurance form instead, or add OSHA’s extra questions to one.

The form has 18 numbered fields in three parts, plus a “completed by” block. You can download it, with the 300 and 300A, from the OSHA recordkeeping forms page.

Field by field

Information about the employee

1. Full name
2. Street, city, state, ZIP
3. Date of birth
4. Date hired
5. Male or female

Information about the physician or other health care professional

6. Name of the physician or other health care professional
7. If treatment was given away from the worksite, the facility name and address
8. Was the employee treated in an emergency room? Yes or no
9. Was the employee hospitalized overnight as an in-patient? Yes or no

Information about the case

10. Case number from the log. Fill this in after you enter the case on the 300 log, so the two match.
11. Date of injury or illness
12. Time the employee began work
13. Time of the event, or check the box if it cannot be determined
14. What was the employee doing just before the incident occurred?
15. What happened?
16. What was the injury or illness?
17. What object or substance directly harmed the employee?
18. If the employee died, when did death occur?

Completed by: name, title, phone and date.

OSHA’s form asks that fields 14 to 17 contain no personal details about the workers involved, such as names, phone numbers or Social Security numbers. Describe the event, not the person.

Writing fields 14 to 17 well

These four answers are the heart of the form. OSHA’s instructions ask you to be specific. Some construction examples of vague versus specific answers:

Field	Too vague	Specific
14. Doing just before	”Working"	"Carrying a bundle of shingles up an extension ladder to the roof edge”
15. What happened	”Fell"	"Ladder feet slid on wet plywood; worker fell about 8 feet to the deck”
16. Injury	”Hurt arm"	"Fractured right wrist”
17. Object or substance	”Ladder"	"Plywood deck surface” (what directly harmed the worker)

Field 17 asks for the object or substance that directly harmed the worker. The examples on OSHA’s form are “concrete floor”, “chlorine” and “radial arm saw”. In a fall, that is often the surface the worker hit rather than the ladder. If the question does not apply, the form says to leave it blank.

Write what you know within the 7 days. The rule does not require you to update a 301 later if things change (29 CFR 1904.33(b)(3)), but you may. The 300 log, on the other hand, does have to be updated.

Using a workers comp or insurance form instead

Many contractors already fill out a first report of injury for their workers comp carrier. Under 1904.29(b)(4), that can stand in for the 301 if it contains all the information the 301 asks for. OSHA’s form says the same: “To be considered an equivalent form, any substitute must contain all the information asked for on this form.”

Compare your carrier’s form against the 18 fields above. Common gaps are the time the employee began work (field 12), what the employee was doing just before (field 14) and the object or substance (field 17). If some are missing, attach a page that answers them, or fill out a 301 as well.

A case on the OSHA log does not mean it is a workers comp case, or the other way round. OSHA’s form package notes that listing a case on the log does not mean the employer or worker was at fault or that an OSHA standard was violated.

Who can get a copy

29 CFR 1904.35(b)(2)(v) sets two rules:

• The injured employee, a former employee or their personal representative can ask for a copy of the 301 about that employee’s own case. Provide it by the end of the next business day.
• An authorized employee representative (a union under a collective bargaining agreement) can ask for the 301s for an establishment it represents. Provide them within 7 calendar days, with only the information from the section the rule calls “Tell us about the case”. Remove the rest.

The first copy is free (1904.35(b)(2)(vi)).

How long to keep it

Keep each 301 for five years after the end of the calendar year it covers, along with the 300 log, the privacy case list and the 300A summary (29 CFR 1904.33(a)). A 2026 case’s 301 is kept through the end of 2031.

What the 301 does not do

It is not a report to OSHA. You keep the 301 in your files. Separately, 29 CFR 1904.39 requires reporting a work-related death to OSHA within 8 hours, and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours. That is done by phone or online on OSHA’s reporting page, not with the 301.

It is not an investigation. The 301 records what happened. It does not ask why it happened or what will change. Many contractors use a separate incident investigation form for that: the causes, what the crew found, and the fix and who owns it. Part 1904 does not require one, but it is the step that prevents the next case.

The rule text is on osha.gov: 29 CFR 1904.29, 1904.33 and 1904.35. This page explains what the rule says; it is not legal advice.

Rules cited: 29 CFR 1904.29, 29 CFR 1904.33, 29 CFR 1904.35, 29 CFR 1904.39. Read the current text at osha.gov.

Free sample

Try 6 pages of the Contractor Safety Binder free

See the recordkeeping worksheets, a toolbox talk and an inspection checklist before you decide. Enter your email and we send you the 6-page PDF.

Email address Email me the free sample

Website

Also send me occasional safety paperwork tips and Contractor Safety Binder updates. Unsubscribe anytime.

Sent! Check your inbox.

Want it now? Open the free sample (PDF).

Something went wrong. Please try again.

We only use your email to send what you asked for. See our privacy policy.

Related guides

How to Fill Out the OSHA 300 Log, Column by Column

A plain guide to the OSHA 300 log for small contractors: what goes in each column, how to count days, privacy cases, one log per job or not, and who can ask to see it.

Which Injuries Are OSHA Recordable? A Checklist for Contractors

The three tests OSHA uses to decide if an injury goes on the 300 log, the complete first aid list, restricted work, and 14 common jobsite cases worked through.

OSHA 300A Summary: How to Fill It Out and Post It (Feb 1 to Apr 30)

When and where to post the OSHA 300A summary, how to fill in each box, how to figure average employees and hours worked, who signs it, and the March 2 electronic filing.

Toolbox Talks: How to Run One, Topics, and a Sign-In Sheet

How to run a short safety talk with a small crew, which topics to start with and the OSHA construction rules behind them, and what to write on the toolbox talk sign-in sheet.

Written Safety Program for a Small Contractor: What to Put in It

What OSHA construction rules say about a contractor safety program, which pieces some rules require in writing, and a 10-section outline sized for a small crew.