Does Your Vet Clinic Need OSHA Injury Logs?

The size exemption

If a company had 10 or fewer employees at all times during the last calendar year, it does not need to keep OSHA injury and illness records unless OSHA or BLS tells it in writing to do so. ¹

The size test is company-wide, not just one clinic location. ¹

Even an exempt employer must still report to OSHA any work-related fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. ¹

The industry exemption does not cover veterinary services

Some establishments are partially exempt by industry if their NAICS code is listed in Appendix A to Subpart B of Part 1904. ²

Veterinary Services, NAICS 541940, is not listed in that Appendix A set, so a veterinary practice cannot rely on the federal industry exemption. ²

A veterinary clinic that is above the size threshold therefore keeps the OSHA 300 Log, Form 300A annual summary, and Form 301 incident reports unless another specific exemption applies. ^{1 2}

What the records require

OSHA Form 301 must be completed within seven calendar days after receiving information that a recordable injury or illness occurred. ³

At year end, the employer totals the year's cases, certifies the OSHA 300A annual summary, and posts it from February 1 through April 30. ⁴

OSHA 300 Logs, privacy case lists, annual summaries, and Form 301 incident reports must be saved for five years after the end of the calendar year they cover. ⁵

A case is recordable when it meets OSHA's general criteria, including death, days away, restricted work or transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant diagnosed injury or illness. ⁶