Guide for Recording Workplace Injuries and Illnesses

The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration created a guide for how you can accurately record work-related injuries and illnesses.

Per MIOSHA, “An injury or illness is considered work-related if it results from an event or exposure in the work environment.”

MIOSHA classifies a work environment as your actual workplace where work is performed, and any other location you have one or more of your employees conducting work or if they’re present at some other location for employment purposes.

“In addition to physical locations, equipment or materials used in the course of an employee’s work are also considered part of the employee’s work environment,” according to MIOSHA.

So, what’s considered a recordable work-related injury or illness?

You can record any fatality that was work-related. You can also record injuries and illnesses related to the workplace on certain conditions. Per MIOSHA, to record a work-related injury or illness, an employee’s injury or illness must require the following:

• Time off from work
• Work restrictions or “a transfer to another job”
• “Loss of consciousness”
• Medical assistance that is more than just simple first aid treatment
• A diagnosis or medical test from the employee’s doctor or other licensed health care provider that the employee has suffered a “significant” injury or illness

Please note that MIOSHA says that work-related injuries that need first aid but do not have any of these previously listed situations tied to the injury are not recordable.

MIOSHA has an extensive list of what constitutes as first aid versus medical treatment and how you should record an injury or illness as being treated (first aid or medical treatment).

Here are some examples of injuries and illnesses that would fall under first aid according to MIOSHA:

• Treating wounds on the skin via “cleaning, flushing, or soaking”
• Using first aid tools that help cover open wounds on the skin such as a bandage or Band-Aid.
• “Drinking fluids for relief of heat disorders”
• “Using hot or cold therapy”

Likewise, first aid that you would need to record as a medical treatment for record-keeping purposes could include the following scenarios according to MIOSHA:

• Giving certain non-tetanus immunizations such as Hepatitis B
• Needing physical therapy or chiropractic treatment
• Needing sutures or staples or any other medical treatment to help treat open wounds
• Having “a recommendation by a physician or other licensed health care professional to use a non-prescription medication at prescription strength is considered medical treatment for record-keeping purposes.”

If you’d like to view the full list of what constitutes as first aid versus medical treatment to record workplace injuries and illnesses accurately, you can refer to MIOSHA’s full guide here.