OSHA requires most employers to record work-related injuries and illnesses if they meet certain criteria. However, there are situations where an injury or illness occurs in the work environment but it is not considered work-related.
For example, you are not required to record injuries and illnesses if:
- At the time of the injury or illness, the employee was present in the work environment as a member of the general public rather than as an employee
- The injury or illness involves signs or symptoms that surface at work but result solely from a non-work-related event or exposure that occurs outside the work environment
- The injury or illness results solely from voluntary participation in a wellness program or during flu shot administration, exercise class, racquetball or baseball
- The injury or illness is solely the result of an employee eating, drinking, or preparing food or drink for personal consumption — whether bought on the employer’s premises or brought in (For example, if the employee is injured by choking on a sandwich while in the employer’s establishment, the case would not be considered work-related.)
Note: If the employee is made ill by ingesting food contaminated by workplace contaminants (such as lead), or gets food poisoning from food that is supplied by the employer,
the case would be work-related.
- The injury or illness is solely the result of an employee doing personal tasks at the establishment outside of the employee’s assigned working hours
- The injury or illness is solely the result of personal grooming, self medication for a non-work-related condition or is intentionally self-inflicted
- The injury or illness is caused by a motor vehicle accident and occurs on a company parking lot or company access road while the employee is commuting to or from work
- The illness is the common cold or u (Note: Contagious diseases, such as tuberculosis, brucellosis or hepatitis A, are considered work-related if the employee is infected at work.)
- The illness is a mental illness. Mental illness will not be considered work-related unless the employee voluntarily provides the employer with an opinion from a physician or other licensed health care professional with appropriate training and experience stating that the employee has a work-related mental illness.
