2026 OSHA Recordkeeping Checklist for Safety Directors

Let’s be real for a second.

OSHA recordkeeping isn’t the reason anyone got into safety.
But in 2026, it is one of the fastest ways to get cited if it’s done wrong.

The good news?
You don’t need a law degree or a 40-page policy to stay compliant. You just need a solid system and a checklist that actually makes sense.

This is your no-fluff, safety-director-approved OSHA recordkeeping checklist for 2026. Bookmark it. Share it. Use it.

First: What This Checklist Is (and Isn’t)

This checklist is for:

• Safety directors
• Safety managers
• Anyone responsible for OSHA logs, audits, or inspections

This checklist is not:

• Legal jargon
• Overcomplicated
• Written for people who love paperwork

It’s written for people who want to get it right once and move on.

2026 OSHA Recordkeeping Checklist

1. Confirm Who Needs an OSHA 300 Log (Every Year)

Before you do anything else, answer this:

• Did your company have more than 10 employees at any point this year?
• Are you not on OSHA’s low-hazard industry exemption list?

If yes, you need OSHA injury and illness records.

Even if you are exempt, you still must report severe incidents (fatalities, hospitalizations, amputations, eye loss) to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Checklist tip: Review this every January, not during an inspection.

2. Train Supervisors on What’s Recordable

Most OSHA log mistakes happen before the log is ever filled out.

Supervisors should understand:

• What counts as first aid versus medical treatment
• When an injury becomes recordable
• How and when incidents must be reported internally

Checklist tip: If supervisors don’t understand recordability, your log will never be accurate.

Ving connection: Ving helps train supervisors on OSHA basics so fewer mistakes reach your log in the first place.

3. Log Recordable Incidents Within 7 Days

OSHA requires recordable injuries and illnesses to be logged within 7 calendar days of learning about them.

Not when paperwork is convenient. Not after workers’ comp closes the case.

Checklist tip: Log it early. You can update it later.

Ving connection: Ving’s OSHA 300 template lets you log incidents digitally as they happen instead of relying on paper forms.

4. Complete Every OSHA 300 Log Field

Every recordable case should include:

• Case number
• Employee name or “Privacy Case”
• Job title
• Date of injury or illness
• Location of the incident
• Clear description of what happened
• Correct outcome classification
• Injury or illness type

Checklist tip: If OSHA can’t understand it quickly, it’s not complete.

Ving connection: Digital entry fields help prevent missing or inconsistent information.

5. Track Days Away and Restricted Duty Carefully

This is one of the most common citation areas.

You must:

• Count calendar days, not workdays
• Update logs if days increase
• Stop counting when normal duties resume
• Cap counting at 180 days

Checklist tip: Set reminders to review open cases regularly.

Ving connection: Updating digital records is far easier than rewriting or correcting paper logs.

6. Keep OSHA 301 Incident Reports With Each Log Entry

Every OSHA 300 Log entry must have a matching OSHA 301 Incident Report or approved equivalent.

Checklist tip: If it’s on the 300, there must be a 301.

Ving connection: Ving keeps documentation centralized so nothing gets lost when OSHA asks.

7. Handle Privacy Cases Correctly

Some injuries and illnesses require additional privacy protections.

Checklist tip: Make sure anyone completing the log understands privacy case rules and follows them consistently.

Ving connection: Digital systems reduce the risk of accidentally exposing private employee information.

8. Maintain Separate Logs by Location When Required

If your company has multiple establishments, each location generally requires its own OSHA 300 Log.

Checklist tip: Centralized oversight is fine. Combining logs is not.

Ving connection: Ving allows safety teams to manage records by location while keeping everything in one system.

9. Prepare and Post the OSHA 300A on Time

Every year:

• Certify the OSHA 300A with leadership
• Post it from February 1 through April 30
• Make it visible to employees

Checklist tip: Prepare the summary early so posting is not rushed.

Ving connection: When your data is already digital, annual summaries are faster and easier.

10. Submit Electronically If Required

Many employers must submit OSHA injury data electronically.

Accuracy matters, and OSHA is paying attention.

Checklist tip: Review submissions carefully before sending.

Ving connection: Clean, organized data throughout the year makes electronic reporting much smoother.

11. Retain and Update Records for Five Years

You must keep OSHA 300 Logs, 300A summaries, and 301 reports for five years and update them if information changes.

Checklist tip: If records are hard to find, they are not inspection-ready.

Ving connection: Digital storage eliminates the need to search through filing cabinets or old folders.

12. Connect Recordkeeping to Training and Prevention

OSHA logs should inform your safety program.

Use them to:

• Identify repeat hazards
• Adjust training topics
• Prevent future injuries

Checklist tip: If the same injuries keep showing up, training should change.

Ving connection: Ving connects recordkeeping with training, checklists, and documentation in one system.

Final Takeaway

Most OSHA recordkeeping stress comes from paper logs, scattered files, and last-minute scrambling.

With Ving’s OSHA 300 Log template, you can move your paper charting online, stay organized all year, and make annual filing easier and more reliable.

Ving helps safety directors:

• Digitally manage OSHA 300 logs
• Track online and in-person training
• Log third-party certifications, including OSHA 10 and 30 cards earned elsewhere
• Stay audit-ready without unnecessary stress

With the right checklist and the right tools, OSHA recordkeeping in 2026 can be manageable, consistent, and far less painful.