How to Meet the OSHA Form 300A Posting Deadline

Every year, as January winds down, the pressure quietly builds inside safety departments across the country. The emails start. Operations asks if anything is needed. HR wonders whether the company even has to post this year. Someone inevitably says, “We didn’t have any injuries, so we’re good… right?”

This is the moment when the OSHA Form 300A posting deadline sneaks up on organizations.

For Safety Directors, the requirement isn’t complicated — but it is precise. And precision is where companies get into trouble. Late postings, missing signatures, incorrect totals, or forms displayed in the wrong location remain some of the most common OSHA recordkeeping violations.

Meeting the deadline isn’t about rushing in late January. It’s about understanding the process early enough that February 1 arrives without stress.

Why the OSHA 300A Posting Requirement Matters

OSHA’s injury and illness recordkeeping rules are designed around transparency. The Form 300A summary serves a specific purpose: it gives employees visibility into workplace injury trends without exposing personal medical details.

From OSHA’s perspective, posting the form demonstrates that an employer:

• Tracks injuries accurately
• Reviews safety performance annually
• Shares information with workers

From a Safety Director’s perspective, it’s also a visible compliance signal. When an inspector walks into a facility during posting season, the presence — or absence — of that document immediately sets the tone.

Understanding the Deadline (and the Trap)

The rule itself sounds simple:

Post OSHA Form 300A from February 1 through April 30.

Yet many compliance issues stem from misunderstandings about what that actually means.

Some companies believe the form only needs to be completed by February 1. Others assume posting is optional if there were zero recordable injuries. Still others prepare the document correctly but forget the required executive certification.

The deadline is not just about timing. It’s about completing four distinct steps correctly:

1. Finalizing the OSHA 300 Log
2. Preparing Form 300A
3. Obtaining executive certification
4. Posting in a visible location

Miss any one of these, and you technically miss compliance.

Step One: Start With the OSHA 300 Log

The accuracy of your Form 300A depends entirely on the integrity of your OSHA 300 Log. If cases were misclassified during the year — for example, restricted duty recorded as first aid — those errors now surface in your annual totals.

This is why experienced Safety Directors treat January as a log audit period, not just a form-preparation window.

Ask:

• Were all recordable injuries captured?
• Were days away and restricted days counted correctly?
• Were privacy cases handled properly?

By the time you begin filling out Form 300A, there should be no unresolved questions about last year’s data.

Step Two: Preparing OSHA Form 300A

Form 300A is not a detailed incident list. It’s a numerical summary. But even simple math creates problems when logs have been updated inconsistently or totals were manually tracked.

Common issues include:

• Totals not matching the OSHA 300 Log
• Incorrect day counts
• Missing establishment information

A careful review here prevents having to explain discrepancies during an audit.

Step Three: The Signature That Trips Everyone Up

One of the most frequent mistakes OSHA cites is improper certification.

The form must be signed by a company executive — not the Safety Director, not HR, not an administrative assistant. OSHA specifically defines who qualifies, such as an owner, officer, or highest-ranking company official.

This step often causes delays because executives:

• Are traveling
• Don’t realize their signature is required
• Receive the form too late

Safety Directors who consistently meet the deadline typically build this into leadership calendars well in advance.

Step Four: Posting — and Posting Correctly

Posting the form means placing it where employees can easily see it. Not tucked inside a safety binder. Not hidden in an office hallway few workers use.

Think about where your organization normally displays required notices:

• Break rooms
• Near time clocks
• Central bulletin boards

Visibility is the standard. If employees wouldn’t naturally encounter it, OSHA may view it as improperly posted.

The “Zero Injuries” Misconception

Even organizations with exceptional safety performance must post.

If there were no recordable injuries or illnesses, OSHA still requires:

• Completion of Form 300A
• Entry of zeros
• Executive certification
• Posting from Feb 1 – Apr 30

Failure to post because “nothing happened” remains a citable violation.

What Happens When Companies Miss the Deadline

Late or missing postings may result in:

• OSHA citations
• Financial penalties
• Increased inspection scrutiny
• Questions about recordkeeping accuracy

While posting violations may not carry the same severity as serious hazard citations, they often trigger deeper reviews into injury classification and reporting practices.

How Safety Directors Stay Ahead of the Deadline

Organizations that consistently meet OSHA posting requirements rarely rely on memory. They rely on systems.

Effective strategies include:

• Conducting early January log reviews
• Scheduling executive certification meetings
• Setting recurring compliance reminders
• Maintaining posting verification records

More recently, many Safety Directors are moving away from spreadsheets and paper logs entirely.

The Role of Digital Recordkeeping Tools

Manual recordkeeping creates friction at every stage — calculating totals, routing for signatures, storing documentation, and tracking deadlines.

Digital systems can:

• Auto-calculate Form 300A totals
• Flag incomplete logs
• Track certification status
• Send deadline reminders
• Store signed summaries

For Safety Directors managing multiple locations or growing workforces, automation significantly reduces the risk of preventable violations.

Final Thoughts

The OSHA Form 300A posting deadline arrives on the same date every year. Yet for many organizations, it still feels like a surprise.

Not because the rule is unclear — but because the preparation process starts too late.

When injury logs are reviewed early, summaries are verified carefully, and certification is scheduled proactively, February 1 becomes just another day — not a compliance scramble.

And in safety management, removing avoidable stress is always a win.

Quick Reference: OSHA Form 300A Posting Rules