OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses in Aurora, Colorado (2026)
An incomplete or missing OSHA 300A log can trigger a surprise inspection and fines from federal or state officials, halting your operations. For your restaurant in Aurora, this form is submitted to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and is also called the OSHA Annual Summary. There is no government filing fee for this form, and processing time varies based on your recordkeeping. Most applicants complete this in under 15 minutes with ApronPrep, which auto-fills 164 of 198 fields.
Analyzed from OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
83% from one compliance interview
Manual entry or document upload required
Why You Need a OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
You need to post the OSHA Form 300A because the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (29 U.S.C. § 651 et seq.) makes it a mandatory, annual workplace safety record for nearly all employers. This includes restaurants in Aurora, Colorado, which are regulated by Federal OSHA under the OSH Act's "State Plan" provisions. The requirement is enforced by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as Colorado operates a state-run OSHA program (Colorado OSH) that adopts and enforces these federal standards. The specific regulation requiring the annual summary is 29 CFR 1904.32 – Annual summary, which mandates that covered establishments post a completed Form 300A in a conspicuous location from February 1 to April 30 each year.
Failure to post the summary, posting it late, or falsifying the data can trigger significant penalties during an OSHA inspection, which can be initiated by a complaint, a reported incident, or a routine visit. The consequences include:
- Direct fines for violating posting requirements, classified as "Serious" or "Other-Than-Serious," with penalties that can reach thousands of dollars per violation.
- Increased liability if an employee injury claim arises and records are missing or inaccurate, potentially undermining your defense.
- Insurance implications, as your workers' compensation insurer may audit your safety records; poor or missing logs can lead to higher premiums.
- Cease-and-desist risk for repeated or willful violations, where OSHA can issue citations requiring immediate abatement and continued non-compliance results in daily fines until corrected.
- Reputational damage with staff and the public, as the posted summary is a visible indicator of your commitment to workplace safety.
Legal code: Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act)
Recent update: For the 2023 reporting year (posted in 2024), OSHA confirmed there were no changes to the Form 300A or its posting requirements, but employers must always verify the most current version on the OSHA.gov website.
Who Needs a OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses?
| Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant (Full-Service) | Required | Required if the establishment employs 11 or more employees at any time in the previous calendar year, per OSHA 29 CFR 1904.39 and the Colorado General Industry standards. |
| Bar / Nightclub | Required | Required if the establishment employs 11 or more employees at any time in the previous calendar year, as it is classified under OSHA's General Industry and is not part of a low-hazard industry exemption. |
| Food Truck | Not Required | Typically exempt from OSHA Form 300A requirements because most food truck operations in Colorado have fewer than 11 employees, falling below the federal reporting threshold in 29 CFR 1904.1. |
| Coffee Shop / Café | Required | Required if the establishment employs 11 or more employees at any time in the previous calendar year, as it operates within the General Industry classification and is not on OSHA's low-hazard list for retail. |
See which restaurant types need this requirement — and which don't.
See Full Requirements →Field-by-Field Guide (198 Fields)
164 of 198 auto-filledTotal number of recordable injuries and illnesses
textEnter the total number of work-related injuries and illnesses you recorded on your OSHA Form 300 log for the calendar year, excluding any cases recorded solely on Form 300A itself.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering a calculated rate or including non-recordable cases (like first aid only) from Form 301, which will cause OSHA to flag your data as inaccurate.
Total hours worked by all employees (for total rate calculation)
textEnter the total number of hours worked by all employees during the calendar year, which you must calculate from payroll or timekeeping records to determine your Total Recordable Case Rate (TRC).
COMMON MISTAKE: Using an estimate, entering hours for only some employees, or mistakenly using the 'Number of employees' figure, all of which invalidate the required rate calculation.
Total recordable case incidence rate
textThis field is automatically calculated by OSHA's formula: (Number of injuries & illnesses x 200,000) / Total hours worked. Ensure the rate is entered with two decimal places (e.g., 3.25).
COMMON MISTAKE: Manually entering an incorrect calculation or rounding improperly; this field must match the precise result of the OSHA formula using the numbers from the two previous fields.
Number of DART cases (days away, restricted, or transferred)
textEnter the total number of cases from your OSHA Form 300 log that resulted in days away from work, job transfer, or restricted work (sum of columns H and I).
COMMON MISTAKE: Counting cases that only required medical treatment beyond first aid but did not involve days away/restriction/transfer, or failing to sum both columns correctly.
Total hours worked by all employees (for DART rate calculation)
textEnter the same total annual hours worked by all employees used for the TRC rate calculation above; this number is used again in the formula for the DART incidence rate.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering a different hours figure here than in the TRC hours field, which will cause a mismatch and trigger a review or correction request from OSHA.
DART incidence rate
textThis field is automatically calculated: (Number of DART cases x 200,000) / Total hours worked. The result must be entered with two decimal places and must correspond exactly to the DART case and hours figures provided.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering the TRC rate here by mistake or miscalculating the rate, which is a common error that leads to non-compliance during OSHA's annual electronic data submission review.
Log Year
textEnter the four-digit calendar year (e.g., 2024) for which the injury and illness data on this summary form is being reported.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering the current year if reporting for a prior year, or using a two-digit format, which does not match the required OSHA data specification.
Establishment Name
textEnter the official, legal name of your restaurant or business establishment exactly as it appears on your tax filings and other official OSHA documents.
COMMON MISTAKE: Using a DBA ("doing business as") name instead of the legal entity name, or abbreviating inconsistently with prior submissions, causing identification issues.
City
textEnter the city where your restaurant is physically located and where the recorded work-related incidents occurred.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering a corporate headquarters city if different from the establishment's physical work location, which misstates the data's geographic scope.
State
textEnter the two-letter postal abbreviation for the state where your establishment is located (e.g., CO for Colorado).
COMMON MISTAKE: Spelling out the full state name or using an incorrect abbreviation, which can delay processing in multi-state operator databases.
ApronPrep auto-fills 164 of 198 fields from a single compliance interview — no re-typing, no guessing what the government expects.
Top 5 OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses Mistakes
1. Miscalculating Total Hours Worked
Entering incorrect total hours worked for all employees (Part B, Line G) is a top error. This number is used to calculate your Total Case Rate (Line H) and must reflect hours from the entire calendar year, not just a pay period or a subset of employees. Based on ApronPrep's analysis of OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses applications, an incorrect figure leads to an invalidated summary, requiring re-posting and potential follow-up from OSHA. Get this number from your annual payroll records; a common mistake is summing weekly hours, which often misses overtime or seasonal variations.
2. Misclassifying Cases on the Log
Failing to correctly record cases on the underlying OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) corrupts the summary. A frequent error is not logging a recordable case that required medical treatment beyond first aid or resulted in restricted work. If a case isn't on the Form 300 Log, it cannot be accurately transferred to the Form 300A Summary. This creates a discrepancy OSHA can flag during an inspection, potentially leading to citations. Example: An employee's work-related sprain treated by a doctor is recordable; dismissing it as 'minor' and not logging it is a mistake.
3. Posting Incomplete or Incorrect Information
Leaving fields blank or entering '0' for all injury/illness columns (Parts A or C) when you had recordable cases is a critical mistake. The form requires a good-faith, accurate summary. If you had recordable cases, you must enter the specific counts for each category (e.g., fatalities, days away from work, job transfer cases). Submitting a form with all zeros when records show otherwise can be cited as a failure to properly complete the form. Always reconcile the summary totals with your Form 300 Log before certifying.
Skip the Paperwork on Your OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
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OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses by City in Colorado
| City | Fee Range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Aurora | ||
| Colorado Springs | ||
| Denver |
Timeline: Annual Compliance Cycle
Track Injuries & Illnesses All Year on OSHA Form 300
Throughout the calendar year, record each work-related injury or illness that meets OSHA's recording criteria on the OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). This requires maintaining detailed incident reports and having a clear understanding of OSHA's recordkeeping requirements in 29 CFR 1904. The most common mistake is failing to record "first aid only" cases or those that occur off-site but during work activities, which can lead to inaccurate data.
Post OSHA Form 300A Summary for Employee Review
Between February 1 and April 30 each year, you must review the Form 300 Log, certify its accuracy, and complete the Form 300A summary. This form totals the previous year's data (e.g., number of cases, days away from work). You must post the completed Form 300A in a common area where all employees can see it, such as an employee bulletin board. Failure to post by February 1 is a frequently cited violation by OSHA.
Retain Records for Five Years
After the posting period ends on April 30, you must take down the posted Form 300A but keep it, along with the underlying Form 300 Log and the Form 301 Incident Report for each case, for five years. These records must be available for inspection by OSHA compliance officers, employees, or former employees. Storing them digitally is acceptable if they are readily retrievable. A common audit trigger is not being able to produce these records upon request.
Other Requirements You'll Need
This is one of 13 requirements for opening a restaurant in Colorado.
ADA Compliance Self-Certification
federal
Alarm System Permit/Registration
local
Application for Employer Identification Number
federal
Articles of Organization (LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (Corporation)
state
See all co-required forms and how they connect to your compliance dossier.
See All RequirementsThere is no processing or approval timeline for the OSHA Form 300A, as it is not filed with or issued by a government agency. It is a recordkeeping document you must prepare annually. The work—compiling data from your OSHA Form 300 log—typically takes 30–60 minutes for most restaurant owners to complete before the mandatory February 1st posting deadline, per OSHA Standard 1904.32.
There are no government filing fees ($0) for creating or posting the OSHA Form 300A. The form is free to download from the federal OSHA website. However, failing to maintain and post it correctly can trigger significant fines during an inspection, which is separate from other local requirements like obtaining a City Business License/Registration.
No. The OSHA Form 300A is not a transferable permit. It is a specific annual summary for a single establishment. If you relocate your restaurant, you must close the log for the old address and start a new, separate OSHA Form 300 log and annual 300A summary for the new location, as required by 29 CFR 1904. Contact OSHA to confirm record retention rules for the closed location.
You must create a new OSHA Form 300A every year. The form summarizes the prior calendar year's data (January 1 – December 31). You must post the completed summary in a common area where employees can see it from February 1 through April 30 each year, as mandated by federal OSHA regulation. This is an annual recurring duty, similar to renewing other registrations like the Colorado Employer Withholding Tax Registration.
During an OSHA inspection, a compliance officer will ask to review your OSHA Form 300 log and the posted Form 300A for the current and prior years. They verify the data matches, check for proper classification of recordable incidents, and ensure the form is posted February–April. Fines for missing or incorrect forms start at $1,036 per violation, as per the 2024 OSHA penalty schedule. Not legal advice — verify requirements with OSHA.
About This Data
This guide is generated from ApronPrep's compliance dossier system, which uses 53 parallel AI authority experts to discover requirements, then downloads actual forms and generates field-level intelligence for each one.
For Colorado specifically, we have analyzed compliance dossiers for 3 cities (Aurora, Colorado Springs, Denver), generating Rich FILs (Form Intelligence Layers) with 198 form fields analyzed for this requirement. Fee data is sourced from actual county department fee schedules, not estimates.
Our data is verified against official government sources and updated when regulatory changes are detected. If you find an error, please report it — accuracy is our core commitment.
Sources
- Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act)
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