OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses in Detroit, Michigan (2026)
Failure to post your completed OSHA Form 300A summary can trigger a federal inspection and fines starting at $15,625 per violation from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which enforces requirements for all workplaces in Detroit. You must annually certify and display the summary of workplace injuries and illnesses, also called the OSHA Log Summary, for your restaurant staff from February 1st to April 30th. Key facts:
- 198 fields — ApronPrep auto-fills 164 of them
- $0–$0 government filing fees — there is no cost to prepare or post the form
- Varies — the annual posting period is fixed, but record-keeping is year-round
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
The OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses is federally mandated for most covered establishments under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), enforced in Michigan by both federal OSHA and, in some cases, the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA). The specific requirement to post the annual summary is codified in OSHA's Recordkeeping Standard, 29 CFR 1904.32. The requirement applies to all Detroit restaurants with 10 or more employees in the previous calendar year, regardless of local jurisdiction. Your establishment must prepare, certify, and physically post this form in a common area from February 1 to April 30 each year.
Failure to comply can trigger significant penalties and operational risks. Based on federal OSHA's 2025 penalty structure:
- Posting Violations: Fines for failing to post the Form 300A can reach up to $16,131 per violation.
- Recordkeeping Deficiencies: Serious violations for failing to maintain accurate logs can also carry penalties up to $16,131. Willful or repeated violations can escalate to $161,323 per violation.
- Increased Scrutiny: Non-compliance is a red flag for inspectors, leading to more comprehensive and frequent safety inspections that can uncover other costly violations.
- Business & Legal Risk: Inaccurate or missing records can jeopardize insurance claims, complicate workers' compensation cases, and create liability in lawsuits. Landlords and potential buyers may audit your safety records during lease or sale negotiations.
Legal code: Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act)
Recent update: As of the current posting cycle, OSHA's reporting requirements for severe injuries (requiring reporting to OSHA within 24 hours) and the annual electronic submission rule for certain establishments remain in effect, but the specific Form 300A paper posting requirement and penalty amounts have not changed in the last year.
Who Needs a OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses?
| Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant (Full-Service) | Required | Required if you have 11 or more employees at any time during the previous calendar year, as per OSHA’s Recordkeeping Standard (29 CFR 1904). |
| Bar / Nightclub | Required | Required if you have 11 or more employees at any time during the previous calendar year, per OSHA regulations for all covered establishments. |
| Food Truck | Not Required | Not required if you have 10 or fewer employees, as per the OSHA partial exemption for small employers (29 CFR 1904.1). |
| Coffee Shop / Café | Required | Required if you have 11 or more employees at any time during the previous calendar year under OSHA’s general industry rules. |
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 recordable injury and illness cases from all classifications on your OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) for the specified year, which includes everything from fatalities to minor injuries requiring medical treatment beyond first aid.
COMMON MISTAKE: Including non-recordable cases like minor first-aid-only incidents, or miscounting by failing to combine totals from all injury/illness classifications on the Form 300 log.
Total hours worked by all employees (for total rate calculation)
textEnter the total number of hours worked by all employees at this establishment during the year covered by the summary, a figure you should pull from your payroll or timekeeping records, excluding vacation, sick leave, and holidays.
COMMON MISTAKE: Using 'hours paid' instead of 'hours worked,' which includes paid time off and inflates the denominator, or incorrectly calculating the total by missing hours from part-time or seasonal staff.
Total recordable case incidence rate
textEnter the calculated incidence rate (formatted as a number, e.g., 3.5) derived from the formula: (Number of recordable cases × 200,000) / Total hours worked by all employees.
COMMON MISTAKE: Manually entering an incorrect, self-calculated number instead of using the formula, or transposing digits, which creates a rate that doesn't align with the entered case and hour counts.
Number of DART cases (days away, restricted, or transferred)
textEnter the sum of cases from columns H (Injury and illness types with days away from work) and I (Injury and illness types with job transfer or restriction) on your Form 300 log.
COMMON MISTAKE: Counting cases from the wrong columns (e.g., including Column J fatalities) or failing to sum both columns H and I, which results in an undercount of DART cases.
Total hours worked by all employees (for DART rate calculation)
textEnter the total hours worked by all employees; this should be the same number used for the 'Total recordable case rate' calculation, ensuring consistency across both rate fields on the form.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering a different number of hours here than in the other 'hours worked' field, causing an internal data inconsistency and making the DART rate mathematically impossible.
DART incidence rate
textEnter the calculated DART incidence rate (formatted as a number) using the formula: (Number of DART cases × 200,000) / Total hours worked by all employees.
COMMON MISTAKE: Incorrectly calculating the rate by using the wrong formula or base numbers, or entering a rate that doesn't match the pre-populated DART case and hour counts provided by the system.
Log Year
textEnter the four-digit calendar year (e.g., 2024) that the OSHA Form 300A summary covers, which must be the year immediately preceding the posting period (February 1 to April 30).
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering the current year instead of the prior year covered by the log, or using a two-digit year format (e.g., '24') instead of the required four digits.
Establishment Name
textEnter the official, full legal name of your restaurant or business establishment as it appears on your tax and business registration documents.
COMMON MISTAKE: Using a DBA ('Doing Business As') name or a shortened, informal version of the business name that does not match official government records.
City
textEnter the city where your restaurant is physically located and where the reported work hours and incidents occurred.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering a corporate headquarters city or a mailing address city that differs from the physical location of the establishment where employees work.
State
textEnter the two-letter postal abbreviation for the state (e.g., MI for Michigan) where your restaurant is physically located.
COMMON MISTAKE: Spelling out the full state name instead of using the two-letter abbreviation, or using an incorrect abbreviation.
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. Posting the Form in the Wrong Location or Outside the Required Dates
OSHA requires the completed Form 300A to be posted in a conspicuous place where all employees can see it from February 1 through April 30 each year. A common mistake is posting it in a manager's office, a back hallway, or outside this mandatory window. This violation can trigger an OSHA inspection and result in a citation with penalties. Always post the summary in a common area like an employee breakroom or near time clocks for the full three-month period.
2. Failing to Certify the Form with a Company Executive's Signature
The form must be certified as accurate by a company executive—the owner, a corporate officer, or the highest-ranking company official physically located at the establishment. Applicants often miss this signature or have a manager sign instead. An uncertified form is considered incomplete. For a Detroit restaurant, the owner or the highest-ranking on-site manager must sign in Section G, affirming they have examined the OSHA Form 300 Log for the prior year.
3. Incorrectly Calculating Total Hours Worked for the Year
Entering an inaccurate number for total hours worked by all employees in the previous calendar year (Column B) is a frequent data error. This number is used to calculate incidence rates. The mistake stems from using payroll hours (which may exclude paid leave) or failing to sum hours for all part-time and temporary workers. Use actual hours worked, including overtime. An incorrect total can skew your injury rates and raise red flags during an OSHA data review.
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 Michigan
| City | Fee Range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit | ||
| Grand Rapids | ||
| Warren |
Timeline: Annual Process with Key Deadlines
Track All Work-Related Injuries & Illnesses Annually
Log every recordable work-related injury or illness throughout the calendar year (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31) on your internal OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). This requires having your managers trained on OSHA's recordkeeping rules (29 CFR 1904) to correctly classify incidents. The most common mistake is failing to record cases that require restricted work activity or medical treatment beyond first aid, which can lead to inaccurate reporting and penalties.
Complete the OSHA Form 300A Summary
After the year ends, you must review your Form 300 log, calculate the totals, and accurately transfer the data to Form 300A. This form requires specific annual totals (e.g., number of cases, days away from work, job transfer/restriction cases) and company information. Ensure your establishment's peak employment during the year and annual average number of employees are correctly calculated, as errors here are a frequent cause of citation during inspections.
Certify and Post the Form 300A Summary
A company executive (owner, CEO, highest-ranking official at the establishment) must certify the summary's accuracy by signing and dating the form. You are then required to post the completed Form 300A in a conspicuous location where employee notices are customarily posted. The mandatory posting period is from February 1 through April 30 of each year, even if you had no recordable cases (you must post a form with zeros).
Other Requirements You'll Need
This is one of 13 requirements for opening a restaurant in Michigan.
ADA Compliance Self-Certification
federal
Alarm System Permit/Registration
local
Annual Report Filing
state
Application for Employer Identification Number
federal
See all co-required forms and how they connect to your compliance dossier.
See All RequirementsThere is no formal 'processing time' as there is no application to file for this specific form. The OSHA Form 300A must be prepared internally by your business by February 1st of each year, summarizing the prior year's injury and illness data. You are required to post it from February 1st to April 30th for employee review, which is the key compliance milestone. Contact the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) for specific audit or inspection timelines.
The form itself has no government filing fee. However, failing to complete and post it can lead to significant penalties. As per MIOSHA, citations for recordkeeping violations can carry fines, typically starting at a few thousand dollars depending on the severity. It's critical to maintain this form alongside other foundational compliance documents, such as your Application for Employer Identification Number. Not legal advice — verify with MIOSHA.
No, the OSHA Form 300A is not transferable. It is a location- and year-specific record. If you move your restaurant, you must create a new form for the new location for each calendar year, tracking injuries and illnesses that occur at that specific address. This location-specific compliance is similar to other local permits like a Business License (Restaurant). You must retain the old location's forms for the required five-year period.
You must create and post a new form annually. Each year's form summarizes the data from the OSHA Form 300 log for the previous calendar year. The annual cycle requires posting the completed Form 300A in a common area from February 1 to April 30. There is no renewal fee, but the annual update is a mandatory recurring task, much like filing an Annual Report Filing with the state.
During a MIOSHA inspection, the compliance officer will request to see your OSHA Form 300A for the current posting period, as well as the underlying Form 300 log for the past five years. They will verify the form is correctly completed, signed by a company executive, and posted in a visible location from February 1 to April 30. The inspector may cross-reference logged incidents with employee interviews and medical records to ensure accuracy. Failure to produce the required documents typically results in a citation and proposed penalty.
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 Michigan specifically, we have analyzed compliance dossiers for 3 cities (Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren), 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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