OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses in Knoxville, Tennessee (2026)
An unposted OSHA 300A Summary can trigger a federal inspection and thousands of dollars in citations, halting your restaurant's operations. This federally mandated annual form, also called the OSHA Log Summary, must be certified by a company executive and posted in a common area from February 1 to April 30. Key facts for Knoxville, Tennessee employers:
- 198 data fields — ApronPrep auto-fills 164 (83%)
- $0–$0 government filing fees (no cost to submit)
- Variable processing — form is for posting, not direct submission to OSHA
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
Your business is required to post and maintain an OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses to comply with federal law. This requirement is mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) and its implementing regulations found in 29 CFR 1904.41. In Knoxville, as in all U.S. workplaces under federal OSHA jurisdiction, this rule is enforced by the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA). The form is a publicly posted annual summary that chronicles workplace injuries and illnesses from the previous calendar year, demonstrating transparency and compliance with recordkeeping standards.
Failure to properly complete, certify, and post the Form 300A from February 1st to April 30th each year carries significant penalties. Violations are categorized by severity, with fines adjusted annually for inflation. Based on the latest federal penalty structures, which Tennessee adopts, the consequences include:
- Serious violations — Up to $16,131 per violation for failing to keep or post the required records.
- Willful or repeated violations — Up to $161,323 per violation for intentional disregard of the law.
- Failure to abate penalties — Up to $16,131 per day for each day the violation continues beyond the prescribed abatement date.
- Increased scrutiny & audit risk — Non-compliance is a red flag for TOSHA inspectors, triggering more frequent and comprehensive site inspections.
- Insurance & liability implications — Inconsistent or missing injury logs can complicate workers' compensation claims and may be used against you in civil litigation, potentially affecting premiums.
Legal code: Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act)
Recent update: In January 2025, OSHA increased its maximum penalties for violations by approximately 2.5% across all categories, including those for recordkeeping failures like the Form 300A.
Who Needs a OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses?
| Type | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant (Full-Service) | Required | Required if the establishment has 11 or more employees at any point in the prior calendar year, as mandated by OSHA 29 CFR 1904.1. |
| Bar / Nightclub | Required | Required if the establishment has 11 or more employees at any point in the prior calendar year, per OSHA 29 CFR 1904.1. |
| Food Truck | Required | Required if the business employed 11 or more people (including the owner-operators) across all its vehicles/operations in the prior year, under OSHA 29 CFR 1904.1. |
| Coffee Shop / Café | Required | Required if the establishment had 11 or more employees at any point in the prior calendar year, per the federal OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping rule (29 CFR 1904). |
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 sum of all cases (excluding privacy cases) listed on your completed OSHA Form 300 Log for the entire calendar year.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering '0' when you had at least one recordable case; this can trigger an audit if OSHA receives a complaint or finds inconsistencies in your reported data.
Total hours worked by all employees (for total rate calculation)
textEnter the total number of hours worked by all employees at this establishment for the entire year, including overtime, taken from your payroll records.
COMMON MISTAKE: Using an estimate instead of an exact sum from payroll, or forgetting to include overtime hours, which will make your calculated incidence rate inaccurate.
Total recordable case incidence rate
textThis is a calculated field: (Total Injuries & Illnesses * 200,000) / Total Hours Worked; you must compute and enter the rate as defined by OSHA's formula.
COMMON MISTAKE: Leaving this blank or performing the calculation incorrectly; the rate is mandatory and must match the values entered in the previous two fields.
Number of DART cases (days away, restricted, or transferred)
textEnter the total number of cases resulting in days away from work, job transfer, or restricted work, summed from Columns H and I of your OSHA Form 300 Log.
COMMON MISTAKE: Miscounting cases that only involved medical treatment beyond first aid but did not involve days away/restricted/transfer; these are not DART cases.
Total hours worked by all employees (for DART rate calculation)
textRe-enter the same total hours worked used for the total recordable rate calculation; it must be identical to the value entered in the earlier 'Total hours worked' field.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering a different number here than in the first hours-worked field, causing a mismatch and an invalid DART rate calculation.
DART incidence rate
textThis is a calculated field: (Number of DART Cases * 200,000) / Total Hours Worked; compute and enter the rate per OSHA's formula for Days Away, Restricted, or Transfer cases.
COMMON MISTAKE: Using the wrong base number of cases or hours, or leaving blank; an incorrect DART rate is a common red flag during OSHA's data verification.
Log Year
textEnter the calendar year (e.g., 2025) covered by this summary; it must match the year of the data on your Form 300 Log.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering the current posting year instead of the year the data covers, or using a two-digit year format (e.g., '25') instead of four digits.
Establishment Name
textEnter the official, legal name of your restaurant or business establishment exactly as it appears on your Form 300 Log and other official documents.
COMMON MISTAKE: Using a DBA or nickname instead of the legal entity name, or abbreviating the name in a way that doesn't match your OSHA-required posted records.
City
textEnter the city where the establishment is physically located, which dictates local OSHA reporting jurisdiction.
COMMON MISTAKE: Entering a corporate headquarters city instead of the physical location of the restaurant where the injuries/illnesses occurred.
State
textEnter the two-letter state abbreviation (e.g., TN) for the establishment's physical location.
COMMON MISTAKE: Spelling out the full state name or using an incorrect abbreviation, which can delay processing if electronic systems expect a standard code.
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. Incorrectly Reporting Non-Recordable Cases
Including cases like minor first-aid only incidents or injuries from non-work activities on Form 300A. This inflates your injury rates unnecessarily and can trigger a programmed inspection from OSHA. To avoid, strictly follow OSHA’s recordkeeping criteria (29 CFR 1904) — only record cases that result in death, days away from work, restricted work, job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.
2. Miscalculating Total Hours Worked
Entering an inaccurate number for 'Total hours worked by all employees last year' in Box D. This is the denominator for calculating your Total Case Rate (TCR) and DART rate; an error here throws off your entire summary and misrepresents your safety performance. Pull the exact figure from payroll records for all employees, including part-time and temporary workers, for the entire calendar year.
3. Failing to Certify the Form
Not having a company executive review and sign the certification section at the bottom of Form 300A. An unsigned form is invalid and non-compliant. The certifier must be a high-level company owner, officer, or the highest-ranking company official at the establishment.
Skip the Paperwork on Your OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
ApronPrep auto-fills 164 of 198 fields from one compliance interview.
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OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses by City in Tennessee
| City | Fee Range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Knoxville | ||
| Memphis | ||
| Nashville |
Timeline: Annual Posting & Recordkeeping Requirements
Record Injuries and Illnesses on OSHA Form 300 Throughout the Year
From January 1 to December 31, you must log each recordable work-related injury or illness on OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). A case is recordable if it results in death, days away from work, restricted work activity, medical treatment beyond first aid, or a diagnosis of a significant injury/illness. Use your employee’s first name, not initials, to avoid a common citation. Keep the log updated and accessible at your establishment.
Review and Verify All Entries on OSHA Form 300
Before creating Form 300A, a company executive (like an owner or corporate officer) must review the Form 300 log entries for the year to ensure accuracy and completeness. This verification step is mandatory and must be documented. Double-check that the total cases, days away from work, and job transfer/restriction totals match your internal incident reports.
Prepare OSHA Form 300A – Annual Summary
Summarize the year’s data from Form 300 onto OSHA Form 300A. You must calculate and enter totals for columns G through M, including number of cases, days away from work, and job transfers/restrictions. The executive who verified the log must also sign and certify the summary. This is a 20-field form, and missing the executive signature is the #1 cause of compliance failures during inspections.
Other Requirements You'll Need
This is one of 13 requirements for opening a restaurant in Tennessee.
ADA Compliance Self-Certification
federal
Alarm System Permit/Registration
local
Alcohol Server Training Certification
state
Annual Report Filing
state
See all co-required forms and how they connect to your compliance dossier.
See All RequirementsThis form is not 'gotten' or 'approved'—it is an internal record you complete annually. The timeline is the time you spend filling it out, typically 30-60 minutes, using your existing OSHA Form 300 Log. The posting and recordkeeping period is fixed: you must post the completed Form 300A from February 1 to April 30 each year at your Knoxville location, per OSHA standard 29 CFR 1904.32.
The form itself has no government filing fee ($0–$0). It is a free template from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). You can download it from the OSHA website and fill it out manually or use ApronPrep's auto-fill. Not legal advice — verify with OSHA for official guidance on recordkeeping requirements, which complement your other permits like the City Business License/Registration.
No, this form is not transferable. It is specific to a single establishment's injury and illness records for a given calendar year. If you move your restaurant to a new location in Knoxville, you must create a new set of OSHA forms (300, 300A, 301) for the new address. Your old forms must be retained for five years at the prior location or transferred to your new business address. This is separate from your location-specific Building Permit requirements.
You create and post this form annually. You must summarize the prior year's data from your OSHA Form 300 Log, complete the Form 300A, and post it in a conspicuous area from February 1 to April 30. No renewal application is filed—this is an ongoing annual recordkeeping duty mandated by OSHA under 29 CFR Part 1904.
If OSHA inspects your Knoxville restaurant, they will request to see your current and past five years of OSHA Forms 300, 300A, and 301. They will verify the posted Form 300A is accurate, signed by a company executive, and covers the required posting period. They will cross-check entries with employee interviews and medical records. Failure to have these records can result in citations and fines, as outlined on the OSHA website. Contact OSHA to confirm current enforcement protocols.
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 Tennessee specifically, we have analyzed compliance dossiers for 3 cities (Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville), 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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