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By ApronPrep Compliance Team|Reviewed by Sarah Chen, Food Safety Specialist|Verified April 2026
198Form Fields

Analyzed from OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses

164Auto-Filled

83% from one compliance interview

34Need Attention

Manual entry or document upload required

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8,415+Forms Analyzed
433,000+Fields Classified

Why You Need a OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses

Completing the OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses is a mandatory federal requirement for covered employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), enforced by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). Specific regulations are found in 29 CFR 1904, which details the recording and reporting rule. In Washington State, these federal OSHA standards are enforced by L&I's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). This form must be completed annually by all covered establishments, even those with zero recordable cases, to compile a summary of the previous year's work-related injuries and illnesses as recorded on the OSHA 300 Log. It must be certified by a company executive, posted for employee review from February 1 to April 30, and a copy retained for five years.

Failure to maintain, post, or provide these records upon request triggers significant compliance actions and financial penalties. Common consequences include:

  • Substantial Fines: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets annual penalty adjustments. As of the latest adjustment, maximum penalties for violations related to recordkeeping include up to $16,131 per violation for serious and failure-to-abate citations, and up to $161,323 per violation for willful or repeat offenses. Fines are assessed per violation and per day of non-compliance.
  • Increased Scrutiny and Inspections: A failure to post the summary or maintain accurate logs is a red flag that can trigger a comprehensive safety and health inspection by L&I DOSH, potentially uncovering other violations.
  • Business and Insurance Implications: Inaccurate or missing records can jeopardize your workers' compensation premium rates, as insurers use this data for experience rating. It can also negatively impact bids for contracts that require a demonstrated safety record and create liability in the event of a lawsuit.

Legal code: Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act)

Serious violations up to $16,131 per violation; willful violations up to $161,323; failure to abate $16,131/day

Recent update: OSHA adjusted its penalty amounts for 2024, with the new maximums taking effect for violations assessed after January 16, 2024.

Who Needs a OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses?

TypeRequiredNotes
Restaurant (Full-Service)RequiredRequired if you had 11 or more employees at any time in the last calendar year, as per OSHA Recordkeeping Regulation 29 CFR 1904.39.
Bar / NightclubRequiredRequired if you had 11 or more employees at any time in the last calendar year and are not in a partially exempt low-risk industry, per OSHA 29 CFR 1904.
Food TruckRequiredRequired if the mobile operation had 11 or more employees at any time in the last calendar year; the requirement is based on total company size, not per vehicle.
Coffee Shop / CaféRequiredRequired if you had 11 or more employees at any time in the last calendar year, as the NAICS code for cafes (722513) is not on OSHA's partially exempt list.
12 more establishment types

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Field-by-Field Guide (198 Fields)

164 of 198 auto-filled

Total number of recordable injuries and illnesses

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Auto-filled from compliance interview

Enter the total count of all injuries and illnesses from your completed OSHA Form 300 Log for the year, which includes all recordable cases (including fatalities).

COMMON MISTAKE: Entering a '0' without proper justification, which can trigger an audit if you have a high number of employees.

High rejection risk

Total hours worked by all employees (for total rate calculation)

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Auto-filled from compliance interview

Enter the total hours worked by all employees, including salaried, hourly, part-time, and temporary workers, for the entire calendar year being summarized.

COMMON MISTAKE: Failing to include hours for all employees or using an incorrect calculation period, which will invalidate the incidence rate calculation.

High rejection risk

Total recordable case incidence rate

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Auto-filled from compliance interview

Enter the calculated incidence rate (formula: (Number of recordable cases x 200,000) / Total hours worked); this field is often auto-calculated if the previous two fields are correct.

COMMON MISTAKE: Manually entering an incorrect or rounded-off calculation instead of using the precise formula, leading to data inconsistencies.

High rejection risk

Number of DART cases (days away, restricted, or transferred)

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Sum the total number of cases from columns H (days away from work) and I (job transfer or restriction) on your Form 300 Log to get the DART case count.

COMMON MISTAKE: Miscounting cases or including recordable injuries that did not result in days away, restriction, or transfer.

High rejection risk

Total hours worked by all employees (for DART rate calculation)

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Auto-filled from compliance interview

Enter the same total hours worked used for the total recordable case rate calculation; this figure is used as the denominator for the DART rate.

COMMON MISTAKE: Using a different total hours figure than the one entered for the total recordable case rate, which will cause the two rates to be calculated from inconsistent data.

High rejection risk

DART incidence rate

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Auto-filled from compliance interview

Enter the calculated DART incidence rate (formula: (Number of DART cases x 200,000) / Total hours worked); this field is often auto-calculated.

COMMON MISTAKE: Entering the total recordable case rate here instead of the specific DART rate, which is a common clerical error.

High rejection risk

Log Year

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Auto-filled from compliance interview

Enter the calendar year (e.g., 2024) for which the injury and illness data on Forms 300 and 300A is being reported.

COMMON MISTAKE: Entering the posting year (e.g., 2025) instead of the data year, or using a fiscal year.

Establishment Name

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Auto-filled from compliance interview

Enter the official legal name of your restaurant or business establishment exactly as it appears on your tax and business registration documents.

COMMON MISTAKE: Using a DBA (Doing Business As) name that differs from the legal entity name, which can cause confusion during an OSHA inspection.

City

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Auto-filled from compliance interview

Enter the city where your restaurant is physically located and where the employees covered by this log work.

COMMON MISTAKE: Entering the city of a corporate headquarters or mailing address if it differs from the physical work location.

State

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Auto-filled from compliance interview

Enter the two-letter postal abbreviation for the state (e.g., WA) where your restaurant is physically located.

COMMON MISTAKE: Writing out the full state name instead of using the two-letter abbreviation, though this is rarely a cause for rejection.

188 more fields in this form

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198total fields
164auto-filled
34need attention
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Top 5 OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses Mistakes

1

1. Posting the Form 300A Summary in the Wrong Location

The form must be posted in a conspicuous place where all employees can see it, such as a common area or where other workplace notices are posted. A common mistake is posting it in a manager's office or a locked bulletin board, which is not accessible to all employees. This violation can lead to a citation and fine from an OSHA inspector. To avoid this, post it in a high-traffic area like a break room or near time clocks from February 1 to April 30 each year.

2

2. Failing to Certify the Form 300A

The form requires certification by a company executive (owner, highest-ranking officer, or highest-ranking site manager). A frequent error is leaving the certification section blank or having it signed by an HR manager who does not meet the executive criteria. An uncertified form is invalid and can result in penalties if reviewed by OSHA. Ensure the certifying official reviews the data, understands it, and signs and dates the form in the designated box before posting.

3

3. Incorrectly Classifying Cases on the Underlying OSHA 300 Log

Errors on the Form 300A summary often stem from misclassifying injury/illness cases on the OSHA 300 Log throughout the year. A common mistake is recording a minor first aid case (which is not recordable) as a recordable injury, artificially inflating the total. This leads to an inaccurate summary that misrepresents workplace safety. Consult OSHA's recordkeeping guidelines to correctly distinguish between first aid and recordable cases, ensuring your Form 300A totals are accurate.

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OSHA Form 300A - Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses by City in Washington

CityFee RangeTimeline
Seattle
Spokane
Tacoma

Timeline: Annual Process with Specific Deadlines

1

Compile Your OSHA 300 Log Data

Review your OSHA Form 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses for the entire previous calendar year (January 1 to December 31). Verify each case is correctly classified and recordable under OSHA regulations (29 CFR 1904). You need the total number of cases, total days of job transfer or restriction, and total days away from work. The most common error is including first-aid-only incidents, which are not recordable and will distort your data.

2-4 hours
2

Calculate and Complete OSHA Form 300A

Transfer the annual totals from your Form 300 Log to the corresponding columns on the OSHA Form 300A. You must calculate the annual average number of employees and total hours worked by all employees for the year to fill out the establishment information. Have your company's name, address, and industry NAICS code ready. Miscalculating employee hours is a frequent audit trigger.

1-2 hours
3

Certify and Post the Form 300A

A company executive (like the owner or highest-ranking official at the establishment) must sign and certify that the information on the Form 300A is true and complete. You are then required by federal law (29 CFR 1904.32) to post the completed Form 300A in a conspicuous place where notices to employees are customarily posted. This posting must occur from February 1 through April 30 of each year.

1 day (for posting period: February 1 - April 30)
2 more steps

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Other Requirements You'll Need

This is one of 13 requirements for opening a restaurant in Washington.

FAQ

There is no processing timeline to 'get' this form, as it is an internal record you create and post annually. Federal OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1904.29 requires covered employers to post the completed OSHA 300A summary from February 1 to April 30 each year. The time required is for you to compile your injury data and fill out the form, which ApronPrep can auto-fill using your stored business data.

The government filing fee for the OSHA Form 300A is $0–$0. The form itself does not have a filing fee with any agency; it is a recordkeeping document. However, failure to properly complete and post it can result in significant OSHA penalties, so ensuring it's accurate is critical alongside other registrations like your City Business License/Registration.

No, the OSHA 300A log is specific to each establishment. If you move your restaurant to a new physical address, you must create a new log for that new location. The injury history does not transfer; you start a fresh OSHA Form 300 for the new site. This is a separate process from updating your address with other permits, like your Building Permit or state business registration.

You must create and post a new summary annually. The OSHA 300A form summarizes the previous calendar year's data (January 1 – December 31). You are required to post it in a common area where employees can see it from February 1 through April 30 each year, per 29 CFR 1904.32. There is no renewal with an agency; it's a recurring annual compliance task.

During an OSHA inspection, the compliance officer will request to see your OSHA 300 log (the detailed incident record) and the posted 300A summary for the current and past years. They will verify the forms are completed correctly, that posting dates were met, and that recorded injuries match your first-aid and workers' compensation records. Inconsistencies can lead to citations and fines. Not legal advice — verify specific inspection protocols 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 Washington specifically, we have analyzed compliance dossiers for 3 cities (Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma), 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.

157+Cities analyzed
9,849Requirements tracked
8,415Forms analyzed
433,000Fields classified

Sources

  • Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act)
How we verify data

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