It’s time once again to focus on an important requirement from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Employers with 10 or more employees are required to post the OSHA 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses from February 1 through April 30, 2026. This annual posting reflects injury and illness data from calendar year 2025 and ensures transparency for employees regarding workplace safety performance. If you need guidance in completing the OSHA 300A form, we’ve got resources to help you out. We partnered with Keevily Spero & Whitelaw to create a webinar that walks you through the steps for both the OSHA 300 and 300A forms. You can find the webinar on our YouTube Channel or watch the video below.
In addition to posting, many employers are required to electronically submit their OSHA 300A data by March 2, 2026. Let’s break this down.
OSHA 300A Form – Posting Requirements
The OSHA 300A form summarizes the injury and illness data recorded throughout the year on the OSHA 300 Log. It provides totals for:
- Total cases
- Cases with days away from work
- Cases with job transfer or restriction
- Recordable injuries and illnesses by category
- Total number of days away or restricted
- Establishment information and annual average employment
Covered employers must ensure that the 300 Log is completed as the year progresses and that totals are accurately calculated at year-end for the 300A summary.
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| 300A is the Summary of Work-Related Injuries & Illnesses |
The OSHA 300A must:
- Be certified by a company executive
- Be posted in a conspicuous location where employee notices are normally placed
- Remain posted from February 1 through April 30
- Be retained for five years
- Be updated if new recordable information becomes available
Electronic Submission – March 2, 2026 Deadline
OSHA’s electronic reporting rule requires certain establishments to submit injury and illness data through the OSHA Injury Tracking Application (ITA). OSHA began collecting 2025 data on January 2, 2026, and submissions must be completed by March 2, 2026.
You must submit OSHA 300A data electronically if your establishment meets one of the following:
- 250 or more employees and not in an exempt industry (Appendix A to Subpart B of 29 CFR Part 1904), OR
- 20–249 employees and in an industry listed in Appendix A to Subpart E of 29 CFR Part 1904.
Establishments with 100 or more employees in industries listed in Appendix B to Subpart E must submit OSHA 300 and 301 data in addition to the 300A.
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| 300 Form is the Log of Work-Related Injuries & Illnesses |
What This Means for Our Industry
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services are generally exempt.
- Construction, Remediation, and Waste Management Services that meet size thresholds (20–249 employees) must electronically submit 300A data.
- Larger employers (100+ employees in covered industries) must submit expanded datasets.
If you are unsure whether your establishment must submit, the OSHA ITA portal provides a coverage determination tool.
2026 OSHA Penalty Updates (Applicable for 2026 Citations)
As of today, there have been no changes to the penalty structure issued on January 15, 2025. Despite ongoing discussion in the regulatory space, OSHA has not released any additional inflation adjustments or revisions beyond the 2025 annual update required under federal law.
For employers, safety managers, and compliance professionals, this means the current penalty framework remains fully in effect.
Current OSHA Penalty Structure (Effective January 15, 2025)
Under the annual adjustment mandated by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, OSHA applied a cost-of-living multiplier of 1.02598 for 2025. Those figures remain unchanged.
2025 Maximum and Minimum Penalties
Type of Violation Penalty Minimum Penalty Maximum
Serious $1,221 per violation $16,550 per violation
Other-Than-Serious $0 per violation $16,550 per violation
Willful or Repeated $11,823 per violation $165,514 per violation
Posting Requirements $0 per violation $16,550 per violation
Failure to Abate N/A $16,550 per day (up to 30 days)
These amounts are reflected in OSHA’s Information Systems (OIS) and enforcement guidance under Chapter 6 of the Field Operations Manual (FOM).
What This Means for Employers
There is sometimes confusion mid-year about whether OSHA penalties change outside the annual January adjustment cycle. They do not.
OSHA is required to:
- Publish updated civil penalty amounts annually.
- Implement those changes no later than January 15 of each year.
Unless Congress amends the statute or OSHA issues a formal rulemaking update, penalties remain static until the next annual adjustment.
Why This Still Matters
Even without a new increase, the current maximum penalties remain significant:
- A single serious violation can reach $16,550.
- A willful or repeated violation can reach $165,514 per violation.
- Failure-to-abate penalties accrue daily.
For construction, remediation, environmental services, and other higher-risk industries, multi-item citations can escalate quickly.
The absence of a 2026 update (so far) does not reduce enforcement activity. OSHA continues to:
- Conduct programmed and unprogrammed inspections
- Increase emphasis on programs
- Focus on repeat and willful classifications
- Utilize the Gravity-Based Penalty (GBP) system for calculation
Final Thoughts
OSHA recordkeeping and reporting are not administrative formalities. They are compliance obligations that carry significant financial consequences when ignored.
Between:
- OSHA 300A posting requirements,
- Electronic submission deadlines, and
- Current penalty structures, employers in construction, remediation, environmental services, and related industries must remain vigilant.
Now is the time to:
- Verify your 300 Log accuracy,
- Confirm executive certification of the 300A,
- Ensure timely posting,
- Determine electronic submission requirements,
- Review your safety program to reduce exposure to costly violations.
If you need assistance navigating OSHA recordkeeping or understanding how these penalties affect your organization, reach out. Staying proactive is always less expensive than reacting to a citation.
Related Articles:
- OSHA 2024 Reporting Requirements and 2025 Penalty Adjustments: Key Compliance Guidelines for Employers
- It’s That Time! Remember to Post Your 300A Form and Electronically Report Your 2023 OSHA 300A Data to OSHA Using a New Login Procedure.
- OSHA Recordkeeping Webinar To Discuss Posting Requirements For 300A Form & Filing It Electronically! (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- It's That Time Again! Did You Remember to POST Your OSHA 300A Form! (futureenv.blogspot.com)
- Have You Remembered To Post The OSHA 300A Form? (futureenv.blogspot.com)
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