Updated November 7, 2026.
Short answer: most OSHA 300 log mistakes start before the log, with a vague first report, a missing date or body part, or a case recorded late. Fix the first report and most log errors disappear before anyone totals the columns.
Every January, someone in your plant sits down with the OSHA 300 log, totals the columns and prepares the Form 300A summary. By February 1 that summary has to be on the wall, and a company executive has to sign it.
That signature says more than most people think. Under 29 CFR 1904.32, the executive certifies that, based on their knowledge of the process by which the information was recorded, the summary is correct and complete. In other words, the executive is vouching for the process, not only for the numbers.
And most of the mistakes that make a 300 log hard to defend do not happen in January. They happen months earlier, on the plant floor.
The dates for the 2026 records
- Year-end review. The 300 log must be reviewed as extensively as necessary to make sure it is complete and correct.
- February 1, 2027. Post the 2026 Form 300A summary where employee notices are posted, and keep it up until April 30.
- March 2, 2027. Establishments covered by the electronic reporting rule submit their 300A data (and, for some high-hazard industries with 100 or more employees, their 300 and 301 data) through OSHA's Injury Tracking Application. In 2026 OSHA started selecting non-filers for programmed inspections.
Common 300 log mistakes
Employment lawyers who review these forms see the same errors again and again. Fisher Phillips lists these among the most frequent:
- Vague injury descriptions. "Sprained knee", with no word on how it happened.
- Imprecise body parts. Left or right is missing; eyes, ears and fingers are not specified.
- Vague locations. "In the warehouse" instead of where in the warehouse.
- More than one outcome checked. Only the most serious outcome belongs in columns G to J.
- Wrong injury or illness type in column M, or more than one checked.
- Blank day counts. Columns K and L left empty instead of showing zero.
- Totals that do not match the number of cases.
- A 300A that is unsigned, undated, or signed by someone who is not a qualifying executive.
Look at the first three. They are not arithmetic problems. They are information problems, and the information was lost long before anyone opened the log.
Where the first three mistakes really come from
A worker gets hurt on second shift. The lead hears about it, the worker goes to the clinic, and the details travel by word of mouth. When the safety coordinator writes the entry a few days later, the description is whatever survived: "hand injury, line 4". Which hand? Doing what? Near which machine?
Nobody chose to be vague. The details were simply never captured at the source, so there was nothing precise to copy into the log.
How to fix them before February 1
- Pull the original reports now, not in late January. For every case with a vague description, body part or location, go back to the people who were there while they still remember.
- Check every case against the clinic paperwork and the first report. Different stories in different documents are exactly what an inspector notices.
- Fix the totals and day counts last, once the cases themselves are right.
- Brief the executive who will sign. The certification is about the recording process: they should know how cases are reported, reviewed and entered.
And for 2027: capture the first report properly
The cheapest fix for vague entries is a better first report. That means making it easy to report the moment something happens, in the words of the person who saw it, with the time, the place and the side of the body, and a supervisor review on every record, with its own name and time.
That is what SaidText does. Operators and technicians speak on any phone, SaidText turns what they say into a structured, timestamped record. It reaches the right person right away, and a supervisor can review it on the dashboard. Records support OSHA 300 and 301 workflows. It does not decide recordability and does not replace your safety professionals: it makes sure they start from a complete first account. See how it works on the OSHA page.
SaidText works standalone. Your IT team can connect it to your CMMS, ERP or EHS through our API. On the Enterprise plan, custom integrations are scoped and quoted as a separate project.
Frequently asked questions
When must the OSHA 300A summary be posted?
No later than February 1 of the year after the year covered by the records, and it must stay posted until April 30.
Who can certify the 300A summary?
An owner of a sole proprietorship or partnership, a corporate officer, the highest-ranking official at the establishment, or that official's immediate supervisor.
What does the executive certify?
That they examined the 300 log and reasonably believe, based on their knowledge of the recording process, that the summary is correct and complete.
Should I leave days away from work blank if there were none?
No. Enter zero. Blank day counts are one of the most common errors.
Does software make my 300 log compliant?
No. Compliance depends on your processes and your people. Good tools make complete, timely and traceable first reports easier to produce.
Start 2027 with better first reports
Run a free 30-day pilot on one crew or one line. No contract, no hardware.
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Sources: 29 CFR 1904.32; OSHA recordkeeping page; OSHA memo of March 23, 2026; Fisher Phillips. This article is general information, not legal advice.