Is It Recordable?29 CFR 1904.5: Work-relatedness
Scenarios that apply 29 CFR 1904.5 (Work-relatedness).
Insidious Splinter
On the weekend, at home, an employee received a splinter in his hand while building a wooden loft bed for his daughter. He removed the…
RecordableCopper Theft
A man and his son break into a substation in the middle of the night to steal copper. They cut an energized cable and an arc flash badly…
Not recordableJalapeño Surprise
On his lunch break, an employee is preparing his lunch. His sandwich is almost complete but he remembers he brought some frozen…
RecordableLego
An employee's child put a Lego in the wind breaker of an employee. While the employee has the jacket hanging on their arm the Lego falls…
RecordableCompany Bus
Employees travel to their normal workplace, a remote production site in a mountainous region, in a company-provided bus from a nearby…
RecordableOut of Town Meeting
An employee traveled out of town to attend a 2-hour meeting at the direction of his supervisor. The employee arrived the evening before…
Not recordableTool Thief
After clocking out for the day, the employee is walking to their vehicle in the employer-maintained lot. A heavy tool they tucked into…
RecordableRescue Inhaler
While welcoming a guest to the office and escorting them in the elevator, an employee is exposed to heavy perfume. The employee has…
RecordableDancing
An employee was dancing in her office after being informed of a promotion. As a result of an overzealous twirl, she tripped and…
RecordableButtering Toast
An employee was spreading butter on a piece of toast as a snack for work. The butter knife slipped and stabbed the webbing between the…
Not recordableMilk Crate Challenge
On their lunch breaks, warehouse employees set up a milk crate challenge. The challenge involves stacking milk crates to create a…
RecordableGolfing
A CEO is meeting with a potential investor at a golf course. While golfing, the CEO became frustrated and he struck a bench with his…
RecordableHoly Cow
An employee was waking up in the morning to prepare to go to work when a cow fell through his ceiling and crushed him to death. His…
Not recordableCarving a Stick
An employee is sitting outside at a worksite on their lunchbreak. Using their own folding knife, the begin carving a stick. The knife…
RecordableCacti, Oh My!
An inexperienced employee was using a piece of heavy machinery to push dirt and clear vegetation at a worksite was severely injured when…
RecordableAfter Hours Club
A group of employees start a game club and meet in the office space at work to play board games. The company has provided approval for…
Not recordableFood Poisoning
To celebrate the dedicated service of a 40-year employee, the CEO takes him and his team out for lunch at a restaurant. The entire team…
RecordableNewt
During a bring your pet to work day, one employee brought a pet newt to the office. Another employee later swallowed the newt on a dare…
RecordableProtest
During the workday, an employee notices a political protest on the street and they walk outside to observe. The protest turns violent…
RecordableGiant Squid
At the end of the workday, prior to clocking out, an employee hears screams for help coming from a nearby beach. He goes to investigate…
Not recordableShopping Cart
Two employees are tasked with driving to Staples to replenish some office supplies. While pulling into the large empty parking lot, they…
RecordableBring Your Pet to Work 2
During a bring your pet to work day, one employee brought a pet hamster to the office. The hamster bit his ear while he was showing him…
RecordableFlashlight
While investigating a power outage in the dark basement at work, the employee placed a flashlight in their mouth to remain hands-free.…
RecordableDeath By Dessert
An employee attending a colleague's birthday party at work ate 18 servings of his favorite dessert and dies. Is it recordable?
Not recordableICD (Implanted Cardiac Defibrillator)
An employee has an ICD (implanted cardiac defibrillator) and was vacuuming alone at work. He collapsed. His ICD kicked in and roused…
RecordableSafety Celebration
During a company-sponsored luncheon to celebrate excellent safety performance, 17 employees suffered from food poisoning and were…
RecordableWalking Normally
An employee was walking down the hall and remembered he left something behind in a meeting room. While pivoting on the tile floor, his…
RecordableCurry Disaster
A short employee was heating up curry in the microwave, which was placed on top of an extremely high fridge. While reaching up to remove…
Not recordablePushup Fail
During a lunch break in the employee break room, some employees challenge their fellow employee to clap between doing pushups. The suit…
RecordableStrong Sneeze
An employee was in his office and sneezed. The sneeze significantly aggravated a pre-exiting back injury and a doctor recommended the…
RecordableClocked Out & Improperly Dressed
A shop supervisor removes his steel-toed boots and other PPE at the end of the workday and clocks out. He heads to exit the workplace to…
RecordableEmployee Eats a Spider
During a safety tailboard meeting at the beginning of the day, a lineman sees a spider on a pole. To show off, he grabs the spider and,…
RecordableInjured Outside of the Workplace
At a construction site, a worker needs water to mix cement. He leaves the worksite with a 5 gallon bucket and up to a 3rd party’s…
RecordableFrost Bite
An employee arrives to work in half a foot of snow in subzero temps. As he quickly makes his way into the warm building, he drops his…
RecordableRaging Employee
After receiving the announcement his workplace was scheduled to be downsized, an employee became upset and punched a cabinet with his…
RecordableBamboo Flooring
An employee was tasked with picking up bamboo flooring for a remodeling project of a new office space. The employee picked up the bamboo…
RecordableCoffee Break (Gas Station)
While driving from one worksite to another, a safety supervisor stops to get coffee at a gas station. The gas station is within a…
RecordableAfter-Hours Incident
Late one night an employee realizes he left an anniversary gift he bought for his wife on a piece of equipment at work. He is planning…
Not recordableAichmophobia
An employer offers a financial reward of $200 to take a voluntary covid vaccine. An employee loses consciousness before the needle…
RecordableZip Stitch
While breaking down cardboard boxes using a pocket knife, an employee cuts his arm. The occupational health nurse closes the wound using…
RecordableChemical Spill
A installation tech is installing a chemical fume hood in a lab. He decides to take a break for lunch and walk to the food court. While…
RecordableErgonomic Deficiency
An office worker develops tendonitis in his wrist and is provided medical treatment and work restrictions, resulting in a recordable…
RecordableStray Bullet
A lineman is climbing a utility pole. The employee cries out suddenly and shortly thereafter goes limp. The employee is rescued from the…
RecordableWatering Company Flowers
An office employee asks if she can plant some flowers near the entry way to the company's office, is granted permission, and months…
RecordableTurkey in an Autoclave
Lab workers conducting animal research on livestock decide to cook a turkey in an autoclave while celebrating a birthday of a coworker.…
RecordableStop the Count!
A groundskeeper who takes great pride in his work confronts a man wearing a costume of a Sesame Street character, the Count. The man was…
RecordableMysterious Allergic Reaction
An employee working as a janitor in a laboratory facility suddenly falls ill. His doctor believes it is an allergic reaction to…
RecordableHelping a Non-Employee
An employee sees a beverage vendor vehicle stuck in the snow and ice in the company parking lot and goes out to help. While pushing the…
RecordableCOVID-19 Vaccine Injury
An employee receives the COVID-19 vaccine as required by their employer. Due to a negative reaction to the vaccine, they become…
RecordableCompany New Year Party
An employee participates in an optional office New Year party that was put on by the company during one afternoon of a regular workday.…
RecordableInjured at a Customer's Home
A North Pole Inc. employee begins work delivering presents. He takes a break from delivering presents to eat some milk and cookies.…
RecordableReinfected with New COVID-19 Strain
An employee who previously had a recordable by contracting COVID-19 at work from a coworker is reinfected with a new coronavirus…
RecordableCOVID-19 Hospitalization
An employee is hospitalized for COVID-19 after he begins feeling ill at work. No one else in the office has tested positive for…
Not recordableFace Mask Skin Infection
An employee required to wear a mask develops a fungal infection on his skin around his mouth. A doctor prescribes ketoconazole, a…
RecordableStruck by Lightning Working From Home
An employee is working from a home office due to a pandemic. Every morning they take a 15 minute walk to buy a coffee from a local shop.…
RecordableContact Lens Eye Injury
An employee working in a fabrication shop gets an iron filing behind his contact lens and receives antibiotics as part of the treatment…
RecordableInjured at Home During Conference Call
An employee is working from home and attending a conference call on a cell phone. While participating on the call, he trips and falls…
RecordableDrunk at Work
An employee notices his heavy metal tool cabinet begin to tip over and attempts to stop it from falling. He is unable to hold the weight…
RecordableMental Illness
An employee begins having panic attacks and extreme anxiety at work. He visits a psychiatrist and is provided prescription anti-anxiety…
Not recordableUnauthorized Chair
An office employee brings a hanging cloth chair to the workplace and installs it himself. The chair was not approved by management and…
RecordableCompany Gym Injury
An employee is using the company gym during his lunch break when he accidently drops a 15lb dumbbell on his toes. He is seen at a clinic…
Not recordableHeart Attack After an Incident
An employee enters a trench and becomes buried after the wall of the trench collapses. He is rescued quickly seems to be fine but is…
RecordableWildfire Smoke Inhalation
Employees working in an office downwind from major forest fires can smell the smoke in the office. After several days, one employee…
RecordableOff-the-Job Injury at the Jobsite
A construction company is performing renovations on the south end of a college football stadium. The project is scheduled to last one…
Not recordableInjured Nose
An employee using the restroom on break is struck by the stall door when a co-worker was unaware the stall was occupied. The door…
Not recordableHorseplay
In a warehouse, during a lunch break, two employees are participating in an online viral challenge where a person drops a piece of paper…
RecordablePlantar Fasciitis
A pipeline inspector calls his supervisor at the main office to report an injury. The pipeline inspector alleges falling into a manhole…
Not recordableTendinitis Aggravation
A Shipping/Receiving employee has been tasked with opening and handling hundreds of boxes per day. After a full week of performing this…
RecordableBlack Widow
A group of employees are cleaning out a neglected warehouse for a new project at work. Suddenly one employee screams out in pain…
RecordableThorn Prick
A maintenance employee is doing some of his regular landscaping duties around the edge of a company’s property trimming bushes. Some of…
RecordableStepped on Toy Working From Home
An employee injured her ankle while working from home due to the pandemic. Her employer directed her to work from home, along with all…
Not recordableCompany Ski Trip
On a business trip, a company approves a day of snow skiing as company entertainment while in the mountains. The employees on the trip…
RecordableBreak Room Slip
An employee enters the company break room during normal working hours and slips in a puddle of water that was present from a leaky…
RecordableCompany BBQ
During normal working hours on a Friday, an oil/gas equipment company is taking time to celebrate an achievement by having a BBQ…
Not recordableCorporate Apartment Laceration
An employee is traveling for work and stays at a corporate apartment. After work one evening, the employee cooks dinner for herself.…
Not recordableForklift Parking Lot Accident
A forklift is exiting the company parking lot at the same time an employee is turning into the parking lot in his personal vehicle to…
Not recordableIntentional Forklift Accident
A disgruntled employee intentionally wrecks a forklift to get hurt on the job. The incident results in a fractured arm. Is it recordable?
Not recordableHeart Attack
An employee feels pain in his chest while at his workstation. He suddenly faints and falls to the floor. Members from the first aid team…
Not recordableHand Sanitizer Burn (Static)
A company’s COVID-19 contingency plan requires employees to clean their hands on a stringent basis. Antibacterial soap is made readily…
RecordableHand Sanitizer Burn (Smoking on Lunch Break)
During a lunch break, an employee uses hand sanitizer and then proceeds to light up a cigarette. As she lights her cigarette, her hand…
RecordableInjured During a Guided Tour
An employee returns to work on a Saturday (outside of regular working hours) with his family and several other people to participate in…
Not recordableCOVID-19 Self-Medication Injury
At a fish tank cleaner manufacturer, an employee insists the fish tank cleaner can act as a medication to prevent COVID-19 infection due…
Not recordableLoss of Consciousness Due to Drug Usage
A heavy equipment operator is discovered unconscious and with a needle in his arm in the cab of a bulldozer located on a job site. An…
Not recordableBIGFOOT
While completing a task in the woods alone, an employee is injured. The employee claims he was attacked and injured by Bigfoot before he…
RecordableInjured Welding at Home (Work-Related)
A company needs an apparatus for their operations and pays a welding employee to build the apparatus in his own home shop while he is…
RecordableDebris in Eye
An eye doctor discovers a small speck of rusted metal imbedded in an employee’s eye during a routine exam. The doctor asks the employee…
RecordableInjured While Telecommuting (Working from Home)
An employee is working from home during a pandemic after the governor declared a state of emergency. After sitting on their couch at…
RecordableInjures Tooth on Hard Candy
An employer provides candy to their employees on Halloween. One employee cracks a tooth on a piece of hard candy while on the job. Is it…
Not recordableInjured While Shaving at Work
An employee must shave his face for a respirator fit test at work. He is provided a brand new, pre-packaged razor and shaving cream, and…
Not recordableCOVID-19 (Coronavirus)
An employee becomes ill at work and is taken to a clinic for evaluation. The employee is confirmed infected with the COVID-19…
Not recordableSelf-Inflicted Injury
An employee commits suicide in the workplace. Is it recordable?
Not recordableLoss of Consciousness
An employee returns to the office after a week of work-related travel. Upon entering the restroom, the employee loses consciousness.…
RecordablePre-existing Condition Aggravated by Job Duties
An employee reports wrist pain while on the job. A medical professional determines the employee was born with an abnormal bone condition…
RecordableAnxiety from Work-Related Stress
An employee suffers from stress due to hostile treatment from coworkers and provides an opinion by a qualified healthcare professional…
RecordableUncertain if Work-Related
An employee is injured at work and neither the doctor nor the employee can, with certainty, attribute the injury to the job or identify…
RecordablePlane Crash
An employee is traveling for work on a commercial airline when her plane crashes and she is seriously injured. The injuries are so…
RecordableInjured While Donating Blood
Karen volunteers to donate blood for a company-sponsored blood drive. While inserting a needle the nurse sneezes and impales her artery.…
Not recordableAccident in Company Parking Lot During Commute
The employee was commuting to work in a vehicle. When they drove through the company-owned parking lot, they were involved in a vehicle…
Not recordableParking Lot
The employee was walking up the stairs at work and felt a snap in their leg. The employee was not carrying anything work-related and was…
Not recordableSimply Climbing Stairs
The employee was walking up the stairs at work and felt a snap in their leg. The employee was not carrying anything work-related and was…
RecordableInjured in Parking Ramp
An employee gets out of her vehicle after driving to work at the start of the work day. She parks in a parking garage that is co-owned…
It dependsParking Ramp
An employee gets out of her vehicle after driving to work at the start of the day. She parks in a parking garage that is co-owned by her…
It dependsSeizure in the Workplace
An employee had a seizure at work. The worker is in his sixties and has never experienced a seizure prior to this. The worker did not…
Recordable