Restricted duty is intended to provide a temporary assignment to an employee who is unable to perform their essential job tasks due to a temporary injury, illness, or other condition. Frequent reoccurrence of the same medical condition is not considered “temporary.”
Is the injury or illness automatically OSHA recordable as a restricted work case?
Is the injury or illness automatically OSHA recordable as a “restricted work” case If a physician or other licensed health care professional recommends a work restriction? No, a recommended work restriction is OSHA recordable only if it affects one or more of the employee’s routine job functions.
When is a recommended work restriction recordable to the employer?
No, a recommended work restriction is recordable only if it affects one or more of the employee’s routine job functions. To determine whether this is the case, you must evaluate the restriction in light of the routine functions of the injured or ill employee’s job.
What do employers get wrong about OSHA recordkeeping?
The single most common error I have found employers making is misunderstanding what an OSHA-recordable work restriction is. Employers commonly — but honestly — believe that an injury is not recordable as a work restriction if the injured employee still can perform useful work.
When do you have to record days away from work for OSHA?
When an injury or illness involves one or more days away from work, you must record the injury or illness on the OSHA tab: If the employee is out for an extended period of time, you must enter an estimate of the days that the employee will be away, and update the day count when the actual number of days is known.
