To report an on-the-job fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye, call 1-800-423-7233.

• You have 8 hours to report a workplace fatality or in-patient hospitalization of any employee
• You have 24 hours to report a non-hospitalized amputation or loss of an eye of any employee

If you, as an employer or an agent of an employer, do not learn about the incident when it takes place, you must still report it within these time frames after you are notified.

If your business is in another state, and your employee is injured in Washington state, you must follow these reporting requirements. These requirements also apply if your business is based in Washington and your employee is injured while working out-of-state.

What to report

When reporting an incident, make sure to provide:

• Name and phone number of the best person to contact
• The name of the establishment/business
• The location/address where it happened
• The date and time it happened
• The names and number of employees harmed
• A brief description of the incident

Preserve the scene

You can move equipment as necessary to assist a victim or prevent further harm, but you must preserve the scene of a work-related incident until L&I has investigated. This includes not moving machinery, tools, or personal protective equipment involved in the incident. (WAC 296-800-32010)

Use the information in this table to build hazard awareness and prevent risk for similar occurrences in your workplace.

This table shares preliminary details about many of the fatalities reported to the Division of Occupational Safety and Health at the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (DOSH). When further details are available, entries may be updated in the annual summary.

Note: This is a partial list, for instructional purposes only and is not meant for data or research purposes. In addition to being a partial list, fatalities associated with natural causes or suicides are not listed. The Worker Memorial Day ceremony and SHARP's FACE Program use different criteria for counting worker deaths in Washington.

Yearly Summaries

• Summary of workplace fatalities 2011-2024 (Microsoft Excel file)

Employers covered by recordkeeping rules are required to record workplace injuries and illnesses (including work-related COVID-19 illnesses) on an OSHA 300 log. In addition, you can use this information to find and fix hazards affecting your workers and refine your workplace health and safety programs.

You must post the annual summary portion of the OSHA 300 log (form OSHA 300A) from February 1 through April 30 of each year.

Electronic submission of injury and illness records to OSHA.

New in 2024 – Establishments that both employed 100 or more different employees, and are in designated industries.

If your establishment employed 100 or more employees in certain high-hazard industries as per WAC 296-27-071 Appendix B then you must electronically submit information from OSHA Form 300-Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, and Form 301-Injury and Illness Incident Report to OSHA once a year. These submissions are in addition to submission of Form 300A-Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses.

OSHA will publish some of the data collected on its website to allow employers, employees, potential employees, employee representatives, current and potential customers, researchers and the general public to use information about a company's workplace safety and health record to make informed decisions. OSHA believes that providing public access to the data will ultimately reduce occupational injuries and illnesses.

Establishments that employed 250 or more different employees.

If your establishment employed 250 or more different employees during the course of the previous calendar year, and this chapter requires your establishment to keep records, then you must electronically submit information from OSHA Form 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses to OSHA or OSHA's designee.

Establishments that both employed 20 to 249 different employees, and are in designated industries.

If your establishment employed 20 to 249 different employees during the course of the previous calendar year, and your establishment is in a designated industry listed in WAC 296-27-071 Appendix B, then you must electronically submit information from OSHA Form 300A Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses to OSHA or OSHA's designee.

 Note: L&I is not involved in this transmission, and does not use the information.

 To learn more about the OSHA requirements, visit OSHA's rule information page.

Businesses that are exempt from OSHA 300 reporting requirements

Small employers and low-risk businesses may be exempt from these requirements if:

• They have 10 or fewer employees at all times during the previous calendar year at all of their combined business locations.
• The business is included on the industry exemption list in Table 1 under WAC 296-27-00105.

Note: This exemption does not apply if the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), OSHA, or DOSH notifies you to comply.

Resources to help

• OSHA 300 Recordkeeping Webcast
• Recording & Reporting eLesson
• Injury & Illness Recordkeeping Forms - 300, 300A, 301

Recordkeeping Rules

WAC 296-27-011 through 296-27-02117 lists the main record keeping rules for businesses. Depending on your industry, hazards, or activities, additional reporting requirements may apply.

• Core Rules – Accident Reporting and Investigating (WAC 296-800-320)
• Agriculture Safety Standards – Employer's Responsibilities (WAC 296-307-018)
• Bloodborne Pathogens - Records (WAC 296-823-170)
• Charter Boats – Operations (WAC 296-115-060)
• Commercial Diving Operations - Recordkeeping Requirements (WAC 296-37-575)
• Employee Medical and Exposure Records (WAC 296-802)
• Fire Fighting – Injury and Illness Reporting (WAC 296-305-01501 and 01503)
• Sawmills and Woodworking Operations - Management’s Responsibility (WAC 296-78-515).

Videos, Training, and Prevention Resources

Videos

• Eye on Safety - Recordkeeping and Reporting
• How to Report a Fatality and Hospitalization to the WA State Dept. of L&I
• OSHA Recordkeeping for Managers & Supervisors

Training Materials

Self-paced

• Recording & Reporting eLesson

For Groups

• OSHA 300 Recordkeeping Webcast

Publications, Handouts, Checklists, Sample Programs

• Checklist of recordkeeping (Oregon-OSHA)
• Do I Have To Have and Maintain an OSHA 300 Log?
• Employer Reason for Injury Underreporting
• Enhanced/Detailed 5-Step Process for Determining Recordability
• OSHA 300 Recordkeeping Forms.
• Recording and posting workplace injuries and illnesses (Oregon-OSHA fact sheet)
• Simple 5-Step Process for Determining Injury an Illness Recordability

An accident is typically a preventable incident where someone is harmed or fatally injured.

Required Investigations

You must investigate any accident that results in a fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. Employers are also required to investigate other accidents that cause serious injury and/or illnesses per WAC 296-800-320.

You may use this Accident/Incident Table to help determine when notification and investigation follow up is required.

Recommended Investigations

Accidents requiring only first aid, or “close calls” (i.e., near-misses) where no one is hurt, are not required to be reported. These should still be investigated because they can help predict and prevent future accidents.

Benefits of investigations

Investigating accidents makes good business sense. Accidents are predictable – they are the logical outcome of hazards.

Investigations help you:

• Identify hazards to prevent future accidents
• Discover and correct deficiencies in training, work practices, and/or equipment
• Reduce direct and indirect costs associated with accidents, including workers’ compensation costs
• Improve worker’s confidence and morale
• Strengthen your required Accident Prevention Program (APP)

How to Investigate

Have a plan in place before an accident occurs! A plan can reduce the chaos during an incident and help you ensure a safe and efficient investigation. For best results, make finding the “root cause/s” the focus of your investigations, not fault finding.

Once your plan is in place, be sure to inform and train everyone so they know who does what. Revisit your plan when it might need updating and keep everyone informed and trained on any changes you make.

When investigating:

• Preserve the scene and keep unauthorized personnel away. Cones, warning tape, and/or guards can help you do this. Be sure to check for danger and ensure victims’ safety.
• Document the scene. Take notes and use photo, video, and/or sketching to detail the who, what, where, when, and how details about the incident.
• Collect information from witnesses. Obtain other relevant information like equipment manuals, safety data sheets (SDSs), and company documents (like safety policies, operating procedures, training and injury records, logs, reports, etc.).
• Determine the root causes and best corrective actions to take. This requires technique (e.g., keep asking “Why” questions) and time for a deep evaluation, but will make it easier to focus on the most effective corrective actions to take to prevent further incidents.
• Implement corrective actions. Some actions may take more planning and implementation time than others.