Is It Recordable?
Scenario Q47

Employee Opts to Stay Home: is it recordable?

Verdict: Not recordable
Published 2020-05-10

Question

An employee is involved in a vehicle accident while driving from one worksite to another during their shift. They are not badly injured and receive clearance to return to work by a doctor. The employee decides to take time off because they feel shaken up by the accident. Is it recordable?

Answer

NO, it is not recordable. It is the health care professional’s opinion that determines recordability, not the opinion of the employee.
1904.7(b)(3)(iii) How do I handle a case when a physician or other licensed health care professional recommends that the worker return to work but the employee stays at home anyway? In this situation, you must end the count of days away from work on the date the physician or other licensed health care professional recommends that the employee return to work.

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/interlinking/standards/1904.7(b)(3)(iii)

Illustration for the scenario: Employee Opts to Stay Home
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This is guidance based on 29 CFR Part 1904 and OSHA letters of interpretation. Facts and details may be altered or fictional. As specified by OSHA, the employer is responsible for the final recordability determination.