Guides

Plain-English compliance guides.

Recordkeeping, reporting, inspections, penalties, training, and workers' comp first reports — the rules explained accurately, with the deadlines that matter. Free for every employer, whether or not you use SafeGora.

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Getting started

The new employer's OSHA compliance checklist

Just crossed into OSHA coverage — or just realized you have been covered all along? The first-90-days sequence that builds a defensible safety baseline.

Recordkeeping

OSHA recordkeeping requirements, explained

Which employers must keep injury and illness records under 29 CFR Part 1904, who is exempt, and the calendar of deadlines that never changes.

OSHA Forms 300, 300A, and 301: what each one does

Three forms, three jobs: the running log, the annual posted summary, and the per-case incident report — plus the deadlines and certification rules for each.

OSHA 300A posting requirements, explained

Every covered establishment posts its certified annual summary from February 1 to April 30 — including in a zero-injury year. The full mechanics of getting it right.

Ten OSHA recordkeeping mistakes that trigger citations

Recordkeeping citations are rarely exotic — the same ten failures account for most of them. A field guide to what inspectors actually find, and the fix for each.

Reporting

OSHA electronic injury reporting and the ITA

The electronic reporting rule adds a March 2 submission on top of paper recordkeeping. Who submits, what data each tier sends, and what changed in 2024.

Recordable vs. reportable: two different duties

"Recordable" decides what goes on the log. "Reportable" starts an 8- or 24-hour clock to notify OSHA. Confusing the two is one of the costliest recordkeeping mistakes.

Inspections & penalties

OSHA inspection preparation: before the knock

Inspections rarely announce themselves. What triggers them, how the visit unfolds, the rights you keep, and the documents worth having ready on any given morning.

OSHA penalties in 2026: the current maximums

What each violation classification can cost, why the ceilings adjust over time, and the factors that move a proposed penalty up or down.

Jobsite & contractors

Toolbox talks: expectations, cadence, and documentation

No OSHA standard says "toolbox talk" — yet they are the backbone of jobsite safety communication and some of the best inspection evidence a contractor can hold.

Job hazard analysis, step by step

A JHA breaks one job into steps, names each step's hazards, and pins a control to every hazard. The method, the required-by-rule cases, and how to keep JHAs alive.

Multi-employer worksites: who gets the citation

On a shared site, one hazard can cite several employers at once. The four-role framework OSHA uses, what controlling contractors owe, and how temp staffing splits duties.

Contractor safety prequalification, decoded

Before the bid is read, the safety numbers are: TRIR, DART, EMR, citation history, and program evidence. What each input means, where it comes from, and how to move it.

Safety committees: mandates and mechanics

Whether your committee is mandated by the work-site jurisdiction or voluntary, the difference between theater and results is the same short list of mechanics.

Workers' comp

The workers' comp first report of injury, explained

When an injury becomes a claim, the first report of injury starts the workers' compensation clock. What it is, who files it where, and how it relates to your OSHA records.

Training

OSHA training requirements: which standards require training

Training obligations are scattered across dozens of standards, each with its own trigger, refresh cycle, and documentation expectations. A map of the ones that matter most.

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