US Incident

How to report

If you are hurt at work

Get care first. Then tell your employer, get the incident on the record, and use OSHA if you need a federal (or state-plan) safety agency in the loop. The steps below are a map to official processes, not a personal instruction.

A practical order

  1. Get medical care appropriate to the injury, including for a needlestick or other exposure. For a medical emergency, call your local emergency number.
  2. Tell your supervisor as soon as you can, following your employer’s procedure. Late reports are harder on everyone, including you.
  3. Ask that it be recorded. Many employers must keep an OSHA 300 log of work-related injuries and illnesses. You generally have a right to report an injury and to see the log.
  4. Follow your state’s workers’ compensation process if you need wage replacement or medical coverage for a work injury. That process is not the same as the OSHA log.
  5. You may file a complaint with OSHA if you believe there is a serious hazard or a violation. You can do that online or by calling 1-800-321-OSHA (6742). OSHA allows confidential complaints. See osha.gov/workers/file-complaint.
  6. If you are punished for reporting, read OSHA’s whistleblower information promptly. Deadlines can be as short as 30 days.

Needlesticks and other exposures

OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard requires an exposure-control plan and post-exposure evaluation. Report the exposure immediately so you can be offered timely testing and follow-up. Official starting points: OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens and NIOSH’s health-care infection pages.

What this site will not do

We cannot file a claim for you, tell you whether a case is OSHA-recordable, or represent you. We also will not ask you to send medical details to this website.