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Answer · Recordkeeping

Where does the OSHA case number come from?

2 min read Checked against current CFR text Sep 2026 Reviewed by Renae Irek
Short answer

You assign it yourself. OSHA does not issue case numbers.

When submitting Form 300 and 301 data you must give each case a unique number, and there is no required format — 1 through 15 is fine, and so is A1. The only rule is that it is unique within the establishment.

29 CFR 1904.41 Read it on osha.gov.

Pick a scheme and keep it

Sequential numbering within the calendar year is the simplest and it is what most log software does. What matters is that the number on the 300 log, the 301 report and the electronic submission are the same number for the same case — that is what makes the three documents reconcilable years later.

Why anyone cares about a case number

Because it is how a case is traced. When a prequalification reviewer, an insurer or an inspector asks about a specific incident, the case number is the handle. Reused or inconsistent numbers turn a five-minute question into an afternoon.

Related questions

Each answers one question with the rule it comes from.

What should I not submit from the 300 and 301? 1904.41 Can I keep OSHA logs electronically? I found an error in last year's log. What do I do?

Safety Sherpa is software, not a safety consultancy. This page quotes the cited regulation and links to the source text so you can read it yourself. It is not legal advice and does not replace a qualified person's judgment about a genuinely unclear case — our tools walk you through the decisions the regulations require and record your reasoning. The determination is yours to make.