Section 1904.33 provides in pertinent part that an employer must update the OSHA 300 Logs to include any changes in the description of a recorded injury or illness. It is common for a plant nurse initially to describe a condition as a "strain." When the employee is then seen by outside treating physicians, the physicians typically make a formal diagnosis, such as "tendonitis," "tenosynovitis," "epicondylitis," etc. If an employee is evaluated by a number of different physicians, the same condition may be given a number of different diagnoses. Sometimes the diagnosis will be fairly obscure, such as "subacromial impingement," which most lay people would not understand.

Are employers required to change an initial Column F description of "strain" to the most up-to-date diagnosis? Would the failure to enter such a formal diagnosis in Column F result in the issuance of a citation?

1904.33(b)(1) Do I have to update the OSHA 300 Log during the five-year storage period? Yes, during the storage period, you must update your stored OSHA 300 Logs to include newly discovered recordable injuries or illnesses and to show any changes that have occurred in the classification of previously recorded injuries and illnesses. If the description or outcome of a case changes, you must remove or line out the original entry and enter the new information."