The Definition of Restricted Work Case

Definition of Restricted Work Case

A restricted work case is a work-related injury or illness that results in restricted work activity and must be recorded on the OSHA 300 Log. Under OSHA's recordkeeping rule, 29 CFR 1904.7(b)(4), restricted work occurs when, because of the injury or illness, the employer keeps the employee from performing one or more of the routine functions of their job, or from working the full workday they would otherwise have worked. It also occurs when a physician or other licensed health care professional recommends such a restriction.

Restricted work is one of the general recording criteria that make a case a recordable incident. Restricted work cases are grouped with job transfer cases on the 300 Log, and both count toward an employer's DART rate (days away, restricted or transferred).

Restricted work cases often arise when an employer offers modified or light duty as part of a return-to-work program. The modified duty helps the employee stay at work, but the case is still recordable.

Key Recording Rules

Routine functions

Under 29 CFR 1904.7(b)(4)(ii), an employee's routine functions are those work activities the employee regularly performs at least once per week. If a restriction stops the employee from doing something they do less often than that, it is not a restriction of routine functions.

The day of injury does not count

A restriction or job transfer that applies only to the day the injury occurred or the illness began does not make the case recordable as restricted work.

Recommended restrictions

• A restriction recommended by a physician or other licensed health care professional is recordable if it affects one or more of the employee's routine job functions.
• The case must be recorded even if the employee ignores the recommendation and does all routine duties.
• If a recommendation is vague, the employer should ask whether the employee can do all routine functions and work a full shift. If the answer to either is no, or clarification cannot be obtained, the case is recorded as restricted work.
• Where there are conflicting recommendations, the employer may decide which one is most authoritative.

What does not count as restricted work

• Producing fewer goods or services than usual, while still performing all routine functions and working a full shift.
• A restriction that applies only to the day of injury.
• A limit on a task the employee does not perform at least once per week.

How to Record a Restricted Work Case

On the OSHA 300 Log

Check the column for job transfer or restriction and enter the number of days of restriction or transfer in the corresponding days column. If a case involves both days away and restricted days, the most serious outcome determines which box is checked, while both day counts are entered.

Counting days

• Count calendar days, not just scheduled workdays, starting the day after the injury or illness began.
• A partial day of restricted work counts as a full day, except the day of injury.
• Employers may stop counting at 180 days. Entering 180 is considered adequate when the restriction lasts longer.
• If the job is permanently changed to remove the restricted functions, the employer may stop counting at that point, but at least one day must be recorded.

Job transfers

A job transfer is recorded the same way as restricted work. It occurs when an injured or ill employee is assigned to a different job, even for part of the day, because of the injury or illness.

Managing Restricted Work Cases

• Communicate with providers: give treating clinicians a description of the job so restrictions are clear and specific.
• Match duties to restrictions: assign tasks that fit the restrictions and make sure supervisors enforce them.
• Track the days: update the 300 Log as restrictions change or end.
• Investigate the cause: use incident investigation and root cause analysis to prevent repeats.
• Do not discourage reporting: recordkeeping must be accurate. Under 29 CFR 1904.35, employers must not discharge or discriminate against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses.

Example of Restricted Work Case

A warehouse picker strained his shoulder lifting a case from a high shelf. The clinic doctor said he could work full shifts but should not lift more than 15 pounds or reach overhead for two weeks. Picking heavy cases and reaching overhead were part of his daily routine.

The employer assigned him to scanning and labeling. Because the restriction kept him from routine functions he performed at least once per week, the case was recorded as a restricted work case. The safety coordinator checked the job transfer or restriction column and entered the number of calendar days of restriction, starting the day after the injury, and updated the count when the doctor cleared him for full duty.

Frequently Asked Questions: Restricted Work Case

Is light duty always a recordable restricted work case?

If the light duty keeps the employee from one or more routine functions or from working a full day because of a work-related injury or illness, it is recordable. Light duty that only applies on the day of injury is not.

What is the difference between restricted work and days away from work?

Restricted work means the employee is at work but cannot do all routine functions or a full day. Days away means the employee cannot work at all. Both are recorded on the 300 Log in different columns, and both count toward the DART rate.

Does reduced productivity make a case restricted?

No. If the employee performs all routine functions and works a full shift, producing less is not restricted work.

Do weekends count when counting restricted days?

Yes. Count calendar days the employee would have been restricted, including weekends and holidays, regardless of whether they were scheduled to work.

Is a restricted work case the same as a lost time injury?

Not usually. A lost time injury generally refers to an injury that causes time away from work. Restricted work cases keep the employee at work in a limited role, though definitions vary by organization.