Recordkeeping guides
General information, not legal advice. Each guide lists the official rule text it was written from.
Short guides to what some US federal rules ask you to write down and keep, and how to prove later what was done and when.
- Who has to keep OSHA 300, 301 and 300A forms, and for how long?
Who keeps OSHA 300, 301 and 300A forms, the 7-day rule, what to report within 8 or 24 hours, and why the records stay 5 years.
- How often do you inspect a forklift, and how often must operators be re-evaluated?
OSHA 1910.178: examine each forklift before use and daily, certify operator training, re-evaluate every 3 years. What to write down.
- What lockout/tagout records does OSHA 1910.147 require?
Two of the records in OSHA's lockout/tagout rule: the yearly inspection certification and the training certification. What each one holds.
- How long do you keep DOT driver vehicle inspection reports and truck maintenance records?
What 49 CFR 396.11 and 396.3 ask truck carriers to write down, and how long to keep inspection reports and maintenance records.
- When do you have to call the National Response Center about a spill, and what SPCC records do you keep?
When a hazardous substance release must be called in to the National Response Center (40 CFR 302.6), and how long SPCC inspection records are kept.
- How do you prove maintenance or a job was done on a given date?
We found no single federal rule on how to prove a job was done. Photos on the day, a sign-off and records nobody can quietly change make the proof.
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