Florida Contractor Practice Exam

OSHA requires employers to maintain records for how long following an injury?

1. 1 year

2. 3 years

3. 5 years

4. 7 years

The correct answer is: 7 years

OSHA mandates that employers must maintain injury and illness records for a specific period in order to ensure transparency, monitoring of workplace safety, and accurate reporting. The correct duration for retaining these records is five years following the end of the fiscal year in which the incident occurred. While the choices presented include various durations, the requirement to keep injury and illness records for five years ensures that there’s adequate data available for analysis, compliance checks, and any potential investigations. It allows for a clearer understanding of trends over time related to workplace safety incidents, which can help in preventing future occurrences. Maintaining these records for five years also aligns with OSHA’s goal of fostering a safer work environment by keeping track of incidents and encouraging employers to adhere to safety standards. The other options do not reflect OSHA's requirement for record retention, and thus, they do not ensure the comprehensive oversight necessary for workplace safety monitoring.