Text version Home Index Search Standards Interpretation and Compliance Letters Several OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping issues. I will restate each of your questions and follow with my response. Any use of prescription medications, except a single dose administered on first visit for minor injury or discomfort, is considered medical treatment. The draining of any fluids or blood is to be considered medical treatment. For OSHA recordkeeping purposes, an occupational illness is defined as any abnormal condition which results from a non-instantaneous event or exposure in the work environment.
All occupational illnesses are recordable.
Friction blisters are caused by non-instantaneous exposures and are therefore recordable conditions. Whether or not personal protective equipment was involved is not relevant to evaluating the case. On premises, work relationship is presumed. If the condition was either caused, contributed to, or aggravated by something in the work environment it is considered work related. As found in the Greenbook on page 14, medical treatment is defined to include self-administered treatment when made available to employees by their employer.