U.S. · Safety · OSHA recordkeeping
Days away, restricted, transferred.
Enter the injury date and the day the employee came back. The tool counts days away and days of restriction the way the OSHA 300 Log requires.
Count calendar days starting the day after the injury, including weekends and holidays the employee would not have worked, and stop at 180. The same counting rules apply to days away from work and to days of restricted work or job transfer. Restricted work means the employee cannot do a routine function of the job or work the full shift. The day of injury is never counted, and a partial shift counts as a restricted day.
Dates
Day counts
What DART is and where the rules sit
"DART" stands for days away, restricted or transferred, shorthand for the two day-count columns on the OSHA Form 300 Log. The counting rules sit in the general recording criteria, 29 CFR 1904.7. A work-related injury or illness must be recorded if it results in death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness, or if it is a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional (1904.7(a), (b)(1)). This page covers only the counting of days away and days of restricted work or job transfer.
Counting days away from work
Record the case with a check mark in the days-away column and enter the number of calendar days away. If the employee is out a long time, enter an estimate and update it when the actual figure is known (1904.7(b)(3)). The counting rules:
| Question | Rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Is the injury day counted? | No. Begin counting on the day after the injury occurred or the illness began | 1904.7(b)(3)(i) |
| Weekends, holidays, other days off? | Count every calendar day the employee was unable to work because of the injury, whether or not scheduled to work | 1904.7(b)(3)(iv) |
| Provider says stay home but employee comes to work | Record the days away the provider recommended, whether or not the employee follows the recommendation | 1904.7(b)(3)(ii) |
| Provider says return, employee stays home | End the count on the date the provider recommends return to work | 1904.7(b)(3)(iii) |
| Injured Friday, back Monday, not scheduled weekend | Record only if a provider indicates the employee should not have worked, or should have worked restricted, during the weekend | 1904.7(b)(3)(v) |
| Employee leaves the company | If unrelated to the injury (retirement, plant closing, another job), may stop counting; if because of it, estimate the total | 1904.7(b)(3)(viii) |
| Maximum count | May cap at 180 calendar days; entering 180 is adequate | 1904.7(b)(3)(vii) |
| Case spans two calendar years | Record once, in the year of injury; estimate total days for the annual summary and update later | 1904.7(b)(3)(ix) |
What counts as restricted work or job transfer
Restricted work occurs when, because of a work-related injury or illness, the employer keeps the employee from performing one or more routine functions of the job, or from working the full workday scheduled; or a provider recommends that the employee not perform one or more routine functions or not work the full day (1904.7(b)(4)(i)). Routine functions are the work activities the employee regularly performs at least once per week. Transfer to another job means assigning the injured employee to a job other than the regular one for part of the day. Both are recorded in the same box on the 300 Log.
Several details change the outcome. Restriction or transfer imposed only on the day of the injury is not recordable. A partial day of work counts as a day of restriction, except the day of injury. If the employee produces fewer goods or services but still performs all routine functions and works the full shift, there is no restricted work. A vague instruction such as "light duty" can be clarified by asking the provider whether the employee can do all routine functions and the full shift; if that cannot be obtained, record it as restricted work. A restriction the provider recommends must be recorded even if the employee ignores it and does everything (1904.7(b)(4)(ii)-(viii)).
Restricted days are counted like days away, with one difference. If the employee is permanently assigned to a modified job that eliminates the routine functions they were restricted from, the count may stop when the change is made permanent, with at least one day counted (1904.7(b)(4)(xi)).
How the tool counts
Days away equals the number of days between the injury date and the first day back at work, not counting the injury date and not counting the day back: injured Monday, back the next Monday means six days away (Tuesday through Sunday). Days of restriction run from the first day back at work up to the day before the first full-duty day. Each is capped at 180. If the employee came back the day after the injury, days away is zero. Fewer than the tool’s assumptions apply if a provider recommended an earlier return: enter that date and the count ends there.
Worked example
A warehouse worker hurts his back on Monday, November 2, 2026. He stays home until the following Monday, November 9, then returns on light duty without lifting, which is a routine function of his job, until he returns to full duty on Monday, November 16. Days away: Tuesday through Sunday, 6 days. Days of restriction: November 9 through November 15, 7 days, including the weekend. Both numbers go on the 300 Log with their check boxes. If a doctor had recommended he return on November 6, the count of days away would end on that date, giving 3 days, even though he stayed home longer.
Where the numbers go
Each count is entered on the OSHA 300 Log beside its check box: the days-away column for cases with days away, and the restricted-or-transferred column for restriction and job-transfer cases (1904.7(b)(3)-(4)). If the employee is still away or restricted when the annual summary is prepared, the regulation says to estimate the total days expected, use that for the summary, and update the log entry later. For inspection history on a specific employer, see the OSHA inspection search guide linked on this page.
Sources
Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How are days away from work counted for the OSHA 300 Log?
As calendar days, beginning the day after the injury or illness, and including weekends, holidays and other days off that the employee could not have worked because of the injury (29 CFR 1904.7(b)(3)(i), (iv)).
Is the day of the injury counted as a day away?
No. You begin counting days away on the day after the injury occurred or the illness began (1904.7(b)(3)(i)).
What is the maximum number of days I have to count?
You may cap the days away, and days of job transfer or restriction, at 180 calendar days. Entering 180 is adequate (1904.7(b)(3)(vii)).
What counts as restricted work?
Keeping the employee from performing one or more routine job functions, or from working the full scheduled day, because of the injury, or a provider recommending the same. Routine functions are those performed at least once per week (1904.7(b)(4)).
Does a partial day of work count as restricted?
Yes. A partial day is recorded as a day of job transfer or restriction, except for the day on which the injury occurred or the illness began (1904.7(b)(4)(v)).
What if a doctor recommends days off but the employee works anyway?
The case is recorded as days away, with the number of days the provider recommended, whether or not the employee follows the recommendation (1904.7(b)(3)(ii)).
Do I record a case that spans two calendar years twice?
No. Record it once, in the year of the injury, and estimate the total days for the annual summary, updating the log entry once the count is known or reaches the 180-day cap (1904.7(b)(3)(ix)).
Not legal or compliance advice
This page is general information drawn from the sources listed, not legal, tax or compliance advice, and it is not run by any government agency. Rules, forms and dates change and your agency, base jurisdiction or enforcement officer decides your case, so confirm with the office named on this page before you rely on it. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.