For how long must a sharps injury log be maintained?

The requirement for maintaining a sharps injury log is established under OSHA regulations. Specifically, the log must be kept for five years after the end of the calendar year in which the sharps injuries occurred. This duration allows employers to track incidents, analyze patterns, and implement necessary safety measures to prevent future injuries.

The five-year retention period is consistent with other record-keeping requirements under OSHA, which aim to ensure that trends can be observed over a reasonable timeline, providing valuable data for workplace safety improvements. The log includes important information about each incident, which contributes to broader workplace safety analyses and compliance with health regulations. A longer or shorter retention period would not effectively support the necessary analysis and improvement efforts.