What is on an OSHA compliance checklist for a small employer?
Short answer
A small employer's OSHA checklist covers five areas: required postings, written programs for the standards your hazards trigger, training tied to those same standards, records proving the training and inspections happened, and injury recordkeeping. Work through them in that order — postings take minutes, written programs define what training you owe, and records are what turn compliance into something you can prove.
1. Postings
- OSHA 'Job Safety and Health: It's the Law' poster displayed where employees can see it
- OSHA 300A summary posted February 1 through April 30 if you are required to keep records
- Emergency contacts and evacuation map posted
2. Written programs
- One document per applicable standard, naming your chemicals, machines, and people
- A named program administrator for each
- A review date within the last 12 months
3. Training
- Every applicable standard mapped to a specific course
- New-hire training completed before exposure, not at the 90-day mark
- Retraining triggers defined for each standard
4. Records
- Roster with name, topic, date, score, certificate, and next due date
- Equipment inspection logs kept in one place
- Signed employee acknowledgments
5. Injury recordkeeping
- OSHA 300 log maintained if your size and industry require it
- 301 incident report within 7 calendar days of a recordable injury
- Fatality reported within 8 hours; in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye within 24 hours
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Sources
Last reviewed September 4, 2026. Educational summary based on federal OSHA standards. State plans may impose stricter requirements. Not legal advice.