Arizona Contractors License Practice Exam

For how long must OSHA records be kept?

1. 3 years

2. 5 years

3. 7 years

4. 10 years

The correct answer is: 5 years

OSHA records must be retained for a minimum of five years from the end of the calendar year in which the records were created. This includes records related to work-related injuries and illnesses, as well as exposure records for hazardous materials. The five-year requirement allows for adequate time to review the data for trends, compliance, and safety improvements within an organization. Employers are also required to keep the OSHA 300 Log, which details work-related injuries and illnesses, available for inspection and to provide summaries of these logs to employees upon request. This retention period is important for ensuring that relevant data is available for both internal safety evaluations and compliance audits, and it helps in fostering a safer workplace environment over time.