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Steri-Strips as medical treatment on injury logs

Summary An employer asked whether a work-related cut closed with Steri-Strips was recordable. OSHA said their use counted as medical treatment under its then-current injury logging criteria. OSHA labels the letter an archive document.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1995-04-04-2
Date issued
April 4, 1995
Status
Archived by the agency
OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent OSHA policy.
Status last verified October 9, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1904 Recordkeeping First Aid
Source
View the official document

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The current status of this document is unclear
OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent OSHA policy. It may no longer reflect the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
About this page: The full text below is the official document from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

April 4, 1995

Mr. Larry M. Kreh
Manager
Ergonomics and Loss Prevention
PPG Industries, Inc.
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Mr. Kreh:

Thank you for your letter dated March 21, requesting an interpretation regarding OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping criteria. For OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping purposes, the use of Steri-Strips has always been regarded as medical treatment despite the Review Commission language you cited. If Steri-Strips are used on a work related laceration the case must be recorded on the OSHA Log 200.

I hope you find this information useful. If you have any further questions, please contact us at Area Code (202) 219-6463.

Sincerely,
Bob Whitmore
Chief
Division of Recordkeeping Requirements

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