Most covered employers actually have two separate OSHA posting obligations, not one: the "Job Safety and Health: It's the Law" poster, which stays up year-round, and the OSHA 300A injury and illness summary, which only goes up from February 1 through April 30 each year and only applies if you're covered by OSHA's recordkeeping rule. They get lumped together as "the OSHA poster" constantly, and treating them as one thing is the most common way employers end up out of compliance without realizing it.
Under 29 CFR 1903.2, private employers engaged in a business affecting commerce must display OSHA's "Job Safety and Health: It's the Law" poster (publication OSHA 3165) in a conspicuous place where employees can easily see it. There's no expiration date on this one; it stays posted continuously, not just during a specific window.
If a site sits in one of the states running its own OSHA-approved State Plan, the employer should display that state's equivalent poster instead of the federal OSHA 3165. The obligation is the same, but the specific document isn't. This is the same federal-versus-state split covered in our guide to OSHA jurisdiction and state plans; if you operate across multiple states, don't assume one poster covers every location.
This is the posting people most often confuse with the year-round poster. If your organization is covered by OSHA's injury and illness recordkeeping rule (generally, that means more than 10 employees and not on OSHA's list of partially exempt low-hazard industries), you must post a signed, certified summary of the prior calendar year's recordable injuries and illnesses (Form 300A) from February 1 through April 30 every year.
Failing to post either the year-round "It's the Law" poster or the seasonal 300A summary is a citable OSHA violation, penalized on the same schedule as other OSHA citations. If your team needs a refresher on how OSHA penalty tiers work and current maximum amounts, see our guide to what OSHA stands for and how compliance works.
These tools help you track and document your posting obligations. They don't determine whether your specific site qualifies for the recordkeeping partial exemption or which state poster applies; confirm those against OSHA's current recordkeeping regulation and your state plan's requirements.
Is the OSHA poster free? Yes. The "Job Safety and Health: It's the Law" poster is free directly from OSHA. Employers shouldn't pay a third-party vendor for it, though some vendors bundle it into paid multi-poster compliance packages alongside other, unrelated labor law postings.
Where do I get the current OSHA poster? Download it directly from OSHA's publications page. If you print your own copy rather than ordering the official version, it must be reproduced at a minimum size of 8.5" x 14" with 10-point type to meet the posting requirement.
Do I have to post the OSHA 300A summary? Only if your organization is covered by OSHA's recordkeeping rule, generally employers with more than 10 employees that aren't on OSHA's partially exempt industry list. If covered, you must post the certified 300A summary from February 1 through April 30 each year, even if there were no recordable cases.
What happens if I don't post the OSHA poster? Failing to post either the year-round "It's the Law" poster or the seasonal 300A summary can result in an OSHA citation and penalty, on the same penalty schedule that applies to other OSHA violations.
Do I need to submit my 300A data electronically, not just post it? Only if your establishment meets certain size or industry thresholds. Establishments with 250 or more employees, or 20 to 249 employees in designated high-hazard industries, must submit their Form 300A data (and in some cases Forms 300 and 301) through OSHA's Injury Tracking Application by March 2 each year. This is separate from, and in addition to, the physical posting requirement.