Wyoming — Workplace Safety

Wyoming operates an OSHA-approved state plan that covers most private-sector employers and all state and local government workers. The Wyoming Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Wyoming OSHA), part of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, administers the state plan under the Wyoming Occupational Health and Safety Act (Wyo. Stat. § 27-11-101 et seq.). The state plan received final federal approval on June 27, 1985. Federal OSHA retains jurisdiction over federal employees, the U.S. Postal Service and USPS contract operations, employment at Warren Air Force Base and Yellowstone National Park, private-sector maritime operations, and certain agricultural operations (field sanitation and temporary labor camps).

Source: 29 C.F.R. § 1952.18 | Wyoming State Plan | Wyoming OSHA

Wyoming OSHA has adopted the federal recordkeeping and reporting requirements under 29 C.F.R. Part 1904 identically, with no state-specific variations. This means Wyoming employers follow the same rules as employers in states under direct federal OSHA jurisdiction for recording work-related injuries and illnesses and reporting severe incidents.

Recording obligations — employers with more than 10 employees

Most employers with more than 10 employees must maintain records of work-related injuries and illnesses using three standardized forms: the OSHA 300 Log (ongoing record of all recordable injuries and illnesses), the OSHA 300A Summary (annual summary posted February 1–April 30 each year), and the OSHA 301 Incident Report (detailed record of each individual case). Certain low-hazard industries listed in 29 C.F.R. § 1904.2 are exempt from routine recordkeeping even if they exceed 10 employees, though all employers remain subject to the immediate reporting requirements described below.

An injury or illness is recordable under 29 C.F.R. § 1904.7 if it is work-related and results in one or more of the following: death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or licensed health care professional. OSHA defines medical treatment to exclude first aid (e.g., using non-prescription medications at non-prescription strength, administering tetanus immunizations, cleaning or bandaging wounds, using hot or cold therapy, using non-rigid means of support). Physical therapy and chiropractic treatment are considered medical treatment, not first aid, and therefore trigger recordability if the underlying injury is work-related.

Immediate reporting of fatalities and severe injuries — applies to ALL employers

Every employer covered by Wyoming OSHA — including those with 10 or fewer employees and those in exempt industries — must report certain severe incidents directly to Wyoming OSHA. Under 29 C.F.R. § 1904.39:

• Fatalities: Employers must report any work-related employee death within 8 hours if the death occurs within 30 days of the work-related incident.

• In-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and eye losses: Employers must report any work-related in-patient hospitalization (formal admission to a hospital or clinic, not emergency-room-only treatment), any amputation (traumatic loss of all or part of a limb or external body part, including fingertip amputations with or without bone loss), or any loss of an eye within 24 hours if the event occurs within 24 hours of the work-related incident.

Employers may report by telephone or in person to the Wyoming OSHA office nearest to the site of the incident, or by using OSHA's online reporting portal. The 8-hour and 24-hour clocks begin when the employer or any agent of the employer learns of the incident.

Exceptions to immediate reporting

Wyoming employers do not have to report a fatality, hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss if the incident occurred on a public street or highway (unless it occurred in a construction work zone) or if it occurred on a commercial or public transportation system (airplane, train, subway, bus). However, these incidents must still be recorded on the employer's OSHA 300 Log if the employer is otherwise required to keep injury and illness records.

Annual summary posting

Employers required to keep OSHA injury and illness records must post the completed OSHA 300A Summary in a conspicuous location where employees can view it from February 1 through April 30 of the year following the calendar year covered by the form (e.g., the 2025 summary must be posted February 1–April 30, 2026). This posting requirement ensures employee awareness of workplace injury and illness patterns.

Source: 29 C.F.R. Part 1904 | 29 C.F.R. § 1904.39 | Wyoming OSHA State Plan