LOCAL RULES

Iowa incident report requirements

Your Iowa incident report has 4 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • A record of every work injury causing more than one day of incapacity
  • Every OSHA 301 item, completed within 7 calendar days for a recordable case
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Iowa follows the federal OSHA recordkeeping rules through Iowa OSHA, and adds its own workers' compensation record and a short report deadline that skips Sundays and holidays. Here is each Iowa rule with a link to the Iowa Code and Administrative Code, and what an Iowa incident report should record.

Last reviewed October 13, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Incident reportIOWA / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 140 words

Company: Northgate Fabrication
Site: 1840 Industrial Pkwy, shipping dock 2
Date: 10/08/2026, about 2:15pm
Injured: Luis Romero, material handler, warehouse crew
Supervisor: Tom Reilly
...
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4 Iowa rules on your checklist, including a record of every work injury causing more than one day of incapacity.

Still to add

  • NeededType of incident
  • NeededCompleted by
  • RecommendedNotes for damage to property, equipment or the environment

Filled in for you

Company or organizationNorthgate Fabrication
Site address or location1840 Industrial Pkwy, shipping dock 2
Date of the incidentOct 8, 2026
Employee or person involved (full name)Luis Romero, material handler, warehouse crew
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What Iowa requires

  • Every employer keeps a record of all injuries, fatal or otherwise, that an employee says happened in the course of employment and that cause incapacity for longer than one dayIowa Code 10A.313 (formerly 86.11), Iowa Code 2026
  • When a temporary disability causes incapacity for more than three days, the employer or insurance carrier that knows of it files a report with the workers' compensation commissioner within four days after that, not counting Sundays and legal holidays; for a permanent total or partial disability or a death, the report is due within four days after learning of the permanent injury or deathIowa Code 10A.313
  • The injury report to the commissioner is made without prejudice to the employer or carrier and may not be admitted in evidence or used in any trial or hearing, except on the question of noticeIowa Code 10A.313
  • No compensation is allowed unless the employer had actual knowledge of the injury, or the employee (or someone for the employee) gave the employer notice, within ninety days of the date the employee knew or should have known the injury was work-relatedIowa Code 85.23, Iowa Code 2026
  • Iowa OSHA adopts the federal recording and reporting rules (29 CFR 1904). Besides the federal methods, a required fatality or serious injury report may be made by faxing or emailing Iowa OSHA's incident report form, calling 877-242-6742, or visiting 6200 Park Avenue, Suite 100, Des Moines; a first report of injury filed with the Division of Workers' Compensation counts as a report to the Division of Labor Services, which receives itIowa Admin. Code 481-204.2, 481-204.3

Records and the 4-day report

Employers keep a record of every work injury an employee reports that causes incapacity for more than one day. Once a temporary disability has kept the employee from work for more than three days, the employer or its carrier reports to the workers' compensation commissioner within four more days, not counting Sundays and legal holidays. A permanent disability or a death is reported within four days of learning of it.

The report cannot be used as evidence in a hearing or trial except to show notice. An employee's claim is barred unless the employer knew of the injury or was told within ninety days of the employee realizing it was work-related.

Iowa OSHA reports

Iowa OSHA uses the federal reporting rule, so fatalities and in-patient hospitalizations, amputations and eye losses still have their federal deadlines. Iowa adds more ways to report: its incident report form by fax or email, a phone line, or in person in Des Moines. A first report of injury sent to the workers' compensation division also reaches the labor services division.

Common mistakes

  • Counting Sundays when working out the 4-day report deadline.
  • No record kept for a two-day absence because no claim was filed.
  • Not reporting a permanent injury once it becomes known, even after an earlier report.
  • Leaving the date the employer first knew of the injury off the report.
  • Assuming Iowa OSHA reporting deadlines differ from the federal ones.

Sources

Last reviewed October 13, 2026. Next review due January 13, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.