All prescription medications, including preventive antibiotics, should be considered medical treatment and are recordable.

Question

Occupational Safety and Health Administration · Accepted Answer

Thank you for your letter of October 1, 2004 seeking clarification of the circumstances in which an antibiotic is considered medical treatment. You state that an employee was sent to the hospital to have a splinter removed and was given an antibiotic as a precautionary measure. You ask whether the case could be considered non-recordable because the medication was given only as a preventive measure. If the antibiotic was a prescription medication, the case is recordable regardless of whether the medication was given solely as a preventive measure. In the preamble to the final recordkeeping rule, OSHA specifically addressed the use of prescription antibiotics for prophylactic reasons. The agency concluded that all prescription medications should be considered medical treatment because they are powerful substances that can only be prescribed by a licensed health care professional. See 66 Fed. Reg. 5986 (January 19, 2001). Thank you for your interest in occupational safety and health. We hope you find this information helpful. OSHA requirements are set by statute, standards, and regulations. Our interpretation letters explain these requirements and how they apply to particular circumst…