Assess Work-Relatedness (29 CFR 1904.5)
osha_assess_work_relatednessDetermine if an injury or illness is work-related under OSHA 1904.5, returning work_related, not_work_related, or requires_judgment for employer evaluation. Run before assessing recordability.
Instructions
Determine whether an injury or illness is work-related — the gate every other Part 1904 determination depends on. 1904.5(a) presumes work-relatedness for anything arising from the work environment unless one of the nine closed exceptions in 1904.5(b)(2) applies. Run this BEFORE osha_assess_recordability and pass its work_related result through. Returns one of three verdicts: work_related, not_work_related, or requires_judgment — the last when the regulation itself calls for the employer's evaluation (unclear origin under 1904.5(b)(3), travel status, working at home) or when an exception's 'solely' requirement is not established. Treat requires_judgment as a question to put to the user, never as a licence to pick. Reference and triage only — not legal advice.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| origin_is_clear | Yes | Is it clear whether the precipitating event occurred at work or away from work? Pass false when the narrative genuinely does not establish this — 1904.5(b)(3) then requires the employer to evaluate the employee's duties and environment, which this tool cannot do. | |
| claimed_exception | Yes | Which 1904.5(b)(2) exception is claimed, if any. Use 'none' when no exception is asserted. One of: member_of_general_public, symptoms_surface_at_work_only, voluntary_wellness_or_recreation, personal_food_or_drink, personal_tasks_outside_working_hours, personal_grooming_self_medication_or_self_inflicted, commuting_motor_vehicle_on_company_lot, common_cold_or_flu, mental_illness_without_plhcp_opinion, none. | |
| special_situation | No | Whether the employee was on travel status (1904.5(b)(6)) or working at home (1904.5(b)(7)). Both are fact-heavy and resolve to requires_judgment with the governing test returned. | none |
| aggravation_tests_met | No | Which 1904.5(b)(4) significant-aggravation tests the workplace event caused. Closed list — nothing else counts as significant aggravation. One of: death_but_for_work_event, loss_of_consciousness_but_for_work_event, days_away_restriction_or_transfer_but_for_work_event, medical_treatment_needed_or_changed. | |
| pre_existing_condition | No | Is this a pre-existing condition — one that resulted solely from a non-work-related event outside the work environment (1904.5(b)(5))? If so it is work-related only if significantly aggravated. | |
| exception_solely_established | No | Has it been affirmatively established that the injury results SOLELY from the claimed exception? Every 1904.5(b)(2) exception requires this and it is a factual finding, not a lookup. Pass false when unverified — the tool will return requires_judgment rather than apply the exception. | |
| occurred_in_work_environment | Yes | Did the event or exposure occur in the work environment as defined by 1904.5(b)(1) — the establishment and other locations where employees work or are present as a condition of employment, including equipment and materials used in the course of work? | |
| mental_illness_plhcp_opinion_volunteered | No | For a mental illness only: has the employee VOLUNTARILY given the employer a PLHCP opinion stating the illness is work-related? Under 1904.5(b)(2)(ix) a mental illness is not work-related without one. |
Output Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| kind | Yes | ||
| value | Yes | ||
| cfr_cite | Yes | ||
| source_url | Yes | ||
| last_verified | Yes |