Industries
Manufacturing: what your operating records are worth to AI research
A manufacturer's unit of work is the work order: materials, steps, checks and rework. Worker names on those orders and customer ship-to contact details are never shared. The sequence of checks and rework is the part a license can cover. The value, if any, is how the plant runs.
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| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Unit of work | work order |
| First exclusion | worker names on a work order |
| First rule | Part 1904 requires employers to record and report work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. Recording or reporting a case does not mean the employer or the employee was at fault, that an OSHA rule was violated, or that the employee is eligible for workers' compensation or other benefits. eCFR |
| Second rule | A company that had 10 or fewer employees at all times during the last calendar year does not keep OSHA injury and illness records unless OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics asks in writing. A company that had more than 10 employees at any time during that year keeps the records unless its establishment is in a partially exempt industry. The count is peak employment of the entire company. Every employer covered by the OSH Act still reports a work-related fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. eCFR |
What Manufacturing operating records look like
Manufacturing operating records are the work order: materials, steps, checks, and rework, and they are not the worker's name on that order.
Releasing a work order records the part, the routing, and the start. Recording checks and rework records what failed and what was done again. The worker's name and the customer's ship-to phone are personal details. The sequence of checks is the part that shows how the plant runs.
Other sectors are grouped under company data licensing by industry.
The license itself is explained in how to sell company data to AI companies.
Workflows in Manufacturing that AI research can learn from
Releasing a work order, recording checks and rework, and closing the order are three trails inside one work order on the floor.
- releasing a work order
- recording checks and rework
- closing the order
Closing the order records the quantity finished and the scrap reason. The full order matters because a finished count hides the rework loop.
For a related sector's records, read retail company data for AI research or pharma company data for AI research.
Systems Manufacturing companies usually run
Mail, chat, and tickets hold the staff side of a work order. An ERP is named only as plain text beside them.
Microsoft 365 holds the routing memo. Slack holds the shift handoff. Jira holds the nonconformance ticket. The ERP holds the order of record and is listed as plain text.
| System | Category | Why it holds this sector's work |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 | Email and collaboration | Routing memos sit in mail and documents. |
| Slack | Chat | Shift handoffs sit in chat. |
| Jira | Project or workflow | Nonconformance tickets sit in the tracker. |
| ERP | Industry system | The work order of record sits in the ERP. |
What a Manufacturing license leaves out
Worker names on a work order and customer ship-to contact details stay out, even when they were printed on the work order.
- worker names on a work order
- customer ship-to contact details
Worker names on a work order identify the person who ran the step. Customer ship-to contact details identify a person at the destination. A shift pattern does not replace the staff test.
The details that never leave any company are listed in what is never shared.
Rules cited for Manufacturing records
Rules cited for a work order come from OSHA's injury and illness log, including which cases are recorded and how long the plant keeps the forms.
OSHA's injury and illness log is the public rule for a work order at the plant. It covers which cases are recorded, the forms the employer uses, and how long those forms are kept.
| Rule | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 29 CFR 1904.0 — Purpose of injury and illness records | Part 1904 requires employers to record and report work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. Recording or reporting a case does not mean the employer or the employee was at fault, that an OSHA rule was violated, or that the employee is eligible for workers' compensation or other benefits. | eCFR |
| 29 CFR 1904.1 — Size exemption | A company that had 10 or fewer employees at all times during the last calendar year does not keep OSHA injury and illness records unless OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics asks in writing. A company that had more than 10 employees at any time during that year keeps the records unless its establishment is in a partially exempt industry. The count is peak employment of the entire company. Every employer covered by the OSH Act still reports a work-related fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. | eCFR |
| 29 CFR 1904.4 — Recording criteria | An employer that this part requires to keep records must record each fatality, injury, and illness that is work-related, is a new case, and meets one or more of the general recording criteria in 29 CFR 1904.7 or the specific-case rules in 29 CFR 1904.8 through 1904.12. | eCFR |
| 29 CFR 1904.7 — General recording criteria | An injury or illness meets the general recording criteria if it results in death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness. A significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional also meets the criteria. | eCFR |
| 29 CFR 1904.29 — OSHA 300, 300-A, and 301 forms | Recordable injuries and illnesses are entered on OSHA Form 300, the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, Form 300-A, the annual summary, and Form 301, the Injury and Illness Incident Report, or on equivalent forms. Each recordable case goes on the log and the incident report within 7 calendar days of receiving information that it occurred. In a privacy concern case, the employer may not enter the employee's name on the OSHA 300 Log. | eCFR |
| 29 CFR 1904.33 — Retention of OSHA logs | The employer saves the OSHA 300 Log, the privacy case list if one exists, the annual summary, and the OSHA 301 Incident Report forms for 5 years after the calendar year the records cover. | eCFR |
Wind-down specifics for Manufacturing
Closing a line does not turn named work orders into a licensable archive. The work order sequence is the record, and worker names stay out.
Export the routing and the rework history with names removed. Leave worker files and ship-to contacts out. Idling a line does not describe the checks.
- Export the routing and the rework history with names removed.
- Leave worker files and ship-to contacts out.
- Idling a line does not describe the checks.
General information only. This is not legal, tax or financial advice.
Related
- Industries
What operating records look like by sector, and what is left out.
- How to sell company data
How to sell or license company data to AI companies, and which route fits.
- What's shared
Which records can be licensed, which details never leave, and what you approve.
- Eligibility
Staff, records, daily-use systems, and the right to license, plus a checker.
- Estimate
US payout bands by staff at peak, and the estimator that uses them.
- Retail
Orders, with shopper identity and card numbers left out.
- Pharma
Batch and study milestones, with subject identities left out.
Questions about manufacturing company data for AI research
Which worker identifiers on a work order never leave a manufacturer in a license?
Worker names on a work order never leave a manufacturer in a license. Customer ship-to contact details stay out with them. The work order that can remain is the materials, the steps, the checks, and the rework. The person who ran the step is not part of that sequence. A badge number that identifies the worker stays out with the name.
What does a work order still show after employee names are removed?
After employee names are removed, a work order still shows the part, the routing, the checks, the rework, the quantity finished, and the scrap reason. Releasing a work order, recording checks and rework, and closing the order are the trails. A finished count alone hides the rework loop. The ship-to phone is not one of those events.
Which production and inventory systems should a plant list?
List Microsoft 365 for the routing memo, Slack for the shift handoff, and Jira for the nonconformance ticket. The ERP holds the work order of record and is named only as plain text. List it in the inventory, and export the routing with names removed. A machine log that still has the operator's name is not yet the sequence of checks.
Is a factory eligible because it runs shifts?
No. Running shifts does not make a factory eligible. The fit check decides. The unit of work is the work order, and worker names on that order stay out. Idling a line does not describe the checks. A shift pattern is not a substitute for the staff test or for two years of records people actually used.
Sources
- eCFR. 29 CFR 1904.0 — Purpose of injury and illness records. Checked 2026-11-04
- eCFR. 29 CFR 1904.1 — Size exemption. Checked 2026-11-04
- eCFR. 29 CFR 1904.4 — Recording criteria. Checked 2026-11-04
- eCFR. 29 CFR 1904.7 — General recording criteria. Checked 2026-11-04
- eCFR. 29 CFR 1904.29 — OSHA 300, 300-A, and 301 forms. Checked 2026-11-04
- eCFR. 29 CFR 1904.33 — Retention of OSHA logs. Checked 2026-11-04