Reporting an incident
How to report an incident
Who needs to report a workplace incident?
Penalties for failing to report
You are required by law to report incidents in the workplace where there is:
- Serious bodily injury
- Work caused illness
- Dangerous event
- Dangerous electrical event
- Serious electrical incident
- Major accident under the DGSM Act
How to report an incident
Use the online form or download the approved form (PDF, 58 kB) to notify us of an incident. (Note! If multiple persons are injured you will be required to use the downloaded approved form to accommodate additional information about each injured person).
If the incident involves a death, immediate notification must be made by phoning 1300 369 915. Notification on the approved form is required within 24 hours of being aware of a notifiable incident happening. A Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Inspector is on call 24 hours per day.
Who needs to report a workplace incident?
Persons conducting a business or undertaking (relevant persons) have a legal obligation to report a notifiable workplace incident. 'Relevant persons' include but are not limited to:
- employers
- self employed persons.
A principal contractor appointed to a workplace conducting construction work has a legal obligation to report a notifiable workplace incident. The relevant person must:
- immediately notify the principal contractor for the workplace that the workplace incident has happened; and
- give the principal contractor any help the principal contractor may reasonably require to complete the approved form.
In the event of a death occurring, the following person must report the incident:
- if the death is the relevant person - the person next in charge
- if the death is anyone other than the relevant person - the relevant person
- if the death occurred at a workplace where construction work is being performed and a principal contractor is appointed - the principal contractor.
There could be some instances when more than one person needs to report the incident.
Penalties for failing to report
The maximum penalty for failing to notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland is 20 penalty units which is $2000 for an individual and $10 000 for a corporation.
Persons conducting a business or undertaking who fail to notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland or make a record of a particular incident at the workplace will not commit an offence if they:
- did not know about the incident
- were incapacitated by the work caused illness or work injury; and
- notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and make a record as soon as possible after recovery.
