Reporting an incident
How to report an incident
Who needs to report a workplace incident
Penalties for failing to report
Definitions
Part 10 of the Workplace Health and Safety Regulation 2008 requires certain people to notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland of a:
How to report an incident
Written notification is required within 24 hours of an incident. If the incident involves a death, immediate notification is required on 1300 369 915. A Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Inspector is on call 24 hours.
- Print the approved form (PDF, 1.88 MB) and fax it to the department
OR
- Fill in the form online (more about the the online form)
You must also keep a copy of the form for your records for 1 year after the event.
Who needs to report a workplace incident
The following people have a legal obligation to report particular workplace incidents not causing death:
- employers
- self employed persons
- principal contractors (at a construction workplace)
If the workplace incident occurs at a construction workplace, the employer or self-employed 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 an approved form
In the event of a death occurring, the following persons must report the incident:
- if the death is the employer - the person next in charge
- if the death is anyone other than the employer - the employer or self-employed person
- if the death occurred at a construction workplace - 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 $2,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a corporation.
Employers, self-employed people and principal contractors 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 WHSQ or make a record as soon as possible after recovery.
Definitions
Notifiable incident means :
- an incident resulting in a person suffering a work injury that is a serious bodily injury, including a fatality
- a work caused illness
- a dangerous event
Work injury means:
- an injury to a person that requires first aid or medical treatment if the injury was caused by work, a workplace, a workplace activity or specified high risk plant; or
- the recurrence, aggravation, acceleration, exacerbation or deterioration of any existing injury in a person if:
- first aid or medical treatment is required for the injury; and
- work, a workplace, workplace activity or specified high risk plant caused the recurrence, aggravation, acceleration, exacerbation or deterioration; or
- any serious bodily injury, if the injury was caused by work, a workplace, a workplace activity or specified high risk plant.
Serious bodily injury means an injury to a person that causes:
- the injured person's death; or
- the loss of a distinct part or an organ of the injured person's body; or
- the injured person to be absent from the person's voluntary or paid employment for more than four normal working days.
- an illness contracted by a person to which work, a workplace, a workplace activity or specified high risk plant was a significant contributing factor; or
- the recurrence, aggravation, acceleration, exacerbation or deterioration in a person of an existing illness if work, a workplace, a workplace activity or specified high risk plant was a significant contributing factor to the recurrence, aggravation, acceleration, exacerbation or deterioration.
- an event caused by specified high risk plant; or
- an event at a workplace caused by workplace activity
- if the event involves or could have involved exposure of persons to risk to their health and safety because of:
- collapse, overturning, failure or malfunction of, or damage to, an item of specified high risk plant; or
- collapse, or failure of an excavation or of any shoring supporting an excavation; or
- collapse, or partial collapse of any part of a building or other structure; or
- damage to any load bearing member of, or the failure of any brake, steering device or other control device of, a crane, hoist, conveyor, lift or escalator; or
- implosion, explosion or fire; or
- escape, spillage or leakage of any hazardous material or dangerous goods; or
- fall or release from a height of any plant, substance or object; or
- damage to a boiler, pressure vessel or refrigeration plant; or
- uncontrolled explosion, fire or escape of gas or steam.
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