Guide to work health and safety incident notification

Has an injury, illness or dangerous incident occurred at your workplace? If so, you may be legally required to notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ) about what happened. The following aims to help you understand your notification obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (PDF, 1.42 MB) and the Safety in Recreational Water Activities Act 2011 (PDF, 536 kB) and how you can comply with them.

Note; If you wish to notify of an incident that occurred under the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995 (prior to 1 January 2012) contact WHSQ on 1300 369 915 to obtain the correct form.

On this page:

What sort of incident do I need to tell WHSQ about?

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Safety in Recreational Water Activities Act 2011 set out what sort of incidents are notifiable to WHSQ. An incident is notifiable if it arises out of the conduct of a business or undertaking and results in the death, serious injury or serious illness of a person or involves a dangerous incident.

When is an injury or illness serious?

The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the Safety in Recreational Water Activities Act 2011 set out that a serious injury or illness of a person is:

an injury or illness requiring the person to have:
- immediate treatment as an in-patient in a hospital
- immediate treatment for:
  - the amputation of any part of his or her body
  - a serious head injury
  - a serious eye injury
  - a serious burn
  - the separation of his or her skin from an underlying tissue (such as degloving or scalping)
  - a spinal injury
  - the loss of a bodily function
  - serious lacerations or
- medical treatment (treatment by a doctor) within 48 hours of exposure to a substance
any infection to which the carrying out of work is a significant contributing factor, including any infection that is reliably attributable to carrying out work:
- with micro-organisms; or
- that involves providing treatment or care to a person;
- that involves contact with human blood or body substances; or
- that involves handling or contact with animals, animal hides, skins, wool or hair, animal carcasses or animal waste products.
the following occupational zoonoses contracted in the course of work involving the handling or contact with animals, animal hides, skins, wool or hair, animal carcasses or animal waste products:
- Q fever
- Anthrax
- Leptospirosis
- Brucellosis
- Hendra virus
- Avian influenza
- Psittacosis.

What is a dangerous incident?

A dangerous incident is an incident in relation to a workplace that exposes a worker or any other person to a serious risk to a person's health or safety emanating from an immediate or imminent exposure to:

an uncontrolled escape, spillage or leakage of a substance
an uncontrolled implosion, explosion or fire
an uncontrolled escape of gas or steam
an uncontrolled escape of a pressurised substance
electric shock
the fall or release from a height of any plant, substance or thing
the collapse, overturning, failure or malfunction of, or damage to, any plant that is required to be authorised for use in accordance with the regulations
the collapse or partial collapse of a structure
the collapse or failure of an excavation or of any shoring supporting an excavation
the inrush of water, mud or gas in workings, in an underground excavation or tunnel
the interruption of the main system of ventilation in an underground excavation or tunnel.

Who is responsible for notifying?

A person conducting a business or undertaking is required to make the notification immediately after becoming aware that a notifiable incident arising from the business or undertaking has occurred.

How do I notify?

Notification must be by the fastest possible means. The options for notifying are to:

Business hours - 8.30 am to 4.45 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays)

phone on 1300 369 915
complete and submit the online incident notification form
fax the completed Incident Notification form (PDF, 189 kB) to facsimile number (07) 3247 0297
email the completed Incident Notification form (PDF, 189 kB) to whsq.aaa@justice.qld.gov.au.

Outside of business hours

phone on 1300 369 915 (press 1 at the prompt) to be connected to WHSQ's after-hours messaging service. Your notification details will be referred to a WHSQ on-call inspector who will contact you within a timeframe that has regard to the seriousness of the incident.

If you make the notification by telephone, written notification is not required, WHSQ will provide the person notifying for the business or undertaking with details of the information received.

Can work continue where the incident occurred?

The person with management or control of a workplace at which a notifiable incident has occurred must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the site where the incident occurred is not disturbed, unless it is for a prescribed reason, until an inspector arrives at the site. The site includes any plant, substance, structure or thing associated with the notifiable incident.

A prescribed reason to disturb an incident site is action:

to assist an injured person
to remove a deceased person
that is essential to make the site safe or to minimise the risk of a further notifiable incident
that is associated with a police investigation
for which an inspector or WHSQ has given permission - a direction that a scene may be disturbed may be given in person or by a telephone call.

Contact WHS Infoline on 1300 369 915 (press 1 at the prompt) if the incident occurs outside of business hours and you wish to disturb the incident site. A WHSQ on-call inspector will return your call.

Do I need to keep a record of the incident?

The person conducting a business of undertaking must keep a record of each notifiable incident for at least five (5) years from the date notified to WHSQ.

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