Persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) must ensure the regulator is notified of certain health and safety incidents that happen as a result of their work.
Notifiable incidents include deaths, serious injuries and illnesses, and dangerous incidents and must be reported if they affect a worker, including a contractor, or any other person, such as a visitor, volunteer or member of the public. In some cases, psychological harm must also be reported.
WorkSafe uses this information when investigating incidents to help identify the cause so that future incidents can be prevented. Education campaigns are then used to alert other workplaces to prevent similar incidents occurring or to stop hazardous work practices and enforcement action may be taken where a breach is identified.
All workplaces have to report notifiable incidents, mines and petroleum and geothermal operations also have additional reporting requirements. Failure to notify the regulator of a notifiable incident is a offence and enforcement action such as an improvement notice or prosecution my result. The Incident notification: Interpretive guideline outlines the types of incidents that need to be reported to the regulator and explains how to report them.
Reporting incidents plays an important role in preventing further injuries and improving work health and safety.
The report an incident to WorkSafe poster is a quick reference guide to reporting a death, serious injury or illness, or life-threatening dangerous incident.
Alternatively, click on the images below to view the posters.
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