Complete guide to incident reporting under Work Health and Safety Act. What to report to SafeWork, investigation procedures, documentation requirements.

What Must Be Reported to SafeWork?

Under the Work Health and Safety Act, you must immediately notify SafeWork of notifiable events:

Death of a worker
Serious injury (hospitalization for 48+ hours)
Serious illness caused by work
Loss of consciousness
Amputation or loss of body part function
Dangerously low blood oxygen levels

Immediate Actions Checklist

☐ Ensure injured person receives immediate medical attention
☐ Make scene safe to prevent further injury
☐ Preserve evidence and scene (photos, equipment)
☐ Identify all witnesses and get contact details
☐ Do not move equipment/objects unless necessary for safety
☐ Notify SafeWork immediately if notifiable event
☐ Notify your WHS manager or supervisor
☐ Document exact time and location of incident

SafeWork Notification Requirements

For notifiable events:

☐ Contact SafeWork in your state immediately
☐ Provide person name and injuries
☐ Describe what happened
☐ Provide contact details for employer
☐ Note time and location of incident
☐ Follow up with written report within 2 days

Investigation Procedure

☐ Appoint independent investigator (preferably external)
☐ Conduct interviews with witnesses and injured person
☐ Collect and preserve physical evidence
☐ Review relevant policies and procedures
☐ Identify root cause and contributing factors
☐ Develop corrective and preventive actions
☐ Document all findings in investigation report
☐ Communicate findings to workers
☐ Implement actions to prevent recurrence

Documentation and Records

☐ Maintain incident register with all non-serious incidents
☐ Record incident date, time, location, person involved
☐ Describe nature of injury and cause
☐ Record actions taken immediately after
☐ Document SafeWork notification and reference number
☐ Keep investigation reports and correspondence
☐ Retain records for 5 years minimum

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