Reporting an incident

Employers, occupiers and person in charge must report the following types of incidents to WorkSafe.

Health and safety incidents:

• death
• employees or persons who require either:
• medical treatment by a doctor (eg fractures, administration of a drug or medical treatment)
• immediate treatment as an in-patient in a hospital
• incidents involving high risk equipment or plant listed in the Equipment (Public Safety) Regulations 2007

Explosives:

• theft of explosives
• injuries caused by explosives

Dangerous goods:

• any releases of dangerous goods (eg gas leaks or spills of liquids).

What happens if I don’t report an incident?

Employers or occupiers that do not report incident appropriately may be prosecuted under the following Acts and Regulations:

• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2007
• Equipment Public Safety Act 1994
• Equipment (Public Safety) Regulations 2007
• Dangerous Goods Act 1985
• Dangerous Goods Explosives Regulations 2000
• Dangerous Goods Storage and Handling Regulations 2000.

Penalties may include fines, enforceable undertakings or warning letters. The penalties vary based on the severity of the incident.