If you are a worker and you have sustained an injury and are not sure what to do, Workcover Queensland has a factsheet for injured workers (PDF, 145 KB) (non-Queensland Government link).

Workcover Queensland has a range of factsheets and forms for workers (non-Queensland Government link), covering the compensation process, including fatalities in the workplace.

If you are an employer and someone has sustained an injury at work, Workcover Queensland has a factsheet for employers (PDF, 133 KB) (non-Queensland Government link).

Workcover Queensland has a range of factsheets and forms for employers (non-Queensland Government link), covering the compensation process, including insurance and fatalities in the workplace.

More about claims for workers' compensation after a fatality in the workplace.

A non-notifiable incident is one that does not result in a person suffering from a serious bodily injury or death and is not a dangerous event.

While you do not have to notify Workplace Health and Safety Queensland about non-notifiable incidents, it is important to record and investigate all incidents including "near misses" so action can be taken to prevent similar incidents occurring in the future.

How to record a non-notifiable incident
Who needs to record non-notifiable incidents
How to investigate an incident

How to record a non-notifiable incident

The record must be made on the approved form (PDF, 376KB) within three days of the person making the record becoming aware of the incident.

The record must be kept for one year after the record was made.

Employers, self-employed people and principal contractors who fail to 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

• Make a record as soon as possible after recovery.

Who needs to record non-notifiable incidents:

If the incident is a work caused illness, or work injury, the following persons must make a record of it:

• If it happened to a worker - the worker's employer

• If it happened to an employer - the employer

• If it happened to a self-employed person - the self-employed person

• If it happened at a construction workplace - the principal contractor

If the incident is a dangerous event, the following persons must make a record of it:

• if it happened at a workplace - the employer or self-employed person

• if it happened at a construction workplace - the principal contractor

If the workplace incident involves:

• An employer or

• Self-employed person, or

• A worker of an employer

At a construction workplace, the employer or self-employed person must give the principal contractor any help the principal contractor may reasonably require to complete an approved form (PDF, 376KB) .

How to investigate an incident

Ways to investigate an incident include:

• Collect information and establish facts about the incident – who was involved, what happened, where and how it happened and why.

• Isolate the contributory factors – what are the underlying causes of the incident?

• Determine how to fix the problem – investigators should make recommendations based on the underlying causes.

• Fix the problem – involve the right people to implement recommendations and corrective actions.

More about conducting an internal investigation.

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, 376KB) 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 2 penalty units or $150 for an individual, and 4 penalty units or $300 for a corporation/ company. Failing to make a record of an incident incurs the same penalties.

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.

Work caused illness means:

• 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.

Dangerous event means:

• 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.

1. Dial 000 and ask for Ambulance.
   
   If it is a fatality, dial 000 and ask for Police.
   
   If overhead powerlines have fallen down notify the relevant electricity entity or Police.




2. Administer first aid if required.
   
   Do not touch anyone who is receiving an electric shock. Turn off power or free the person with a non-metallic item.
   
   Nothing should be touched or moved unless it is to administer first aid, or there is further risk of property damage.
   
   
   
3. Contact Workplace Health and Safety Queensland on 1300 369 915.
   
   Workplace Health and Safety Queensland can provide approval to touch the scene.
   
   An inspector or police officer will need to investigate the scene of a notifiable workplace incident.

You should be aware of the traumatic nature of incidents, and consider counselling or organise discussions for the people involved or affected by the incident.