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.