Report an incident in the workplace
If a worker is injured or something dangerous happens at your workplace, your first responsibility is to help and protect your workers. This means:
- making sure the hazard is taken care of and the area is safe
- providing first aid to the injured person
- calling an ambulance if required.
For serious incidents, called notifiable incidents, you’ll have to report it to your state or territory work health and safety regulator.
Your responsibilities in the workplace
As a business owner, you need to make sure that:
- your business has a plan for incidents and emergencies
- your business has appropriate first aid equipment and facilities
- your workers know what to do in an emergency (processes like evacuation and first aid)
- you report notifiable incidents to your state or territory regulator
- you record incidents in an incident log (for insurance purposes).
If an employee has a work-related injury or illness, they may make a workers' compensation claim. You must have current and adequate workers’ compensation insurance so your employees can access medical treatment, rehabilitation, and wages until they can work again. You must also ensure employees’ duties and work environment are safe and suitable for them while they recover.
What you need to report
Under state and territory laws, you must immediately report:
- a death
- a serious injury or illness
- a dangerous incident that could have caused death or serious injury.
If you’re unsure what you need to report, check Safe Work Australia’s incident notification information sheet.
How to report
Find out how to report a notifiable incident in your state or territory.
- Australian Capital Territory – Notifying an incident or dangerous occurrence
- New South Wales – Incident notification
- Northern Territory – Incident notification requirements
- Queensland – Notify us of an incident
- South Australia – Workplace incident notification
- Tasmania – Report an incident
- Victoria – Report an incident
- Western Australia – Reporting accidents and industrial diseases
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