Workplace injuries can occur at any time. Follow these steps to ensure compliance and avoid penalties.
Whether you have plenty of experience with workplace injury, or it's your first time dealing with a notifiable incident, follow these three simple steps to ensure compliance:
3. Record injury in the register of injuries
1. Notify SafeWork NSW
When a work injury occurs, one of the employer's first priorities is reporting it immediately to SafeWork NSW by calling 13 10 50, especially if:
- a person has died;
- a person has experienced a serious injury or illness; or
- a potentially dangerous incident has occurred
These all constitute what SafeWork calls a notifiable incident. SafeWork's 13 10 50 hotline is available 24/7.
Prompt reporting ensures an urgent investigation can be launched if necessary. It’s also important to preserve the scene of incident until given further instructions by an inspector.
Penalties of up to $50,000 apply for non-notification of incidents.
2. Notify your insurer
Next, notify your workers compensation insurer within 48 hours. Be sure to provide your insurer with details of the injury.
Employers must notify their workers compensation insurer within 48 hours of becoming aware of the injury. This step – known as the initial notification – helps with initiating the claims process.
When notifying the insurer, you are required to provide details like:
- Your business name and contact details
- The worker’s name and contact details
- The treating doctor’s information (if applicable)
- The date and time that the injury occurred
- How the injury occurred
- A thorough description of the injury
Providing accurate and complete information would enable a smoother overall claims process.
Did you know that late notification incurs a claims excess payment? To avoid that, notify your insurer within 5 days.
3. Record injury in the register of injuries
Finally, record the injury in your company’s register of injuries, regardless of whether a workers comp claim is lodged.
Penalties of up to $50,000 apply for non-notification of incidents.
Regardless of whether a workers compensation claim is lodged, it’s mandatory for employers to record the injury in their register of injuries.
Besides being a record of all workplace injuries, employers should also record the investigation, the outcome, the changes or risk controls implemented as a result, and how employees were informed of these changes. Over time, this register will help with monitoring work health and safety (WHS) trends.
Making this register accessible to all workers also encourages them to raise safety concerns.
If you don't know how to start your company's register of injuries, SafeWork provides a standard template that all employers can use.