Did you know that the Commonwealth’s Work Health and Safety Act 2011 requires that certain serious workplace incidents and injuries be reported to regulators? This applies to any person in the workplace, such as employees, contractors or members of the public.
These notifications are intended to help preserve the incident site pending further direction from the regulator, so it’s vital you are aware of the type of incidents that must be reported. These are:
- death of a person
- serious injury or illness
- a dangerous incident arising from work carried out by the business, undertaking or workplace.
Worksite preservation
When a notifiable incident occurs, there is a legal requirement to keep the incident site and any associated plant, substance, structure or object undisturbed until an inspector arrives or notifies otherwise. It’s a good idea to notify the regulator as soon as possible because that will ensure the timely release of the incident site. Penalties apply for failure to preserve a site.
Keeping records
Once the regulator has been notified, a record of the notifiable incident must be kept for at least five years from the date of notification, and penalties apply for failure to comply.
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Disclaimer – these articles are provided to supply general safety information to people responsible for OHS in their organisation. They are general in nature and do not substitute for legal and/or professional advice. We always suggest that organisations obtain information specific to their needs. Additional information can be found at https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/