How to report

To report an incident to WorkSafe Tasmania immediately, phone 1300 366 322. 

If you are calling from outside Tasmania, phone (03) 6166 4600.

You must follow this up within 48 hours, by lodging the Incident Notice form below to WorkSafe by email, fax or by mail.

Fax: (03) 6173 0206

Email: wstinfo@justice.tas.gov.au

Mail:
PO Box 56
Rosny Park  TAS  7018 

What incidents must be reported?

You must notify WorkSafe Tasmania if any of the following incidents have occurred in the workplace:

• a death, or
• someone suffers a serious injury or serious illness (they require immediate hospitalisation or medical treatment), or
• a dangerous incident occurs (for example a fire, explosion, infrastructure collapse, chemical spill or leak, electric shock).

Electric shocks must also be reported to TasNetworks on 13 2004.

What incidents don't need reporting?

An incident is not notifiable just because it happens at or near a workplace. To be notifiable, an incident must arise out of the conduct of the business or undertaking.

Only work-related incidents are notifiable.

Incidents may happen for reasons that don’t have anything to do with work or the conduct of the business or undertaking. For example:

• a worker or another person suffers a heart attack while at work, which is unrelated to work or the conduct of the business or undertaking
• an amateur athlete is injured while playing for the local soccer team and requires immediate medical treatment (this is not work)
• a person driving to work is injured in a car accident (where driving is not part of their work)
• a person with epilepsy has a seizure at work.

These kinds of incidents are not notifiable.

Serious injury or illness

It means an injury or illness requiring the person to have:

a) immediate treatment as an in-patient in a hospital; or

b) immediate treatment for:

c) medical treatment within 48 hours of exposure to a substance.

It is important to note that the treatment under (b) and (c) does not have to be as an in-patient in a hospital.

For more detail on serious injury and illness, read the Safe Work Australia information sheet on incident notification.

Dangerous incidents

The Work Health and Safety Act 2012 defines a 'dangerous incident' as a workplace incident that exposes a worker (or any other person) to a serious risk to their health or safety, emanating from an immediate or imminent exposure to:

• an uncontrolled escape, spillage or leakage of a substance, or
• an uncontrolled implosion, explosion or fire, or
• an uncontrolled escape of gas or steam, or
• an uncontrolled escape of a pressurised substance, or
• electric shock, or
• the fall or release from a height of any plant, substance or thing; or
• the collapse, overturning, failure or malfunction of or damage to any plant that must be authorised for use, or
• the collapse/partial collapse of a structure, or
• the collapse or failure of an excavation or of any shoring supporting an excavation; or
• the inrush of water, mud or gas in workings, an underground excavation or tunnel, or
• the interruption of the main system of ventilation in an underground excavation or tunnel.

Preservation of incident sites

The PCBU must ensure (so far as is reasonably practicable) that the site where the incident occurred is not disturbed until an inspector arrives at the site, or any earlier time that an inspector directs.

The following situations are exempt from this requirement:

• to assist an injured person
• to remove a deceased person
• when it is essential to make the site safe or to reduce the risk of a further notifiable incident happening
• when it is associated with a police investigation
• when an inspector or the regulator gives permission.

Record keeping

The PCBU must keep a record of each notifiable incident for at least five years from the day that notice of the incident is given to the regulator.

A PCBU who fails to notify can be required to pay a significant penalty.

Incidents involving an injury or illness where workers compensation could be claimed must be reported to the employer's licensed insurer within 3 days of becoming aware of the incident.

Incident reporting in your workplace

You may think the less you hear about incidents or near misses, the better.

However, reports of hazards, incidents, near misses and injuries should be welcomed — they enable you to take corrective action where necessary and reduce the likelihood of future injury, illness or incidents.

You don't need an elaborate reporting system: it could be as simple as a dedicated notebook or whiteboard in the lunch room. Encourage your workers to use this, then make sure you check it.

Be prepared to listen — and act.