Record and report incidents

All injuries, accidents and incidents that occur in the workplace should be recorded and in some cases also immediately reported to Workcover (see notifiable incidents).

These records are also part of your farm’s health and safety risk management process.

Register injuries and incidents

Injuries, accidents and incidents can be recorded on an accident and incident register. Near misses should also be recorded. Use the hazard/near-miss report template to record these.

• report the injury or work-related illness to their supervisor or employer as soon as possible;
• enter the details in the injury and incident register or have another person complete the register; and
• obtain a Workcover medical certificate from the treating doctor, where the injury requires such treatment, and give the certificate to the employer.

Hold on to your records
	Retain details of all accident and incident records for at least 5 years.

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Investigate incidents

All work-related injuries, accidents and incidents need to be investigated as soon as possible and controls put in place to prevent them recurring.

The investigation should thoroughly analyse the accident or incident, determine the cause(s) and identify actions necessary to prevent it happening again.

The procedure should outline:

• who is responsible for the investigation;
• how soon after the event the investigation is to be completed;
• what follow up is needed;
• safety systems used by the farm, to be included in the investigation.

Accident investigations should consider:

• the immediate work location and the conditions at the time of the accident;
• any machinery and equipment involved, its function, setup, operating procedures, safeguards etc;
• the job procedures;
• work arrangements, safety systems in place, shifts, hours of work, production rates etc;
• the worker, their level of skill, level of training, familiarity with equipment, general health etc.

Employers should document all aspects of the investigation procedure to ensure all aspects are covered. The accident investigation report template can be used to do this.

Make an action plan
	Developing and implementing a plan to correct the cause of an accident or incident is a key aspect of the investigation process.

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Notifiable incidents

The state workplace safety authority must be notified of incidents that result in death, serious injury or impose a serious risk to health. What classifies as a notifiable incident differs from state to state but below is a summary of incidents that require notification in Victoria and New South Wales:

• death or serious injury to a worker;
• illness of a worker related to a work process;
• exposure to bodily fluids that presents a risk of transmission of blood-borne diseases;
• collapse of structure;
• uncontrolled escape of gas, dangerous goods or steam;
• overturning licensed plant and machinery;
• exposure to chemicals from a spill;
• uncontrolled explosion or fire;
• any incidence of violence at work.

In Victoria notifications to Workcover must be followed up by written documentation within 48 hours. The incident scene must be undisturbed, apart from providing assistance to injured persons or to prevent further risk to a person’s health and safety.

Don't disturb the incident scene
	The incident scene must not be disturbed until instructed by a Workcover inspector.

Information about reporting notifiable incidents for the other states can be found at:  South Australia SafeWork   Queensland Department of Employment and Industrial Relations   Western Australia Department of Consumer and Employment Protection   Tasmania A Guide to the Workplace Health and Safety Legislation  Northern Territory Incident notification

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Farm workplace policies for incident management