Depending on the incident, there are a number of other important actions you may need to take. This includes notifying WorkSafe and preserving the scene if possible and if safe to do so.
Report serious incidents
If the incident is serious and causes (or has the potential to cause) serious injury or death, report it to WorkSafe immediately on 13 23 60.
Learn more about notifiable incidents
You also need to send a completed incident notification form to WorkSafe within 48 hours. You have to keep a copy of the completed form on your records for 5 years.
This applies to all incidents that take place at your workplace even if the injured person is not one of your workers.
Fill out your register of injuries
Any injury or illness should be recorded in your organisation's register of injuries by your injured worker, or a support person on their behalf.
The register of injuries is a document (such as a diary, exercise book or electronic file) owned by the organisation you work for. It’s a record of every injury or incident that has occurred by workers in the business.
Workers compensation claims
If your worker needs time off work or medical treatment, they may be eligible for compensation. They must give you a medical certificate (certificate of capacity) and complete a claim form.
Complete and submit employer's claim documents
You are responsible for submitting all claim documents to your WorkSafe agent (agent).
If your worker submits their claim online, the form will be automatically sent to you after they complete Part A of the 'Worker's injury claim form' (claim form). You then need to complete the employer questions. Once complete, submit the form to your agent.
You'll need to let your agent and worker know in writing when you receive a PDF or paper claim form. You can do this by completing the employer sections of the claim form and providing a copy to your worker. For more information visit our Online claims information for employers page.
If you believe the claimant is not your worker, you’ll need to provide evidence of this to your agent in Part A of the form.
If the claim includes a mental injury
If you receive an online claim notification, you have to complete Part A of the claim form.
If you receive a paper or PDF claim form, you have to complete question 7 of Part A of the claim form.
You have to submit it to your agent – online or via mail – within 3 business days.
Within 10 calendar days of receiving the claim form from the worker, you have to submit the following documents to your agent.
- Part B of the claim form. If you choose to forward both Parts A and B together, you must do so within 3 business days.
- An Employer injury claim report completed by you, if you intend to submit one.
- The worker's medical certificate (certificate of capacity).
- Any other relevant documentation, such as invoices or receipts for medical expenses.
If the worker submits a claim online and you don't meet these timeframes, the claim will be automatically submitted to your agent.
There may be penalties if you fail to meet these timeframes.
Forward any further claims correspondence from your worker to your agent.
If the claim is only for a physical injury or condition
If the claim doesn't include a mental injury, you need to submit the following to your agent within 10 calendar days of receiving the claim form from your worker.
- Parts A and B of the online claim form.
- Question 7 of Part A and Part B of the paper or PDF claim form.
- An Employer injury claim report completed by you, if you intend to submit one.
- The worker's medical certificate (certificate of capacity).
- Any other relevant documentation, such as invoices or receipts for medical expenses.
If the worker submits a claim online and you don't meet these timeframes, the claim will be automatically submitted to your agent.
There may be penalties if you fail to meet these timeframes.
Forward any further claims correspondence from your worker to your agent.
After you've sent the form to your agent, you can fill out the 'Employer injury claim report'. This report gives the agent more information about the worker's claim.
To complete an 'Employer injury claim report', you'll need a myWorkSafe claims administrator role. You can apply for this role from your personal myWorkSafe account. If you don’t have an account, you will be prompted to create one.
Sometimes a circumstance investigator is assigned to the claim to get more information. This can include interviewing witnesses about the worker's injury.
Make sure you share any details with the circumstance investigator and your agent.
Your agent has 28 calendar days to assess the worker's claim and let you both know the outcome.
If the claim includes a mental injury, your agent will tell you if your worker is entitled to provisional payments within 2 business days of receiving Part A of the claim form from you.
WorkSafe Advisory
WorkSafe's advisory service is available between 7:30am and 6:30pm Monday to Friday. If you need more support, you can also contact WorkSafe using the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) or the National Relay Service.