91̽»¨

Safety: Incidents in the Workplace

18 November 2019

No matter how well we plan, when it comes to avoiding workplace incidents and near misses, they still happen.

The reasons for this are many and varied, and include:

• Workers acting irresponsibly
• Impairment due to the use/abuse of alcohol and/or other drugs
• Neglect/improper maintenance of plant and machinery
• Non-compliance with WHS control measures
• Inadequate/non-existent WHS control measures
• Incorrect use of plant and machinery
• Mismanagement of workplace operations and staff
• The nature of the work is dangerous
• Working with dangerous chemicals
• Working in extreme weather conditions
• Refusal to provide/wear the necessary PPE
• Stress and fatigue

When an incident or near miss occurs, it is important to follow the correct notification/reporting procedure, which your employer has developed, in accordance with the requirements of State and Federal legislation.

91̽»¨ Employees

If you are involved in a workplace incident or near miss, it is a condition of your employment with 91̽»¨ that you notify your supervisor and Employment Career Partner immediately. For notifiable incidents (where death, serious injury/illness, or a potentially dangerous incident has occurred), the Employer needs to notify SafeWork NSW immediately, as an urgent investigation might be needed. All incidents and near misses must be reported and recorded in a register of injuries.