Under Section 63 of the
Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998, employers are required to keep a register of injuries that is readily accessible in the workplace. The manager of any mine or quarry or the occupier of any factory, workshop, office or shop is responsible for this register of injuries.
What is a Register of Injuries?
The register is a current record of any injuries suffered by workers, whether they result in claims or not. The register of injuries may be kept in written or electronic form (eg. on a computer). However, the register of injuries can only be kept in electronic form if the employer provides education, training and facilities to ensure that workers are able to access the register.
Workers who enter particulars of any injury into the register, protect their right to make a claim beyond the three year time limit set down in section 65 of the Workplace Injury Management and Workers Compensation Act 1998.
By prior arrangement, employers can use the register of injuries to notify their insurer of any workplace injuries.
Although not required by the legislation, all workers are encouraged to report and record near misses. A 'near miss' should be considered as a warning sign and may indicate a potential problem that could result in serious injury.
This may require the development of a separate register to record information on near misses or the development of an accident/incident form that can be used for both injuries and near misses.
Penalties
The penalty for failing to have a register of injuries is a maximum fine of 50 penalty units.
Sample of the Register of Injuries
Employers can draw up their own injury register. However, it must include the following:
(a) name of the injured worker
(b) the worker's address
(c) the worker's age at the time of injury
(d) the worker's occupation at the time of injury
(e) the industry in which the worker was engaged at the time of injury
(f) the nature of the injury
(g) the cause of the injury.
Refer to clause 45 of the Workers Compensation Regulation 2010.
Call 13 10 50 for more information.