SafeWork NSW has warned businesses about fines of up to $50,000 and potential prosecution should they fail to report workplace incidents.
The warning comes as industry sees an upward trend in failure to notify authorities of serious injury or illness, a death or a dangerous incident.
In 2023 alone, the workplace regulator issued 140 compliance notices and over $55,000 in fines for breaches with one-third of all offences occurring in the construction industry.
With two months still to go in the year, SafeWork has already issued 37 more improvement notices for non-notification than in 2022 and 52 more than in 2021.
Under regulatory policies, the person conducting a business or undertaking must immediately report to SafeWork as an urgent investigation may be needed. They must also not disturb the incident scene until a SafeWork inspector arrives at the site, or until direction is given by an inspector.
Non-disturbance of the scene does not prevent any action to provide assistance to an injured person or make the site safe, SafeWork said.
“The obligations on people conducting a business or undertaking are clear – if there is a serious injury or illness, a death or a dangerous incident you must report it to SafeWork NSW immediately,” said Trent Curtin, head of SafeWork NSW.
“If you have seen an incident or unsafe work and if you are worried about raising it at work, SafeWork’s Speak Up Save Lives app lets you report an unsafe work situation while giving you the choice to remain anonymous.”
Any worker who feels their workplace is unsafe can anonymously report their concerns directly to SafeWork NSW through the app.
Incidents can be reported 24/7 to SafeWork NSW. Penalties of up to $50,000 for a body corporate and $10,000 for an individual apply for not notifying incidents.
For more information, visit safework.nsw.gov.au.
