The Definition of Notifiable Incident

Definition of Notifiable Incident

A notifiable incident is a workplace event serious enough that the law requires the employer, or the person in control of the workplace, to report it to the workplace safety regulator within a set time. Notifiable incidents usually include work-related deaths, serious injuries and illnesses, and certain dangerous events that could have caused serious harm even if no one was hurt.

The exact term and rules vary by country. Australia's model Work Health and Safety laws use the term notifiable incident. The UK uses reportable incidents under RIDDOR. In the United States, OSHA calls them severe injury reports. The purpose is the same everywhere: to let regulators know quickly about serious events so they can investigate, take action where needed and learn from patterns across industries.

Notification is different from internal reporting and recordkeeping. An event can be a recordable incident for the employer's own injury log without being notifiable to the regulator, and some notifiable events, such as dangerous occurrences, involve no injury at all.

Notification Rules in Major Jurisdictions

United States (OSHA)

Under 29 CFR 1904.39, employers must report:

• A work-related fatality within 8 hours of finding out about it.
• A work-related inpatient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours of finding out about it.

Reports can be made by phone or online. States with their own OSHA-approved plans may have stricter rules.

United Kingdom (RIDDOR)

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 require reports of work-related deaths, specified serious injuries, injuries causing a worker to be unable to do their normal work for more than seven days, certain occupational diseases and listed dangerous occurrences, such as the collapse of lifting equipment.

Australia (model WHS laws)

A notifiable incident is a death, a serious injury or illness, or a dangerous incident, such as an uncontrolled escape of gas, an electric shock or the collapse of a structure. The regulator must be notified immediately after the person becomes aware of it, and the incident site generally must not be disturbed until an inspector arrives or the regulator says otherwise, except to help injured people or make the area safe.

Canada and other countries

Rules are set by each province, territory or national regulator and differ in what must be reported and how fast. Multinational employers need a reporting guide for each location.

Managing Notifiable Incidents

1. Care for the injured and make the area safe.
2. Preserve the scene as required by law, using barricades and photographs.
3. Decide whether the event is notifiable using a clear, written guide for each jurisdiction.
4. Notify the regulator within the required time, recording who reported, when and how.
5. Investigate the event to find root causes. See incident investigation.
6. Record the event in internal logs and keep records for the required period.

Organizations should train supervisors on reporting rules, because the clock often starts when any supervisor or manager becomes aware of the event, not when the safety department hears about it.

Example of Notifiable Incident

On a Saturday evening, a worker at a U.S. metal stamping plant caught his fingertip in a press and lost part of it. The shift supervisor arranged first aid and transport to hospital but assumed the safety manager would handle any reporting on Monday. Because a fingertip amputation must be reported to OSHA within 24 hours of the employer learning of it, the report was late.

The plant reviewed its procedures and created a one-page reporting guide for supervisors listing which events must be reported, how quickly and how to contact OSHA. It also added the guide to the emergency contact board and to supervisor training, alongside a full investigation of the press guarding failure.

Frequently Asked Questions: Notifiable Incident

Is a near miss ever notifiable?

Yes, in some jurisdictions. Australia's dangerous incidents and the UK's dangerous occurrences include certain events that could have caused serious harm even if no one was injured. In the United States, OSHA does not require near misses to be reported.

What is the difference between notifiable and recordable?

A notifiable incident must be reported directly to the regulator within a deadline. A recordable incident must be entered in the employer's own injury records. Many recordable injuries are not notifiable.

Who is responsible for notifying the regulator?

The employer or person conducting the business is legally responsible, but organizations should assign clear roles so that reporting happens on time, even on nights and weekends.