When an accident happens at work, there are processes and procedures to follow, including reporting the incident. 

Consider this scenario: An employee notices an employee putting an ice pack on their arm. The injured employee refused to complete an incident report. Does the employee who noticed the injured employee have a duty of care to complete an incident report? The witness to the injury is also someone who has volunteered to be our first aid officer.

In this situation, there are two matters to address. If the injured employee and the other employee refuse or aren't able to complete an incident report, another person such as a manager should complete it on their behalf.

Minor work injuries, illness, and mishaps do not need to be reported to any external authority, but it is worth noting them in the company’s own internal record-keeping system (for example, a workplace register of injuries), as they can sometimes be indicators of potentially serious health and safety problems.

Serious injuries and serious work-related ill health need to be reported to the state/territory work health and safety (WHS) regulator and an urgent investigation is needed.

Dangerous incidents also need to be reported to the regulator, even if no one is injured. You should call 000 if there is an immediate risk to life.

Both the injured employee and the other employer need to be clear about their obligations toward workplace safety and how it is everyone’s responsibility to look after each other. Failing to report an incident demonstrates a lack of commitment to safety. It would be advised to explore why an individual refuses to report – is it because they don't know how or they don't understand the procedures?

For more information on notifying incidents, download the fact sheet from Safework Australia.