Incident and near-miss register (AU): what to record and when to notify

Last reviewed 1 November 2026 · Sources linked below · Written by Jay at Andwat Co, an Australian boilermaker/fabricator (Cert III Engineering, 12+ years in the trade). About

What an Australian workplace incident register should record, which incidents are notifiable under the WHS Act, the 5-year record rule, near misses, corrective actions and the hierarchy of control, in plain English for small fab shops and trade businesses.

Most small shops only start an incident register the day something goes badly wrong. By then you're trying to remember dates, who saw it and what you changed. A simple register kept from day one does three jobs: it covers the records the law asks for, it shows a regulator or insurer you acted, and it lets you spot the pattern (three hand cuts at the same linisher) before someone gets badly hurt.

This guide summarises the official sources linked below. It isn't legal advice. Your state's WHS regulator has the final say on what's notifiable.

What to record for every incident

Incident number, date, time and who reported it
Where it happened (workshop area, site or job)
Type: near miss, hazard report, first aid, medical treatment, lost time injury, illness, dangerous incident, property or plant damage
Who was involved, their role, and the task they were doing
What happened, the injury or damage, the treatment, and days lost
A risk rating (e.g. consequence × likelihood) so the serious ones stand out
Whether it was notifiable, and the date and reference when you notified the regulator
Root cause and who investigated
The corrective actions, with an owner, a due date and proof they were done and worked

In Queensland, WorkSafe Queensland lists keeping an injury register among employer obligations, so record every injury, even minor ones. Workers' compensation has its own reporting rules (e.g. Queensland's WCR Act s133). A register helps, but it doesn't replace a claim report.

Which incidents are notifiable

Under the model WHS Act, a notifiable incident arising from the business is one of the following:

the death of a person
a serious injury or illness. Safe Work Australia's handbook lists immediate treatment as a hospital in-patient, and immediate treatment for things like amputation, serious head injury, serious eye injury, serious burns, serious lacerations, degloving or scalping, spinal injury, loss of a bodily function, serious crush injuries and some fractures. Medical treatment within 48 hours of exposure to a substance is also on the list.
a dangerous incident, even if nobody was hurt. Examples relevant to fab shops are an uncontrolled escape of gas or a pressurised substance, an uncontrolled fire or explosion, an electric shock, something falling from height, and the collapse, overturn or failure of plant that has to be authorised (e.g. some cranes).

You must notify your regulator immediately after becoming aware of it, by the fastest means (phone or online). In most cases you must also leave the site undisturbed until an inspector arrives or says otherwise, except to help the injured person or make the area safe.

Safe Work Australia's Dec 2025 handbook also covers newer model-law categories (for example a notifiable extended absence of 15+ consecutive days). These only apply where your state has adopted them, so check with your regulator. Victoria runs its own OHS Act with its own rules.

How long to keep records

WHS Act s38(7): keep a record of each notifiable incident for at least 5 years from the day you notified the regulator. Diarise a "keep until" date against each notifiable entry so nobody bins it early.

Near misses are the cheap lessons

A near miss isn't notifiable unless it's a dangerous incident, but it's the best free warning you'll get. Log it the same way as an injury: what happened, why it happened, and what you changed. If nothing needs changing (e.g. it was fixed on the spot), record that too, so the register shows you looked at it.

Corrective actions and the hierarchy of control

WHS Regulation 36 sets the order for controls:

Eliminate the risk.
If you can't, substitute, isolate or use engineering controls.
Then administrative controls.
PPE last.

Regulation 38 says you must review controls that don't work, including when a notifiable incident occurs because of the risk.

In practice:

Give every action an owner and a due date.
Only close an action when it's done and someone has checked it worked.
If every fix on your register is "toolbox talk" or "more PPE", look higher up the hierarchy: a guard, a lifting trolley, a flashback arrestor or a vice usually beats a reminder.

Practical checklist

Write your regulator's notification phone number and web form somewhere everyone can find it.
Log every event within a day, including near misses and hazard reports.
Ask "is this notifiable?" for anything with hospital treatment, a serious injury or a dangerous incident. If yes, notify immediately and record the date and reference.
Find the root cause within a week and raise corrective actions with owners and dates.
Review open and overdue actions at your monthly toolbox talk.
Store the register securely. It holds health information about your workers.

We're finishing a ready-made incident, near-miss and corrective action register spreadsheet (Excel and Google Sheets) for the template store. Until it's listed, the Toolbox Talk & Site Induction Pack below includes a hazard report form and WHS registers.

Sources

Related guides

General information only, summarised from the official sources above as at the review date. It isn't legal, tax, WHS or engineering advice. Rules change and your situation may differ, so check the source or ask a professional.