Incident and Injury Reporting and Investigation

Not all workplace incidents require reporting to WorkSafeBC. Employers must report incidents only if a work-related injury or disease required medical treatment beyond first aid or resulted in the worker missing work (see details in the section below). However, it is good practice to document all workplace incidents, including near-misses (i.e., incidents that did not result in injury but had the potential to cause one) and minor injuries that did not require medical treatment. These records support internal tracking and risk management. They also help management complete required forms if the incident becomes reportable. This Incident Report Form can assist with documentation.

Employers must report work-related injuries or occupational illnesses reported by workers when:

• The worker required medical treatment (e.g., physician, chiropractor, dentist, naturopathic physician, nurse practitioner, or podiatrist) for the injury or illness beyond first aid.
• The worker missed time from work after the day of the injury itself.

The employer must report the incident to WorkSafeBC within three (3) days of receiving the information from the worker, even if they disagree with the worker’s report.

Employers must immediately report serious incidents and fatalities by calling the Prevention Information Line at 1-888-621-7233 (24/7). This includes:

• Serious injury to or death of a worker.
• Major structural failure or collapse of a building, bridge, tower, crane, hoist, temporary construction support system, or excavation.
• Major release of a hazardous substance.
• Fire or explosion that had a potential for causing serious injury to a worker.
• Blasting incident causing personal injury.
• Dangerous incident involving explosives, whether or not there is personal injury.

The employer should preferably report to WorkSafeBC using the online tool, but they can also submit the report by mail or fax.

If reporting online, they can use this link: Employers – WorkSafeBC Online Reporting Tool

If reporting by mail or fax, they should complete this form: Employer’s Report of Injury or Occupational Disease (form 7) pdf

• Mail: WorkSafeBC, PO Box 4700 Stn Terminal, Vancouver BC V6B 1J1
• Fax: 604-233-9777

If the worker wants to request compensation, they should also report their injury directly to WorkSafeBC. They can do so online, by phone at 604-231-8888, by fax or mail, using this form: Employee’s Application for Compensation and Report of Injury or Occupational Disease (form 6) pdf

Employers are legally responsible for conducting investigations related to any of the above reportable incidents that happen in their workplaces and submitting employer incident investigation reports to WorkSafeBC.

The investigation must be conducted by someone knowledgeable about the type of work involved, and include the participation of both employer and worker representatives.

After an incident, the employer must immediately undertake a preliminary investigation to identify any unsafe conditions, acts, or procedures that significantly contributed to it. The employer must prepare a preliminary investigation report within 48 hours of the incident, which should be submitted to WorkSafeBC only if requested.

Following the preliminary investigation, the employer must conduct a full investigation to determine the causes of the incident.

A report of the full investigation must be prepared and submitted to WorkSafeBC within 30 days of the incident.

Following both preliminary and full investigations, the employer must promptly take any necessary corrective action to prevent similar incidents.

Investigation and corrective action reports should be provided to the joint occupational health and safety committee or worker representative, if one exists. If not, the reports must be posted in a visible area of the workplace.

If a clinic staff member experiences a needlestick injury, the following procedure must be followed:

1. Immediate first aid must be administered.
2. A risk assessment conducted within two hours by a qualified health care professional, such as a hospital emergency department staff.
3. Document the first aid provided using the First Aid Record form. 
4. Report the injury to WorkSafeBC within three days (preferably online, though mail, fax, or phone are also accepted).
5. Investigate the injury and submit the Investigation Report Form to WorkSafeBC through their online system within 30 days.

The video below illustrates the occupational health and safety procedures to follow in the event of a needlestick injury: