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Incident report types

Dangerous occurrence - An incident where no person is injured, but could have been injured, resulting in Serious Personal Injury (which requires a week or more away from work), Incapacity or Death. Also commonly called a “near miss”. Only dangerous occurrences that are required to be reported under the WHS legislation covering notifiable incidents in the jurisdiction the project is being undertaken are required to be reported to the OFSC.

MTI (Medically treated injury) - A work-related occurrence that results in treatment by, or under the order of, a qualified medical practitioner (see below), or any injury that could be considered as being one that would normally be treated by a medical practitioner but does not result in the loss of a full day/shift. This may include Alternate Work Injuries (AWIs) if that is your company’s internal reporting practice. Do not report first aid treated injuries in this category.

An injury includes physical injuries as well as instances such as where a worker experiences psychological stress due to witnessing a traumatic event or being a victim of bullying, or if they required medical attention due to migraines caused by exposure to chemicals or gas. A qualified medical practitioner is defined as a person with a medical degree. The following would normally be considered medical treatment:

• Treatment of partial or full thickness burns
• Insertion of sutures
• Removal of foreign bodies embedded in eye
• Removal of foreign bodies from a wound if the procedure is complicated by the depth of embedment, size or location
• Surgical debridement
• Admission to a hospital or equivalent for treatment or observation
• Application of antiseptics during second or subsequent visits to medical personnel
• Any work injury that results in a loss of consciousness
• Treatment of infection
• Use of prescription medications (except a single dose administered on the first visit for minor injury or discomfort)
• Treatment (diagnosis and evaluation) by a Psychiatrist for mental illness or stress as a result of a workplace occurrence.

The following on their own would not normally be considered medical treatment:

• Administration of tetanus shots or boosters
• Physiotherapy
• Diagnostic procedures such as X-rays or laboratory analysis, unless they lead to further treatment
• Referral to/treatment by a Psychiatrist where the diagnosis is not a result of a workplace occurrence.

LTI (Lost time injury) - A work-related occurrence that results in a permanent disability or injury resulting in time lost from work of one day/shift or more. Permanent disability is as defined in the legislation of the jurisdiction in which the project is being undertaken.

An injury includes physical injuries (i.e cuts, burns, fractures etc) as well as instances such as where a worker experiences psychological stress due to witnessing a traumatic event or being a victim of bullying (and may require time off work as a result), or or if they required medical attention due to migraines caused by exposure to chemicals or gas.

The OFSC strongly encourages accredited contractors to report Alternate Work Injuries (AWIs), however the reporting of these injuries is optional. The definition of an AWI for OFSC purposes includes incidents where the injured worker has a gradual return to their normal duties (ie works less than their normal hours), or returns to work to perform a different role. For example, a worker returns to work to perform administration duties where the usual duties involve intensive labour or operation of mobile plant. This may also include workers sent to unscheduled training due to their incapacity to perform normal duties.

Fatality - A work-related occurrence that results directly or indirectly in the death of a person (including deaths due to natural causes which occur on the project site).

Breakdown agency

The break down agency of incident is intended to identify the object, substance or circumstance that was principally involved in, or more closely associated with, the point at which things started to go wrong and which ultimately led to the most serious injury or disease.

1. Machinery and fixed plant includes: Cutting, slicing, sawing machinery, crushing, pressing, rolling machinery, heating, cooking, baking equipment, cooling, refrigeration plant and equipment, conveyors and lifting plant, electrical installation, radiation-based equipment, filling and bottling/packaging plant, other plant and machinery.
2. Mobile plant and transport includes: Self-propelled plant, semi-portable plant, other mobile plant, road transport, rail transport, air transport, water transport, other transport.
3. Powered equipment, tools and appliances includes: Workshop and worksite tools and equipment, kitchen and domestic equipment, office and electronic equipment, garden and outdoor powered equipment, Pressure-based equipment not covered elsewhere, other powered equipment, tools and appliances.
4. Non-powered hand tools, appliances and equipment includes: Hand tools, non-powered, edged, other hand tools, fastening, packing and packaging equipment, furniture and fittings, other utensils, ladders, mobile ramps and stairways, and scaffolding, other non-powered equipment.
5. Chemicals and chemical products includes: Nominated chemicals, other basic chemicals, chemical products.
6. Material and substances includes: Non-metallic minerals and substances, other materials, objects or substances.
7. Environmental agencies includes: Outdoor, indoor and underground environments.
8. Animal, human and biological agencies includes: Live four-legged animals, other live animals, non-living animals, human agencies, biological agencies.
9. Other and unspecified agencies includes: Non-physical and other and unspecified agencies

These categories are based on the break down agency of incident classifications listed in the Type of Occurrence Classification System, Version 3.1 (TOOCS3.1). See this document at www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au Opens in a new window for more detailed information)

Nature of injury

When completing an incident report select one option only from the list which best identifies the most serious injury (or disease) that was experienced by the injured worker as a result of the incident. Below are the kinds of injuries captured by each of the nature of injury categories:

1. Intracranial injuries: Brain injury, other intracranial injury, not elsewhere classified or unspecified.
2. Fractures: Fractured skull and facial bones, fracture of vertebral column without mention of spinal cord lesion, other fractures, not elsewhere classified or unspecified.
3. Wounds, lacerations, amputations and internal organ damage: Internal injury of chest, abdomen and pelvis, traumatic amputation, injury to major blood vessel, laceration or open wound not involving traumatic amputation, medical sharp/needle-stick puncture, superficial injury, contusion, bruising and superficial crushing.
4. Burns: Electrical burn, chemical burn, cold burn, hot burn, friction burn, combination burn or burn not elsewhere classified or unspecified.
5. Injury to nerves and spinal cord: Quadriplegia involving spinal cord injury, paraplegia involving spinal cord injury, injuries to nerves and spinal cord, not elsewhere classified or unspecified.
6. Traumatic joint / ligament and muscle / tendon injury: Trauma to joints and ligaments, trauma to muscles and tendons, residual soft tissue disorders due to trauma or unknown mechanisms.
7. Other injuries: Foreign body on external eye, in ear or nose or in respiratory, digestive or reproductive tract, poisoning and toxic effects of substances, audio shock, audio shriek, electrocution, shock from electric current, traumatic deafness from air pressure or explosion, heat stress/heat stroke, hypothermia and effects of reduced temperature, effects of weather, exposure, air pressure and other external causes, not elsewhere classified, multiple injuries, other specified injuries, not elsewhere classified, or unspecified.
8. Diseases and conditions: Musculoskeletal and connective tissue diseases, mental diseases, digestive system diseases, skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases, nervous system and sense organ diseases.
9. Respiratory system diseases, circulatory system diseases, infectious and parasitic diseases, neoplasms (Cancer), other diseases, other claims.

These categories are based on the nature of injury classifications listed in the Type of Occurrence Classification System, Version 3.1 (TOOCS3.1). See this document at www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au Opens in a new windowfor more detailed information.

Location of injury

When completing an incident report, select one option only from the list which identifies the part of the body affected by the most serious injury. See the Question Mark Help (?) next to this field for further information. Select one option only from the list which identifies the part of the body affected by the most serious injury.

The parts of the body covered by each of the groups are listed below.

1. Head: Cranium, eye, ear, mouth, nose, face - not elsewhere classified, head - multiple or unspecified locations.
2. Neck: Neck.
3. Trunk: Back - upper or lower, chest (thorax), abdomen and pelvic region, trunk - multiple locations/unspecified locations.
4. Upper limbs: Shoulder, upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, hand, fingers and thumb, upper limb - multiple or unspecified locations.
5. Lower limbs: Hip, upper leg, knee, lower leg, ankle, foot and toes, lower limb - multiple or unspecified locations.
6. Multiple locations: Neck and trunk, head and neck, head and other, trunk and limbs, upper and lower limbs, neck and shoulder, other specified multiple locations, unspecified multiple locations.
7. Systemic location: Circulatory system, respiratory system, digestive system, genitourinary system, nervous system, other and multiple systemic conditions, unspecified systemic conditions.
8. Non physical locations: Psychological system.
9. Unspecified locations: Unspecified locations.

These categories are based on the location of injury classifications listed in the Type of Occurrence Classification System, Version 3.1 (TOOCS3.1). See this document at www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au Opens in a new window for more detailed information.

Mechanism of injury

When completing an incident report, the mechanism of injury is the action, exposure or event which was the direct cause of the injury (i.e. ‘how’ the person was hurt). Select one option from the list. The following list of standard categories is to be used when completing this item. Entry is only required at group level but sub-groups are provided below to assist with selection of the appropriate group.

• Group 0 -FALLS, TRIPS AND SLIPS OF A PERSON
  1. Falls from a height
  2. Falls on the same level
  3. Stepping, kneeling or sitting on objects
• Group 1-HITTING OBJECTS WITH A PART OF THE BODY
  11. Hitting stationary objects
  12. Hitting moving objects
  13. Rubbing and chafing
• Group 2-BEING HIT BY MOVING OBJECTS
  21. Being hit by falling objects
  22. Being bitten by an animal
  23. Being hit by an animal
  24. Being hit by a person accidentally
  25. Being trapped by moving machinery or equipment
  26. Being trapped between stationary and moving objects
  27. Exposure to mechanical vibration
  28. Being hit by moving objects
  29. Being assaulted by a person or persons
• Group 3-SOUND AND PRESSURE
  31. Exposure to single, sudden sound
  32. Long-term exposure to sounds
  38. Explosion
  39. Other variations in pressure
• Group 4-BODY STRESSING
  41. Muscular stress while lifting, carrying, or putting down objects
  42. Muscular stress while handling objects other than lifting, carrying or putting down
  43. Muscular stress with no objects being handled
  44. Repetitive movement, low muscle loading
• Group 5-HEAT, ELECTRICITY AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
  51. Contact with hot objects
  52. Contact with cold objects
  53. Exposure to environmental heat
  54. Exposure to environmental cold
  55. Exposure to non-ionising radiation
  56. Exposure to ionising radiation
  57. Contact with electricity
  58. Drowning/immersion
  59. Exposure to other environmental factors
• Group 6-CHEMICALS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
  61. Single contact with chemical or substance
  62. Long term contact with chemicals or substances
  63. Insect and spider bites and stings
  64. Contact with poisonous parts of plant or marine life
  69. Other and unspecified contact with chemical or substance
• Group 7-BIOLOGICAL FACTORS
  71. Contact with, or exposure to, biological factors of non-human origin
  72. Contact with, or exposure to, biological factors of human origin
  79. Contracts with, or exposure to, biological factors of unknown origin.
• Group 8-MENTAL STRESS
  81. Exposure to a traumatic event
  82. Exposure to workplace or occupational violence
  84. Work pressure
  85. Suicide or attempted suicide
  86. Other mental stress factors
  87. Work related harassment and/or workplace bullying
  88. Other harassment
• Group 9-VECHICLE INCIDENTS AND OTHER
  91. Slide or cave-in
  92. Vehicle incident
  93. Rollover
  98. Other and multiple mechanisms of incident
  99. Unspecified mechanisms of incident

These categories are based on the 10 major mechanism of incident classification groups listed in the Type of Occurrence Classification System, Version 3.1 (TOOCS3.1). See this document at www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au Opens in a new windowfor more detailed information.