Notify of a serious injury, accidental explosion, accidental exposure or catastrophic event

As an employer, you have reporting responsibilities under both the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act and Workers’ Compensation (WC) Act when an accident, injury or illness happens in your workplace.

Occupational Health and Safety Act:

In the event of an accident, injury or illness at your jobsite, you must:

Provide or pay the cost of immediate transportation from the injury site to a medical treatment facility.
Notify WorkSafeNB IMMEDIATELY to report the following incidents:
- A loss of consciousness
- Amputations
- Fractures (other than fingers or toes)
- Burns requiring medical attention beyond first aid treatment
- Loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Deep lacerations requiring medical attention beyond first aid treatment
- Worker admission to a hospital as an in-patient
- Fatalities
- Any accidental explosion or exposure to a biological, chemical or physical agent, whether or not a person is injured
- Any catastrophic event or equipment failure that results, or could have resulted in an injury

Immediate notification can best be made by calling 1 800 999-9775, indicating: the location; name of person injured, if applicable; employer name; contact person; and, brief description of the incident. This notification form will give you an idea of the information you will be asked to provide.

Learn more about your reporting responsibilities under the OHS Act.

Workers' Compensation Act:

Under the WC Act, you must file an Employer Report of Injury or Illness within three days from the date of the accident/injury; date of the diagnoses of illness, or date your employee reported the injury or illness to you. This lets us know what occurred at the workplace, who’s affected, and the possibility of your employee accessing workers’ compensation benefits, such as wage replacement and medical treatment. You must file the Employer Report of Injury or Illness, whether you support the employee’s claim for benefits or not. You have an opportunity to state any objections in the report.

For occupational hearing loss claims, please complete the Employer Report of Occupational Hearing Loss form

Learn more about your reporting responsibilities under the WC Act.

WorkSafeNB has the right to gather evidence and investigate workplace accidents if deemed necessary to help adjudicate and manage a claim, or to detect possible cases of fraud. Health and safety officers may also visit the accident site to determine if the accident occurred as a result of a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Learn more:

WorkSafeNB Guide to OHS Legislation (website and app)