As an employer, you have reporting responsibilities under both the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act and the 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 job site, 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
The employer shall also notify immediately the committee or the health and safety representative (if any) of the injury.
Other incidents may require immediate notification to WorkSafeNB whether or not there is an injury, here is the list:
- Accidental explosion
- Reporting is not required for controlled explosions as they are not accidental (i.e. fireworks, blasting operations, etc.) or for explosions that occurred in a structure designed to withstand the explosions (i.e. car shredder)
- Accidental exposure to biological agents
- Common agents like the cold and influenza don’t need to be reported. Virulent and rare biological agents will have to be reported i.e., Ebola, and anthrax exposure.
- Accidental exposure to chemical agents
- Any exposure to a chemical agent at a level of concentration that constitutes a hazard to the health of the exposed employee and, if an occupational exposure limit exists in respect to the chemical agent, any exposure above the occupational exposure limits, or an accidental exposure to a chemical agent where the exposure concentration is unknown. Reporting is not necessary if the exposure was anticipated, and workplace control measures were in place and were adequate to protect all workers.
- Accidental exposure of a chemical agent to the eyes or skin resulting in the need for medical attention beyond first aid, and skin/eye exposure to a substance that can be absorbed through the skin to cause systemic effects (e.g. substances with ‘Skin” notation in the ACGIH publication “2016 Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices”).
- Accidental exposure to physical agents
- Reporting includes heat and cold stress symptoms requiring medical attention beyond first aid (e.g. heat stroke, frostbite), decompression sickness in divers, etc.
- Catastrophic event
- Reporting includes underground and above-ground utility strikes, temporary construction support system collapse, a major release of a hazardous substance, fire with a potential of injuries to workers, etc.
- Catastrophic equipment failure
- Reporting includes crane collapse, failure of a fall protection system, vehicle hoist failures, etc.
Immediate notification can be made by calling 1 800 999-9775, indicating: the location; the name of the person injured, if applicable; employer name; contact person; and a brief description of the incident. This notification form will give you an idea of the information you will be asked to provide.
Unless instructed by a health and safety officer, ensure the scene is not disturbed except if it is necessary to:
- Attend to a person injured or killed
- Prevent further injuries
- Protect property damage
Learn more about your reporting responsibilities under the OHS Act.
Failure to immediately notify WorkSafeNB may lead to prosecution. Our investigation team may visit the accident site to determine the cause and if the accident occurred as a result of a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety 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; the date of the diagnosis of illness, or the 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.
Employers, for more information: WorkSafeNB | Employee hurt at work? Here’s what you need to do.
Workers, for more information: WorkSafeNB | Hurt at work? Start the claim process.
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.
Learn more:
