Workplace Investigations

A Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workers are safe from injury and risks while at work and this requires safe systems of work to be in place.

When an incident does occur in the workplace, an investigation should be undertaken at an appropriate point (after the injured person has received first aid or medical treatment) to understand why the incident occurred.

One of the investigation outcomes is to determine if there should be any changes made to how equipment is used or the processes and policies that people follow to avoid a future incident occurring. These activities also support the achievement of a safe workplace.

Notifications of workplace incidents

PCBUs must notify SafeWork within their state or territory of serious injuries and illnesses as well as dangerous incidents.

Our experienced consultants can help provide you with guidance on how to conduct a workplace investigation, which can include interviews with personnel to determine:

• details of the events leading up to the incident;
• the incident itself;
• what happened after the incident; and
• interviews of key personnel.

We can prepare a detailed report of the incident and also help to assess the factors that may have led to the incident, providing the PCBU with a clear understanding of future steps.