Reporting of Incidents and Legislative Requirements

Incidents involving workplace violence and aggression, where an employee is injured and cannot perform their normal work duties for three consecutive days excluding the day of the accident, are required by legislation to be reported to the HSA. 

The Safety Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 and the Safety Health and Welfare (General Application) Regulations 2007 require employers to ensure the safety health and welfare of their employees. This includes the reporting of all workplace accidents resulting in fatal and non-fatal injuries. Accidents involving work-related violence and aggression are required by legislation to be reported to the HSA by all employers. Please refer to our Guidance on the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Reporting of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences) Regulations 2016.

How to report

Accidents can be reported to the Health and Safety Authority in two ways, namely by hard copy, i.e. completing the Incident Report Form (IR1) and posting it to the HSA Contact Centre, Health and Safety Authority, The Metropolitan Building , James Joyce Street, Dublin 1, or reporting online.

A system of internal reporting of all accidents (which includes ill health cases) and incidents of non-compliance with the safety and health management system should be set up so that the experience gained may be used to improve the management system. The organisation should encourage an open and positive approach to reporting and follow-up and should also put in place a system of ensuring that reporting requirements are met.

The organisation should establish procedures for investigating accidents and incidents to identify their causes, including possible deficiencies in the safety and health management system. Those responsible for investigating accidents, and incidents should be identified and the investigation should include plans for corrective action, which incorporate measures for:

• restoring compliance as quickly as possible
• preventing recurrence
• evaluating and mitigating any adverse safety and health effects
• reviewing the Risk Assessments to which the accident relates
• assessing the effects of the proposed remedial measures

As good practice, every employer should keep a record of all V&A related incidents experienced by employees.  Guidance on recording incidents can be found in Appendix D of the Authority's Guidance Workplace Safety and Health Management.