Making a claim

Worker obligations when notifying an injury

A worker must notify their employer of an injury as soon as possible after it happens, unless special circumstances apply.

A worker can notify their employer verbally or in writing, and must include:

• the name and address of the person injured
• the cause of the injury, and
• the date the injury happened.

If the workplace has a register of injuries (either physical or electronic), the entry of injury into the register satisfies the requirement to give notice to the employer.

The worker (or their representative) should ask the employer for the name of their insurer. The employer must provide this information to the worker. If they do not or cannot give a name, the worker can contact the Independent Review Office (IRO) on 13 94 76 for help.

Complaints about an employer can be made to SIRA on 13 10 50 or by email.

Employer obligations when notifying an injury

When employers become aware of a work-related injury, they must ensure their insurer is notified within 48 hours. This notification can also be made by:

• the worker, or
• a representative of either the worker or the employer (such as a doctor or union representative).

Notifications can be written (including by email) or verbal (including by phone). This notification to the insurer is called the ‘initial notification’.

Initial notification of injury

An ‘initial notification of injury’ is the first notice an insurer receives regarding an injury to a worker.

Notification requirements are provided in Table 1.1 of the Workers compensation guidelines (the Guidelines), as shown below:

Insurers must begin weekly payments to entitled workers within seven days of receiving notification of an injury, unless a reasonable excuse applies (see 'Delaying provisional payments').