Procedure for Reporting Injuries

Section 14.4 of the OHS Act describes the responsibility of employees and employers in reporting injuries on duty. In Section 14.1 the Act dictates that every employee shall at work ‘take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions. In Section 14.4, the Act states that ‘employees shall report any unsafe or unhealthy situation as soon as practicable to the employer or a health and safety representative, who shall then report it to the employer’. And Section 14.5 adds that an employee should ‘report any incident which may affect his health or has caused an injury to himself, to his employer or the health and safety representative'. Reporting is therefore not on discretion but required by law.

The COID Act (Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act 130 of 1993) on the other hand, governs issues related to injuries on duty and occupational diseases. This Act entails the reporting, investigation recording, claiming and all procedures and documentation that needs to be submitted before payment is made. Being compliant with the requirements of the COID Act is mandatory.

All employers should ensure that the procedure for reporting injuries on duty is clear to all employees. Putting up posters or training employees on the procedure is required.

An example of such a procedure can be seen in the graph below.