First Aid Incident Reporting QLD: What Workplaces Should Record After an Injury (2026)

After a workplace injury or medical incident, the first priority is care. Once the person is safe and emergency services have been called if required, the workplace should record what happened. A clear incident report helps the business understand the event, review hazards, restock first aid supplies, support the worker, and improve controls.

Incident Reporting Is Not About Blame

Good reporting is factual. It records what happened, what was observed, what first aid was provided, and what actions followed. It should not guess at a diagnosis, blame a worker, or turn into a long opinion piece. The report should help the workplace learn from the incident.

What to Include

Section	Details
Date and time	When the incident happened and when it was reported
Location	Exact area, such as kitchen, warehouse bay, playground, reception, or vehicle
Person involved	Name, role, and contact details if appropriate
Description	Plain factual account of what happened
Injury or symptoms	Observed injury or reported symptoms without unsupported diagnosis
First aid provided	Actions taken, by whom, and approximately when
Escalation	000 call, ambulance attendance, supervisor notification, or medical referral
Witnesses	Names and contact details if relevant
Follow-up	Hazard controls, restocking, maintenance, retraining, or further investigation

Use Factual Language

Write what was seen, heard, reported, and done. For example, write “worker reported chest tightness and shortness of breath” rather than “worker had a heart attack” unless a qualified medical professional has confirmed that diagnosis. Write “cold running water applied to burn for 20 minutes” rather than “burn treated properly”.

When to Call 000

Call 000 for serious or uncertain situations, including suspected cardiac arrest, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding, anaphylaxis, unconsciousness, suspected stroke, severe burns, major trauma, seizure concerns, chest pain, or any situation where the first aider is unsure. Reporting should never delay emergency care.

What Happens After the Report?

The report should lead to action where needed. That might mean restocking gloves and dressings, reviewing a slip hazard, replacing damaged equipment, refreshing staff training, updating a procedure, or checking whether more first aiders are needed on a shift. A report that is filed and ignored has limited value.

Privacy and Access

Incident reports may contain health information. Store them securely and limit access to people who need the information for WHS, HR, insurance, return-to-work, or management purposes. Do not share medical details widely through group chats or casual emails.

Common Mistakes

Late reporting: details are forgotten or become unclear.
Opinions instead of facts: the report becomes harder to rely on.
No first aid details: the business cannot review whether the response worked.
No follow-up actions: the same hazard remains in place.
Missing restock step: the kit is not ready for the next incident.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should minor injuries be recorded?

Usually yes. Minor injury records help identify repeated hazards and show that first aid supplies and trained staff are being used appropriately.

Who should complete the report?

Often the supervisor, manager, WHS representative, or first aider involved. The person completing it should record facts promptly and accurately.

Does this replace legal notification requirements?

No. Serious incidents may have separate notification requirements. Workplaces should follow WorkSafe Queensland guidance and their internal WHS procedures.

Sources

Training and assessment delivered on behalf of Allens Training Pty Ltd RTO 90909.