The Federal Safety Commissioner (FSC) has announced changes to the incident reporting requirements for all builders accredited under the WHS Accreditation Scheme (the Scheme). The new reporting arrangements apply as a condition of accreditation for all companies accredited under the Scheme.

As of 1 August 2023, the timeframes for reporting on-site safety incidents to the OFSC will be simplified and in most cases extended. The new timeframes are available in the Formal Notification of Changes to WHS Accreditation Scheme Reporting Requirements.

These changes are designed to make the reporting of safety incidents to the OFSC easier.

Meeting the new reporting timeframes is mandatory as these arrangements are a condition of accreditation for all companies. However, no compliance action will be taken against companies that fail to meet the new requirements until September 2023. This gives accredited builders two months to make the required changes to their WHS reporting processes.

Commissioner David Denney has commented, “Access to timely and accurate WHS performance data is essential to our responsive approach to Scheme management. It allows the OFSC to update its operational arrangements to respond to hazards and issues of non-compliance in real time, all of which acts to save lives”.

If you have questions, feedback or wish to discuss Scheme reporting requirements, please email FSCReporting@dewr.gov.au or call 1800 652 500.

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