Accident and incident reporting

How to report an accident

Where an employee has an accident at work, the employer is responsible for reporting the accident. The responsible person is normally the manager, as identified in the safety statement.

If the injured person is self-employed or a member of public, the accident is reported by the most senior person on duty in the place of work.

Accidents and incidents must be reported on the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and there may also be a further legislative requirement to report to the Health & Safety Authority.

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

All work-related accidents and incidents within a health and social care setting (including confirmed cases of COVID-19 when it has been acquired through an occupational (work) exposure only) are reported through the National Incident Management System (NIMS).

COVID-19 occupational (work) exposure

Contact the NIMS helpdesk

Email: nimshelpdesk@ntma.ie
Phone: 01 2384240

What to report to the Health & Safety Authority (HSA)

Workplace fatalities

COVID-19 occupational (work) exposure

General injuries involving employees

Road traffic and vehicle accidents involving employees

General injuries involving members of the public

Workplace fatalities

Workplace fatalities must be reported to the HSA. This must be done by a responsible person as shown in your safety statement.

You must give the HSA:

• name of the deceased
• location of the accident
• brief details of the accident

This should be done as quickly as possible by:

• LoCall 0818 289 389 (between 9:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday)
• sending a written report of the accident to the HSA, using the IR1 form online, within five working days of the death

The responsible person should ensure that no one disturbs the accident scene before:

• the scene has been examined by an inspector
• 3 clear days after notification of the accident

If an injured person dies within a year of an accident, the responsible person must notify the HSA. This must be done in writing as soon as possible after they have been told about the death. This must be done even if the accident had not before been notified to the HSA previously.

The Gardaí should be notified immediately of all workplace accidents resulting in death.

COVID-19 occupational (work) exposure

COVID-19 must be reported onto NIMS when it has been acquired through an occupational (work) exposure only, the same criteria used to report COVID-19 to the Health & Safety Authority.

There are 2 scenarios in which occupational exposure to biological agents can occur:

1. Occupational exposure to SARs-CoV-2 may result from carrying out work activities involving a deliberate intention to work with the virus, such as propagating the virus in a research laboratory.
2. Occupational exposure may also occur incidentally from specific work activities involving direct exposure to the virus, such as:
   • working directly with a COVID-19 patient
   • handling SARs-CoV-2 infected waste
   • conducting COVID-19 testing
   • carrying out diagnostic testing for COVID-19 in a laboratory

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

To report a COVID-19 incident onto NIMS using the National Incident Report Form (NIRF) 01 Person form:

1. Select 'Biological Hazards' as the Incident/Hazard Category.
2. Select 'Virus' as the Sub Hazard Type.
3. Specify COVID-19 in the free text field if known.
4. Select the appropriate Problem/Cause from available fields.

These steps ensure accurate reporting of COVID-19 incidents.

General injuries involving employees

Accidents must be reported to the HSA when a person injured at work cannot perform their normal work duties for 3 consecutive days after the accident. This does not include the day of the accident. Non-fatal accidents or dangerous occurrences should be formally reported within 10 working days of the event.

Road traffic and vehicle accidents involving employees

Accidents must be reported to the HSA when a person is injured while driving, or as a passenger, in the course of their work and they cannot do their normal work for more than 3 consecutive days after the accident. This does not include the day of the accident. Non-fatal accidents or dangerous occurrences should be formally reported within 10 working days of the event.

General injuries involving members of the public

Accidents must be reported to the HSA when they relate to a place of work or a work activity, and the person needs medical treatment.

Accidents relating to pre-existing medical conditions do not need to be reported.

How to report accidents to the Health & Safety Authority (HSA)

Submit an IR1 form to the HSA online or

Post the IR1 form to:

The Workplace Contact Unit
Health and Safety Authority
The Metropolitan Building
James Joyce Street
Dublin 1

How to report dangerous occurrences

Dangerous occurrences are reported using HSA's online reporting system

The list of dangerous occurrences is available in Appendix 1 of The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Reporting of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences) Regulations 2016)