Quick answer: An incident register is a centralised record of all workplace incidents — injuries, near misses, property damage, and illness — that have occurred in your business. It captures key details about each event so you can identify patterns, meet record-keeping obligations, and demonstrate that incidents are being managed systematically.
Last reviewed: June 2026 by the BlueSafe Technical Team. Reflects current Model WHS framework.
If you manage a workplace in Australia, there is a reasonable chance you already create incident reports when something goes wrong. But do you have a register that brings all of those incidents together in one place?
An incident register is one of the most practical WHS documents a business can maintain. It does not need to be complicated — a well-structured spreadsheet or the register function in your WHS software is enough. What matters is that it is kept consistently, reviewed regularly, and used to drive improvements.
This guide explains what an incident register is, what it should contain, who needs one, and how it fits into your broader WHS obligations under Australian law.
What is an incident register?
An incident register is a master record of all workplace incidents that have occurred in your business. Each row represents a single event — a workplace injury, a near miss, an illness, property damage, or any other unplanned event that had the potential to cause harm.
The register is a management tool. Its purpose is to give you a complete, searchable history of incidents so you can:
- Identify recurring hazards or trends before they cause serious harm
- Confirm that corrective actions have been completed
- Provide evidence to regulators, insurers, and auditors that incidents are being tracked and acted on
- Meet record-keeping obligations under WHS legislation
An incident register is not the same as an incident report. The register is the index — a summary row for each event. The incident report is the full investigation document for a specific event. Both should be maintained.
What does an incident register record?
A well-structured incident register captures the following information for every event:
- Date and time — when the incident occurred
- Location — the specific area, site, or address where it happened
- People involved — names and roles of injured persons, witnesses, and the person making the report
- Description of the incident — a brief, factual account of what happened
- Nature of injury or damage — the type and body part affected (for injuries) or the item and extent of damage (for property incidents)
- Immediate cause — the direct action or condition that led to the incident (e.g., worker slipped on wet floor)
- Root cause — the underlying system failure or contributing factor (e.g., no wet floor sign available, cleaning schedule not communicated)
- Corrective actions — what has been done or is planned to prevent recurrence, with a due date and responsible person
- Notifiable status — whether the incident is notifiable to the regulator under WHS legislation, and if so, the date notification was made and the reference number provided
Some businesses also include columns for lost time (days away from work), workers compensation claim reference, and investigation status.
The legal context: record-keeping and notifiable incidents
General record-keeping duty
Under the model Work Health and Safety Act 2011, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must manage risks to health and safety so far as is reasonably practicable. Systematic incident recording supports that duty — it shows that the PCBU is identifying hazards (through incidents and near misses) and acting on them.
There is no provision in the model WHS Act that prescribes a document called an "incident register" by name. However, regulators, auditors, and courts look to incident records as evidence that a PCBU has an active, functioning WHS system. Businesses with no incident records are often found to have inadequate WHS management overall.
Notifiable incidents
The legal stakes increase significantly for notifiable incidents. Under section 35 of the model WHS Act, a PCBU must notify the regulator immediately after becoming aware that a notifiable incident has occurred at a workplace.
Notifiable incidents include:
- The death of a person
- A serious injury or illness — including any injury requiring immediate treatment as an in-patient in a hospital, amputation, serious head or eye injury, serious burns, or spinal injury (see section 36 of the model WHS Act and Schedule 1 of the model WHS Regulations for the full list)
- A dangerous incident — an unplanned or uncontrolled event that exposes a worker or other person to a serious risk to their health or safety, even if no injury results (for example, an explosion, a structural collapse, a serious electrical incident, or a fall from height)
Once notified, the PCBU must preserve the incident site until an inspector arrives or directs otherwise, unless it is necessary to assist an injured person, make the site safe, or a direction has been given.
Record-keeping obligation: Under the model WHS Regulations, the PCBU must keep a record of each notifiable incident for at least five years from the date the regulator is notified. This record should capture all the details you would report to the regulator — what happened, when, where, who was involved, and what was done.
Your incident register is the natural home for this information. Make sure the notifiable status column and notification date are completed for every qualifying incident.
For a detailed guide on what must be reported and how, see our article on reporting notifiable incidents.
Who needs an incident register?
Any business that employs workers or engages contractors has workplace health and safety obligations and should maintain an incident register. There is no size threshold — a sole trader with one employee is a PCBU with WHS duties.
An incident register is particularly important if your business:
- Operates in a higher-risk industry such as construction, manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture, or transport
- Has workers performing physically demanding or hazardous tasks
- Is required to demonstrate WHS compliance for a tender, contract, or insurance renewal
- Has received a visit or improvement notice from a WHS regulator
- Is seeking or maintaining third-party WHS certification (such as ISO 45001 or SAI Global accreditation)
- Has experienced a notifiable incident and is required to keep records by regulation
Even very small, low-risk businesses benefit from a register. A simple spreadsheet with a row for each incident takes minutes to update and can make an enormous difference if you ever need to demonstrate your safety record to an insurer, a principal contractor, or a regulator.
Incident report vs incident register: the key difference
These two documents are related but distinct.
An incident report is a detailed account of a single event. It typically runs to one or more pages and includes the full narrative of what happened, witness statements, photographs, the investigation methodology, root cause analysis, and the corrective action plan. It is the primary investigation document for that specific incident.
An incident register is the summary log across all incidents. Each event gets a single row with the key data points. The register does not replace the incident report — it points to it.
The practical workflow is:
- An incident occurs.
- An incident report is completed by the relevant supervisor or safety officer.
- A summary row is added to the incident register, with a reference to the incident report.
- The register is reviewed regularly (monthly, quarterly, or at management meetings) to check corrective action status and identify patterns.
Sample register rows
The following example shows how two different incidents would appear in an incident register.
| Date | Time | Location | People Involved | Incident Type | Description | Injury / Damage | Immediate Cause | Root Cause | Corrective Actions | Due Date | Responsible Person | Notifiable? | Notification Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/06/2026 | 09:15 | Warehouse — Loading Dock B | J. Smith (worker), P. Lee (witness) | Injury | Worker slipped on wet floor while moving pallet | Sprained left wrist, attended GP | Wet floor from roof leak, no signage in place | Roof maintenance overdue, no wet floor sign kit in dock area | 1. Install wet floor signs at dock — COMPLETE. 2. Schedule roof repair — IN PROGRESS. 3. Add dock area to weekly inspection checklist | 30/06/2026 | Operations Manager | No | — |
| 10/06/2026 | 14:40 | Workshop — Grinding Station | T. Nguyen (worker) | Near Miss | Grinding disc shattered during use; fragment struck bench, no injury | Tool damage only — bench surface gouged | Disc used beyond rated RPM | No pre-use inspection checklist in place for angle grinders | 1. Inspect all grinding discs — COMPLETE. 2. Introduce pre-use checklist — IN PROGRESS. 3. Toolbox talk on disc inspection — SCHEDULED | 20/06/2026 | Workshop Supervisor | No — dangerous incident threshold not met | — |
Near misses should always be included. A near miss is a signal that a hazard exists — recording and acting on near misses is one of the most effective ways to prevent serious incidents.
How the incident register connects to your WHS system
Your incident register does not sit in isolation. It should connect to the rest of your WHS system in these ways:
- Hazard register — if an investigation identifies a new hazard, it goes into the hazard or risk register
- Safe work procedures — if a procedure contributed to an incident, it should be reviewed and updated
- Training records — if a knowledge gap contributed to an incident, refresher training should be documented
- Management review — incident trends should be reported at management meetings and used to drive continuous improvement
- Insurance — your insurer may ask for your incident register when renewing workers compensation or public liability policies
For more guidance on building an effective incident reporting process, see our article on incident reporting best practices.
Frequently asked questions
Is an incident register a legal requirement in Australia?
There is no single provision in the model WHS Act that uses the words "incident register." However, PCBUs have a duty to manage risks, which includes identifying and investigating incidents. The WHS Regulations require records of notifiable incidents to be kept for at least five years. Many industries, insurers, and principal contractors also require an incident register as a condition of engagement. Even where it is not explicitly mandated, maintaining one is considered best practice and demonstrates that a PCBU is meeting their duty of care.
What is the difference between an incident report and an incident register?
An incident report is the detailed document created for a single event — it captures what happened, who was involved, the investigation findings, and what corrective actions have been taken. An incident register is the master list of all incidents across your business. Think of the incident report as the full file for one case and the register as the index that links all cases together. Both documents should be maintained — the register gives you the overview, the report gives you the detail.
How long do I need to keep incident records?
Under the model WHS Regulations, records relating to notifiable incidents must be kept for at least five years from the date the regulator is notified. For other incident records, there is no single prescribed period, but five years is widely used as a practical standard. Some industries have longer retention obligations. Check any applicable enterprise agreements, industry codes, or contractual requirements that may set a longer minimum.
Who should have access to the incident register?
The incident register should be accessible to the PCBU, managers, supervisors, health and safety representatives (HSRs), and any workers who are involved in WHS management. Workers do not generally need access to every incident entry — particularly those involving sensitive health or personal information — but HSRs are entitled to access records relevant to their role under the model WHS Act. Keep personal details protected in line with applicable privacy obligations.
Ready to manage your incidents in one place?
BlueSafe Online gives you access to ready-to-use WHS document templates including incident registers, incident report forms, and corrective action trackers — designed for Australian small business and built to satisfy audit and regulatory requirements.
This guide provides general information only. WHS obligations vary depending on your jurisdiction, industry, and the nature of your work. It is not legal advice. Consult your state or territory WHS regulator or a qualified WHS professional for advice specific to your circumstances.