In BC, the law requires employers to investigate workplace incidents that cause injuries to workers or caused no injury but had the potential to cause serious injury. Requirements for incident investigation are laid out in Section 173 to 176 of the Workers Compensation Act. An employer must send a preliminary report within 48 hours and a full report within 30 days.

All of this can be done online now, which makes things much easier for employers, as you will see in this video (below). It shows how you can go to the WorkSafeBC website, download forms, and enter your final report online.

“We want employers to conduct a thorough incident investigation to identify the necessary corrective actions,” says Ray Roch, Director, Prevention Programs, Projects & Initiatives. “The WorkSafeBC template assists the employer in documenting that thorough investigation in a manner that meets regulatory reporting requirements.”

I hope you don’t have anything to report, but if you do, this is good to know.