Report a Safety Matter
QBCC licensees have legislated obligations under the QBCC Act to report safety matters. The information below outlines what is considered a safety matter, how it must be reported, and who it must be reported to.
What is Safety Matter under the QBCC Act?
As per s54A of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act a ‘Safety Matter’ is defined as:
- A notifiable incident that has occurred on a building site under the licensee’s control or on which the licensee is carrying out building work;
- A person carrying out building or other work on a building site under the licensee’s control, or on which the licensee is carrying out building work, has contravened or is contravening—
- A notice or injunction under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, part 10; or
- A notice or injunction under the Electrical Safety Act 2002, part 11A.
What is a notifiable incident?
A notifiable incident is either:
- when someone dies or suffers serious illness or injury
- an incident that exposes a person to a risk of serious injury or illness.
A serious injury or illness requires the person to have either:
- immediate treatment as an inpatient in a hospital
- immediate treatment for the amputation of a body part, serious head injury, serious eye injury, serious burns, separation of skin from underlying tissue, spinal injury, loss of a bodily function, or serious lacerations
- medical treatment within 48 hours of exposure to a substance.
Who must report a notifiable incident?
A QBCC licensee who is in control of, or carrying out building work on a building site, must notify WHSQ if a notifiable incident occurs on the site.
If the QBCC licensee on site is a company, an officeholder or senior employee must notify the WHS on the company's behalf.
How to report a notifiable incident
Licensees must notify WHSQ in the fastest way possible. This means taking action as soon as you see or hear about a safety incident,
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You will need some important information before you contact us, including:
- the time and date of the incident
- the address of the incident
- who is the QBCC licensee in control of the site
- who was injured or breached the notice or injunction from Workplace Health and Safety Queensland or the Electrical Safety Office
- was medical assistance required
- why the incident occured
- which other agencies (if any) have you notified of the incident.
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Notify WHSQ online.
Unsure if a notifiable incident needs reporting?
If you’re unsure, please contact the QBCC to discuss your concerns.
Give us a call on 139 333 straight away. We can let you know and help you lodge a notification if required.
Who must report a contravention of a notice or injunction and how?
A QBCC licensee who is in control of, or carrying out building work on a building site, must notify QBCC if:
- a person on any site where they are carrying out building work fails to comply with a notice or injunction issued under either the:
- Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Part 10)
- Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Part 11A).
It's an offence not to notify the relevant agency of a safety matter
Safety is a serious matter. It is an offence under s54A of the Queensland Building and Construction Commission Act for a licensee not to notify WHSQ of a notfiable incident in the fastest way possible.
If you don't notify WHSQ of a notifiable incident under s.54A(1)(a), you may be prosecuted.
If you don't notify the QBCC of a failure to comply with a notice or injunction issued under either the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Part 10) or Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Part 11A) under s.54A(1)(b), you may also be prosecuted.
Report to other regulators
You may also have to report the matter to other relevant regulators such as:
You should contact their office directly for more information about when you need to report to other regulators.
Notifiable incidents involving non-conforming building products
If a notifiable incident involves a non-conforming building product, you will still need to report the incident itself to WHSQ as above.
You are also required to report a notifiable incident involving a non-conforming building product (NCBP) to the QBCC.
Learn more about reporting an NCBP, or reporting a notifiable incident involving an NCBP to the QBCC please visit: