WorkSafeBC issues Occupational Health and Safety Guidelines to assist in applying, interpreting and complying with sections of the Workers Compensation Act (the “Act”) [1] and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. [2]
This past month, WorkSafeBC issued a revised version of Guideline G-P2-68-1 “Accidents and incidents requiring immediate notification to WorkSafeBC”, which applies to section 68(1) of the Act (the “Guideline”). Section 68(1) requires employers to immediately notify WorkSafeBC of the occurrence of injuries falling within certain categories. Specifically, the provision states:
68(1) An employer must immediately notify the Board of the occurrence of any accident that
(a) resulted in serious injury to or the death of a worker,
(b) involved a major structural failure or collapse of a building, bridge, tower, crane, hoist, temporary construction support system or excavation,
(c) involved the major release of a hazardous substance,
(d) involved a fire or explosion that had a potential for causing serious injury to a worker, or
(e) was an incident required by regulation to be reported.
Failure to immediately notify WorkSafeBC of an accident or other incident required to be reported under section 68 of the Act, as soon as practicable, may constitute a violation of the Act and result in enforcement action, including an administrative penalty.
To ensure compliance with the Act in the event an injury occurs, it is important that employers are aware of notable revisions to the Guideline that inform when an employer is required to immediately notify WorkSafeBC under section 68(1).
In this regard, material changes to the Guideline have been made to who is required to notify WorkSafeBC of a reportable incident, as well as to the identification of reportable accidents pursuant to subsections (a), (b), and (c) of section 68(1).
Who must immediately notify WorkSafeBC
As noted above, the Act imposes on employers a responsibility to immediately report accidents identified under section 68(1). The Guideline has clarified that where multiple employers are present at a workplace where a reportable accident or incident has occurred, each employer can have a responsibility to ensure reporting. Therefore, the Guideline recommends employers on multi-employer worksites clearly determine which employer(s) will fulfill this reporting obligation.
Accidents that result in a “serious injury” to a worker
Material changes to the Guideline in respect of identifying a “serious injury” for the purpose of subsection 68(1)(a) include adding or clarifying that:
- Generally, if the accident or incident results in a call to emergency services (i.e. 911), an employer should report the event to WorkSafeBC; however, “calling emergency services alone does not automatically trigger the reporting requirements”.
- The mechanism of an accident may indicate that a worker has sustained a serious injury, even where symptoms are not yet evidenced or there are no obvious external signs. The Guideline lists significant blunt force trauma, electrical contact, physical assault, or certain chemical exposures as examples of mechanisms that “present a high likelihood of serious injury” and support a requirement to notify WorkSafeBC.
- Where an injury is not reasonably assessed as being “serious” at the time of the accident but is later diagnosed as meeting one or more indicators of seriousness, the employer must notify WorkSafeBC as soon as this diagnosis becomes known.
- The fact that a worker is transported to hospital, undergoes diagnostic testing, or receives medical treatment as a precaution does not, by itself, mean that the accident must be immediately reported.
Accidents involving a major structural failure or collapse
A material change to the Guideline in respect of section 68(1) includes the addition of a section addressed at identifying “accidents involving a major structural failure or collapse” falling within subsection (b). Notably, this section of the Guideline provides, among other things, that:
- In assessing whether a failure or collapse is “major”, employers should consider the nature and extent of the damage, including whether the event created, or could reasonably have created, a risk to workers.
- Indicators of a major structural failure may include observations that a building, bridge or tower:
(a) is out of plumb;
(b) has significant visible damage or deflection to one or more of its major structural elements (roof, floor, slabs, joists, beams, trusses, columns, walls, or braces); or
(c) has experienced a partial collapse.
- Structural failure of cranes or hoists requiring immediate reporting may be indicated by visible distortion of jib, mast, boom, climbing pins, frames, or other critical structural elements, or associated with events such as shock loading, loss of load, brake failure, or tip-over incidents.
- Where a temporary construction support system like concrete formwork or scaffolding experiences an unplanned failure that results, or could have reasonably resulted, in the system no longer performing its load-bearing or protective functions, the employer must immediately report to WorkSafeBC, even if no workers are injured.
Accidents involving a fire or explosion with potential for causing serious injury to a worker
A material change to the Guideline in respect of section 68(1) includes the addition of a section addressed at identifying “fires and explosions with potential for causing serious injury to a worker” falling within subsection (c). Notably, this section of the Guideline provides that:
- Not every fire and explosion has potential for causing serious injury to workers.
- The “potential for causing serious injury” should be assessed based on the actual circumstances of the accident, rather than on hypothetical consequences that could have occurred had the fire not been controlled.
- Factors to consider when determining if a fire or explosion must be immediately reported include:
(a) the employer’s preparedness to respond to the fire;
(b) the potential proximity of workers (of any employer) to the fire or explosion;
(c) the size of the fire or explosion and available fuel sources; and
(d) whether the fire resulted in a situation of continuing danger.
- Fires occurring in equipment or systems that pose a high risk of deflagration or explosion (such as dust collectors) are generally reportable.
Next Steps for Employers
The Guideline, dated “Revised September 17, 2026” is operational; however, for a 60-day preliminary period WorkSafeBC will be accepting comments and suggestions from employers and other stakeholders on its content to inform further the potential for further revision. Feedback will be accepted at this link until 4:30 p.m. on November 17, 2026.
If your organization requires any additional guidance, assistance updating its Incident Notification Procedures or other policies, or would like to make a submission to WorkSafeBC on the content of the Guideline, please contact Michelle Jones, Nicole Welsh or another member of our Occupational Health and Safety Group.
[1] Workers Compensation Act, RSBC 2019, c. 1.
[2] Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, BC Reg 296/97.