Even the most diligent farms can experience a workplace incident, whether it’s an injury, a near miss or a serious safety breach. How you respond afterwards will shape not only your legal compliance but also your workplace culture, employee trust and long-term resilience.
This article will outline the obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA), and the respective penalties. This article focuses on Western Australian WHS laws, other states may have slightly varied obligations and penalties.
1. Immediate Response and Care
Ensure the injured worker and anyone affected receives appropriate medical attention without delay. Preserve the scene so it can be examined by regulators or investigators.
2. Mandatory Notifications & Record Keeping
Farms must comply with notification requirements under the Work Health and Safety Act 2020 (WA) s 38.
Notifying:
A PCBU must notify the relevant state or territory WHS regulator, for most industries in WA this would be WorkSafe WA. You must notify the regulator immediately after becoming aware of a notifiable incident arises out of the conduct of the farm or undertaking. The notice must be given by the fastest possible means and by telephone or in writing.
For not complying with notice requirements, the penalties are:
| Individual | Body corporate |
| $12,500 | $55,000 |
Record keeping:
A PBCU must keep a record of each notifiable incident for at least 5 years from the day that notice of the incident is given to the regulator.
For not complying with record keeping requirements, the maximum penalties are:
| Individual | Body corporate |
| $5,500 | $30,000 |
3. Incident Investigation
Conduct a structured incident investigation to identify the root causes. Key steps include:
- Collect witness statements promptly.
- Review plant, equipment or process records.
- Assess whether safe work procedures, training or supervision were adequate.
4. Corrective and Preventive Actions
From the findings of the investigation, develop a Corrective Action Plan address immediate hazards so the work can safely resume. Communicate all changes to workers and provide training where needed.
5. Support and Communication
Transparent communication builds trust with your employees,
- Provide regular updates to employees and, where relevant, contractors and clients.
- Offer ongoing wellbeing support to employees, especially to those who witnessed the incident – psychological injury is now recognised as a psychosocial hazard.
- Check in with affected workers and teams to monitor for delayed stress reactions.
6. Review and Continuous Improvement
After corrective actions are in place:
- Review your WHS Management System and risk registers to integrate lessons learned.
- Update policies and training materials.
- Schedule follow-up audits to ensure controls remain effective.
This cycle of improvement helps demonstrate due diligence under s 27 of the WHS Act, which requires officers to ensure their business complies with its duties.
Why Post-Incident Management Shapes Culture
A thorough, compassionate and compliant response sends a clear message: safety is non-negotiable and your people come first. It reduces legal exposure and strengthens employee confidence, which in turn supports productivity and retention for your farm.
Managing WHS obligations after an incident can feel overwhelming. Staying on top of every WHS obligation, especially after an incident can be overwhelming. ProcessWorxShield makes it simple by keeping everything in one place- report incidents, track corrective actions and update policies, all with defensible, time-stamped records. If WorkSafe asks for proof, you can show it instantly. Plus, our safety experts are on hand to guide you through reporting, investigations and future improvements.
If you’d like to learn how ProcessWorx can assist with Work Health & Safety, please contact us on 08 9316 9896 or enquiries@processworx.com.au. Also watch an Introduction to ProcessWorx.
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