Reporting of accidents at work

An accident at work is a sudden incident that occurs during work and results in:

• damage to the employee's health, physical or mental whether temporary or permanent

• death of an employee

Please note that you should always call the emergency service 112 immediately in case of serious accidents.

Occupational accidents subject to reporting

Accidents at work must be reported electronically where:

• the injured person is unable to work for one or more days beyond the day of the accident

• there is a possibility that the injured person has suffered long-term or permanent health damage

• the injured person dies

Accidents at work must be reported electronically even though assistance has been sought from 112.

Accidents that occur in connection with activities or equipment inspected by the AOSH, such as ski lifts, elevators and escalators, must also be reported.

Reporting deadline

Accidents at work must be reported within seven days. This applies even if the final consequences are not known. The report can be updated, by contacting the AOSH if further consequences become apparent.

The reporting process

It is the employer's responsibility to report accidents at work.

In the registration form, you must provide information about:

• the company the injured person works for

• the accident

• the injured person(s).

• causes and consequences of the accident

You can always save the report and continue later.

The employer can make a copy of the report for 30 minutes after it has been submitted. Please note that, due to data protection considerations, the AOSH is not permitted to hand out a copy of the report to the employer after it has been submitted.

After reporting

The injured person receives a copy of the report when accident has been reportedon My Pages on island.is.

The employer has access to an overview of occupational accident reports on My pages on island.is.

Registration and investigation

Registration

The AOSH keeps a register of accidents at work in order to gain knowledge about the frequency and causes of accidents. The purpose is to prevent similar accidents from happening again and to promote prevention work at workplaces. That is why it is very important that employers fulfill their reporting obligations. If an occupational accident is not reported, it may result in fines.

Electronic reporting of accidents at work does not automatically trigger the intervention of the AOSH.

Obligations of employees

Employees that have an accident at work must report it to their employer or manager, as appropriate, as soon as possible.

Obligations of the employer

The employer must keep a record of:

• all accidents that occur at the workplace regardless of whether they cause absence or not

• mishaps that are likely to cause accidents

The purpose is for the employer to get an overview of accidents and mishaps that occur at the workplace. In this way, the employer can react to prevent them from happening again.

Accidents or mishaps can in many cases indicate that the risk of damage to health is greater than previously thought. The employer must review the workplace’s risk assessment when accidents or mishaps occur and update it if necessary.

Obligations of related parties

The AOSH, safety representatives, safety officers and if applicable, safety committees, as well as certified service providers in occupational health and safety working for the employer, must have access to the workplace's accident and mishap register.

Confidentiality

The employer, and the parties listed above, must treat personal information from the accident and mishap register as confidential and in accordance with the Act on Data Protection and Processing of Personal Information.

Investigation of occupational accidents

The AOSH investigates the causes of accidents, mishaps and pollution that are reported on the basis of the Act on Working Environment, Health and Safety in Workplaces.

The purpose of the AOSH's investigation is to help prevent this from happening again at workplaces. This applies both at the workplace in question as well as at other workplaces where the conditions are comparable.

The AOSH mainly investigates serious accidents that are reported to the emergency service 112. The administration assesses in each case individually whether there is a reason to conduct a special field inspection, but such an investigation is not always needed when, for example, the causes of an accident are known. The AOSH informs the employer in each case whether it deems a special on-site inspection necessary.

It is not permitted to change the conditions at the scene of the accident beyond what is necessary for rescue operations before the site inspection by the AOSH has been carried out.