AC563 Defence WHS Incident Capture - Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is an AC563? It is a form used to record injuries, accidents and fatalities. This information is collected in accordance with legislative requirements to notify Comcare and the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency of certain WHS incidents and to maintain a record of WHS incidents in Defence. It may be used to trigger an investigation by the relevant Defence group or service or used to provide Work Health Safety (WHS) Branch with information for Defence Reporting. This form is not a claim for compensation. However, AC563 data is given to the Department of Veterans Affairs to support compensation or rehabilitation claims.
2. What is the full name of the AC563? Form AC563, Defence WHS Incident Report
3. Do I submit an AC563 for incidents that occurred at home? Generally no, unless the injury or incident can be linked to a previous work related injury or employer undertaking.
4. Do I submit an AC563 for incidents that occurred on the way to or from home? Due to recent changes in the Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 APS employees are no longer covered for journeys to and from work. This exclusion does not apply to members of the military who are still covered under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004. As such, APS employees do not complete an AC563 and military members should.
5. Do I submit an AC563 for incidents that occurred after normal working hours? Only if the injury or incident can be linked to a previous work related injury or if it is a result of an employer undertaking.
6. How soon am I required to notify after an incident, injury or fatality occurs? Once the commander or manager becomes aware of an incident or injury the following timeframes apply: 




	Initial Report to WHS Branch	Follow on Actions to WHS Branch	Comcare Reporting	ARPANSA reporting
Fatality Notifiable Death – The work-related death of any person including a contractor, member of the public or employee.	Within 24 hours	Within 28 days	Notification to Comcare is required immediately after becoming aware that a notifiable incident arising from the business or undertaking has occurred. Notification in the first instance should be by phone – 1300 366 979. Seek advice from Comcare regarding site preservation and submission of written notification of the incident.	Reporting to ARPANSA is to be, in the first instance, within 24 hours of the incident. The reporting to ARPANSA of radiation incidents is to be completed if the source of the radiation, which caused or had potential to cause an exposure, is currently licensed to Defence by ARPANSA under the ARPANS Act. Types of equipment that are Licensed Apparatus includes  (but are not limited to) Class 3B and 4 Lasers, radioactive material and X-ray equipment.
Serious Injury or Illness An injury to or disease in a person caused in the course of work which the person needed emergency treatment by a registered medical practitioner, treatment in a hospital as a casualty, with or without being admitted to hospital.	Within 24 hours	Within 28 days
Dangerous Incident An incident where no person is injured, but could have been injured, resulting in Serious Personal Injury, Incapacity, or Death. Commonly called a ‘near miss’.	Within 24 hours	Within 28 days
Exposure Potential exposure to substance/ material including workplace hazardsthat did not result in a fatality, serious illness, minor injury, or dangerous incident.	Within 24 hours	Within 28 days
Minor Injury Any minor injury that did not result in a Fatality, SPI, or Dangerous Incident.	Within 28 days	Within 28 days



7. What is a WHS Incident, the Types and Definitions? A WHS incident is any accident or event that is caused in the course of Defence work, which involves:
• work illnesses;
• uncontrolled fire and explosions;
• disabling injuries;
• serious equipment plant or property damage;
• dangerous occurrences which could have, but did not injure any person;
• exposures to hazardous substances or circumstances;
• minor injuries;
• any other serious incident that could put employees or plant at risk.



This includes WHS incidents for all Defence employees, Cadets, and third parties (which includes contractors and the general public). Defence contractors have dual reporting requirements both to the Commonwealth and to the State WHS Authority.




	Initial Report to WHS Branch	Follow on Actions to WHS Branch	Comcare Reporting	ARPANSA reporting
Fatality Notifiable Death – The work-related death of any person including a contractor, member of the public or employee.	Within 24 hours	Within 28 days	Notification to Comcare is required immediately after becoming aware that a notifiable incident arising from the business or undertaking has occurred. Notification in the first instance should be by phone – 1300 366 979. Seek advice from Comcare regarding site preservation and submission of written notification of the incident.	Reporting to ARPANSA is to be, in the first instance, within 24 hours of the incident. The reporting to ARPANSA of radiation incidents is to be completed if the source of the radiation, which caused or had potential to cause an exposure, is currently licensed to Defence by ARPANSA under the ARPANS Act. Types of equipment that are Licensed Apparatus includes  (but are not limited to) Class 3B and 4 Lasers, radioactive material and X-ray equipment.
Serious Injury or Illness An injury to or disease in a person caused in the course of work which the person needed emergency treatment by a registered medical practitioner, treatment in a hospital as a casualty, with or without being admitted to hospital.	Within 24 hours	Within 28 days
Dangerous Incident An incident where no person is injured, but could have been injured, resulting in Serious Personal Injury, Incapacity, or Death. Commonly called a ‘near miss’.	Within 24 hours	Within 28 days
Exposure Potential exposure to substance/ material including workplace hazardsthat did not result in a fatality, serious illness, minor injury, or dangerous incident.	Within 24 hours	Within 28 days
Minor Injury Any minor injury that did not result in a Fatality, SPI, or Dangerous Incident.	Within 28 days	Within 28 days



8. The incident happened a long time ago, over 28 days, can I still submit an AC563? Yes, there is no Statute of Limitation for the time frame to report a WHS Incident. If you are working in a different location put down your Supervisor / Commanding Officer at the time of the incident. Add any comments with regard to the delay of reporting the WHS Incident.
9. Who is responsible to fill out the AC563? The employer is required to complete and submit an AC563 in the event of any reportable incident.
10. Can the injured person fill out the AC563? Yes but the AC563 is required to be signed off by an appropriate manager or commander prior to submission to WHS and if required Comcare or ARPANSA.
11. Does the activity supervisor or my normal supervisor fill out the AC563? The activity supervisor is the preferred person to complete the form however if they are not available your current workplace supervisor can complete and submit the form.
12. Who is the WHS? The WHS is the organisation within Defence responsible for providing a wide range of policy, programs, information and databases dealing with Defence Work Health and Safety.
13. Who is Comcare? Comcare is the statutory authority responsible for workplace safety, rehabilitation and compensation in the Commonwealth jurisdiction.
14. Who is ARPANSA? The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Authority is the statutory authority responsible for Radiation issues within the Commonwealth jurisdiction.
15. How do I submit an AC563 after it has been completed? You can either mail or fax the completed form to WHS/Comcare/ARPANSA or email.




WHS Contact Details	COMCARE Contact Details	ARPANSA Contact details
Incident Capture ISS Helpdesk - 1800 220 820 Email WHS Incident Capture team Incident Reporting Email WHS Incident Reporting team	Business Hours Hotline 1300 366 979	24 Hour Phone Emergency Officer 03 9432 5384 BH phone Director, Regulatory Branch 02 9541 8329
	Comcare homepage	ARPANSA homepage
Fax: 1800 563 563	Fax: 1300 305 916	Fax: (All states) 02 9541 8348
Postal address: WHS ICR 33-35 Brindabella Circuit Department of Defence PO Box 7927 CANBERRA BC ACT 2610	Comcare has a National (local call costs) contact telephone number for all enquires and notification of fatalities and fax number for reporting of incidents.



16. If 10, 20, 50, 200 people in my unit have been exposed/involved do they all have to fill out separate AC563?
• If the exposure or injury is identical, a single AC563 with a nominal role showing full names, rank, service, AGS or PMKEYS number and date of birth may be submitted.
• If the exposure is of the same type but the period of exposure has differed then submit a nominal role as above with the dates of exposure for each individual.
17. Will you confirm the receipt of my AC563? No, WHS ICR does not have the ability to do this at this stage.
18. Can I find out whether an AC563 has been submitted or get a copy of an AC563 which has been submitted on my behalf? Yes, access to a copy of your AC563 can be sought by making a request via e-mail. A copy of the AC563 can be e-mailed, posted or faxed to you usually within 5 working days. Send an e-mail to Incident Capture Team with the following details:
    • Casualty Details – Surname, First Name, Date of Birth, PMKeys/ Service Number.
    • Incident Information – Date of incident, brief description of the illness and/or injury, and incident location.
    • Contact Details – Email address, fax number, postal details (if required)
19. Can I use the AC563 to claim compensation?
    No, the AC563 is only used to report the injury or incident and  is not a claim for compensation.
20. As an APS employee where do I find information in relation to workers' compensation in the event of a work related injury or illness? Information on workers' compensation entitlements under the Safety Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRCA) can be sourced from the Comcare website.
21. As a military member, where do I find information on my rehabilitation and compensation entitlements? Information in relation to compensation entitlements for current or former members of the ADF, visit the Department of Veterans' Affairs website.

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