Workplace Safety
Every member organisation of the Velocity Interoperability Network must provide a workplace that is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to the health of its staff and of anyone else affected by its work. The Labour Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network receives reports of safety concerns, investigates incidents, inspects workplaces and, where it finds a breach, requires the employer to put it right.
During the transition period from 10 August to 5 September 2026, the Department received 87 reports of safety concerns and 14 notifications of incidents under interim arrangements. No death was reported. Four incidents involved injuries causing absence of more than seven days and ten were dangerous occurrences without injury. Reports and notifications are received from 6 September 2026 under the arrangements set out on this page.
Duties of employers. Employers are responsible for the seven matters below at every workplace they operate. Where two or more employers share a site, each is responsible for its own staff and the occupier of the site for the common parts.
- A safe place of work
- Premises, plant and equipment must be maintained in a safe condition, with safe means of access and egress, adequate lighting, ventilation and temperature, and clear escape routes.
- Assessment of risk
- The employer must assess the risks to staff and others arising from the work, record the assessment, act on it and review it whenever the work or the workplace changes.
- Safe systems of work
- Where a task carries a risk that cannot be removed, the employer must set out how it is to be done safely, provide the equipment and protective clothing the system requires, and see that the system is followed.
- Information and training
- Staff must be told of the risks of their work and trained in the safe systems that apply to it, on starting work, on a change of duties and at reasonable intervals thereafter. Training is given in working time and at the employer's expense.
- Consultation with staff
- The employer must consult staff, or their staff association, on matters affecting their safety, and must appoint or allow staff to elect a safety representative at every workplace with more than twenty staff.
- First aid and emergency arrangements
- Every workplace must have first aid equipment and a trained first aider in proportion to its size and risks, and written arrangements for fire, evacuation and other emergencies that are practised at least once a year.
- Notification of incidents
- Deaths, injuries, dangerous occurrences and occupational diseases must be notified to the Department within the periods set out below, and a record kept of every injury at work.
Reporting a safety concern. Any member of staff, staff association or member of the public may report a concern about the safety of a workplace of a member organisation. A member of staff who reports a concern is protected by the Employment Rights Standard from dismissal or any other detriment for having done so.
Step 1: Raise the concern at the workplace if it is safe to do so
Tell your supervisor or the safety representative for your workplace. Most concerns are put right at this stage. If the danger is immediate, stop work and move to a safe place before reporting it.
Step 2: Write to the Department
If the concern is not put right, or you would rather not raise it at the workplace, write to the Department's email address. Give the name of the employer, the workplace and its site, a description of the concern, when you observed it and, if you wish, your name and how to reach you. Reports may be made without giving a name.
Step 3: Receive an acknowledgement
The Department acknowledges every report within two working days and gives it a reference number. Use the reference number in any further correspondence.
Step 4: Assessment by an inspector
An inspector assesses the report within five working days and decides whether to write to the employer, to inspect the workplace, or to take no further action. A report of imminent danger is assessed and acted on the same day. The Department does not disclose the identity of the person who made a report to the employer.
Step 5: Outcome
You are told the outcome of the assessment and of any inspection that follows, unless you reported without giving a name. Where an inspector finds a breach, an improvement or prohibition notice may be served and its details are recorded in the register of inspections.
Notifiable incidents. Employers must notify the Department of the incidents below within the period shown. Notification is made in writing to the Department's email address, giving the employer, the workplace and site, the date and time, the persons involved, what happened and what has been done since. Failure to notify an incident is itself a breach and may result in an improvement notice.
| Incident | Period for notification | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Death of a member of staff or any other person arising from the work | Without delay, and in writing within 24 hours | The scene must be left undisturbed until an inspector permits otherwise |
| Serious injury: fracture, amputation, loss of sight, serious burn, crush injury or loss of consciousness | In writing within 24 hours | The scene must be left undisturbed until an inspector permits otherwise |
| Injury causing absence from normal duties for more than seven consecutive days | In writing within 10 days of the injury | Counted from the day after the injury, including days that are not working days |
| Dangerous occurrence: collapse of a structure or scaffold, failure of lifting equipment, explosion, fire, uncontrolled release of a hazardous substance, or electrical incident causing a fire or explosion | In writing within 24 hours | Whether or not anyone was injured |
| Occupational disease diagnosed by a medical practitioner as arising from the work | In writing within 10 days of the diagnosis | Including occupational dermatitis, asthma, hearing loss and musculoskeletal disorders |
| Injury to a member of the public requiring treatment away from the workplace | In writing within 10 days | Where the injury arose from the employer's work or premises |
The Department's inspection programme and the register of inspections, including the notices served, are set out on the Inspections page. Reports of safety concerns, notifications of incidents and enquiries may be sent to contact@labour.gov.vin. For the protection given to staff who report a concern, see Employment Rights.