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A4 toolbox talk sheet: a supervisor script on reporting an injury, with a crew sign-on strip

Printable toolbox talk sheet· NSW

Toolbox Talk: Reporting an Injury at Work

A 10-minute script a supervisor reads aloud, with a sign-on strip for the crew.

Download the Toolbox Talk (A4)

v2 — October 2026 · Updated

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Full Text

The Toolbox Talk Script

Hurt at work? Report it on the day it happens.

For supervisors: read the script aloud, ask the three questions, then have everyone sign.

  1. 0–3 min

    Why report on the day

    Most of us have worked through a sore back or a cut hand and said nothing. Small injuries can get worse overnight, and what you tell us today is clearer than what anyone remembers next week.

  2. 3–5 min

    What to say

    Keep it simple. Tell me, or whoever is running the shift: what happened, when and where, what hurts, and who saw it. You don’t need to know how bad it is yet. You can add details later.

  3. 5–8 min

    What happens next

    Once we know, the business has 48 hours to notify its insurer. It can’t if nobody tells us. See a doctor. The first Certificate of Capacity is completed by a medical practitioner. If the injury keeps you off work, the insurer should start provisional weekly payments within 7 days, unless it has a reasonable excuse.

8–10 min

Three questions for the crew

  • What stops people here from reporting a small injury? What would make it easier?
  • If your supervisor isn’t on shift, who do you tell?
  • A new starter hurts their hand in their first week. What should they do, step by step?

Sign-on: I attended this talk

Who gave the talk, the site and the date, then a name, signature and date for each attendee.

Talk to WorkCover Hub

(02) 7238 7379

Billed to the insurer on accepted claims.

Sources printed on it

How to Run the Talk in 10 Minutes

A ready-to-run toolbox talk on what happens when someone gets hurt on the job: how to report it, who to tell, and what happens next. The supervisor reads it out; the crew signs on at the bottom, so the site keeps a record that the talk was given.

Who Runs It

Supervisors, leading hands and site managers on any work site.

  • Employers

The Script and the Sign-On Strip

  • A 10-minute supervisor script in short paragraphs written to be spoken
  • The reporting steps in order, in plain English
  • A sign-on strip for attendee names, the date and the site
Questions

Questions About the Toolbox Talk Sheet

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