1.7 Member Injury Reporting

Purpose

To ensure all injuries to SLS personnel are reported, recorded, and managed in accordance with Work Health and Safety (WHS) requirements and SLSSA procedures.

Overview

All injuries involving SLS personnel must be reported to the State Operations Centre (SOC) as soon as practicable. Early notification ensures appropriate support is provided and allows SLSSA to determine whether the incident is notifiable under WHS legislation.

This procedure applies to all injuries occurring during Surf Life Saving activities, including patrols, lifeguard operations, training, and incident response.

Procedure

Immediate Actions

Where an injury occurs, SLS personnel must:

• Ensure the scene is safe
• Provide appropriate first aid
• Escalate emergency response if required (e.g. ambulance)
• Notify the Patrol Captain, Senior Lifeguard, or supervisor

Notification to the SOC

All member injuries must be reported to the SOC as soon as practicable, preferably via phone.

Refer to: SOP 12.2 – State Operations Centre (SOC) – SURFCOM

The SOC will:

• Record the incident
• Provide operational support if required
• Assist in determining whether the injury is notifiable under WHS legislation

Information to Provide

The following information should be provided to SOC where available:

1. Surf Club or Service Name
2. Overview of what happened (e.g. IRB rollover)
3. Incident address
4. Specific location of the incident (e.g. exact beach location, within clubhouse, equipment involved including registration number)
5. Detailed description of the incident
6. Injured person’s name
7. Injured person’s date of birth
8. Injured person’s address
9. Injured person’s contact number
10. Injured person’s role (e.g. lifesaver, lifeguard)
11. Description of injury (nature of injury)
12. Initial treatment provided
13. Where the patient has been taken for treatment (if applicable)
14. Actions taken or intended to prevent recurrence (if known)
15. Name of person reporting to SOC
16. Contact number of person reporting
17. Position of person reporting
18. Alternate contact for further information (if applicable)

Recording the Incident

All member injuries must be recorded in the Operations App in accordance with:

SOP 13.2 – Incident Reporting and Recording

WHS Notification

The SOC will determine whether the incident is a notifiable incident under WHS legislation and coordinate any required reporting to SafeWork SA.

References

• Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA)
• SOP 12.2 – State Operations Centre (SOC) – SURFCOM
• SOP 13.2 – Incident Reporting and Recording