How to read this page
This is a summary of our country guides, each written from the official texts. Rules have conditions and exceptions, so open the guide for your country before you rely on a row. We checked these guides in October and November 2026. Laws change.
Who to tell and how fast
| Country | Tell the authority | Written report | Who receives it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | As soon as you reasonably can, for a death, dangerous occurrence, or a member of the public sent to hospital | iReport within 10 days | Ministry of Manpower |
| UAE | Police immediately. Safety officers tell MoHRE immediately | MoHRE within 48 hours at the latest. Abu Dhabi: 24 hours for a fatality, 3 working days for other serious incidents. Dubai construction: 72 hours | Police, MoHRE, and the local regulator |
| Indonesia | The first report is your first step | First report within 2 × 24 hours. Second within 2 × 24 hours of the doctor's finding | Provincial labour office and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan |
| Malaysia | At once, by the quickest means | JKKP 6 within 7 days | Nearest DOSH office |
| Thailand | At once, by phone, fax or other means, for a death or serious incident | Within 7 days on the official form | Safety inspector |
| Vietnam | At once, by the fastest means, for a death or serious injury to two or more workers. A death also goes to the police | Declaration on the official form. Investigation minutes within 3 working days of the team's closing meeting | Provincial labour authority |
| Philippines | Within 24 hours | Monthly WAIR report by the 30th, even with nothing to report | DOLE |
| India | Death: at once, including by phone | Form XI. Injury: within 12 hours after 48 hours off work | Inspector-cum-Facilitator |
| Sri Lanka | In writing, forthwith | Form 10 | District Factory Inspecting Engineer |
| Bangladesh | Straight away, by phone, SMS or fax | Within 2 working days | DIFE inspector and labour office |
| Brunei | As soon as you reasonably can, for a death or dangerous occurrence | Within 10 days | SHENA |
| Maldives | Within 1 hour | On the official form or portal, with the same report | Director General or Labour Relations Authority |
What you must report
A dangerous occurrence is an event such as a crane collapse, explosion or scaffold failure. The definition differs by country. So does the injury threshold.
| Country | Injuries you must report | Dangerous occurrence, even with no injury | Penalty named in our guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Any work injury leading to medical leave, light duty or death | Notice as soon as you can, iReport within 10 days | Up to $10,000. Repeat offenders up to $20,000, 6 months' jail, or both |
| UAE | Any work injury or occupational disease | Abu Dhabi: 3 working days. Dubai construction: immediate calls, 72-hour report | General fine of AED 5,000 to 1,000,000 for breaches with no specific penalty |
| Indonesia | Every work accident and occupational disease | Covered events are listed in Article 7 of Permenaker 5/2021 | Late first report: employer pays work accident benefits itself |
| Malaysia | Death, serious bodily injury, or more than 4 days off work | At once, then a report within 7 days | Up to RM10,000 |
| Thailand | Death. Work injuries under the compensation law also need a copy of the Social Security notice within 7 days | Fire, explosion, leak or other serious incident: at once, then within 7 days | Up to THB 50,000 |
| Vietnam | Death or serious injury to two or more: declare. Minor injury or one serious injury: the employer's own investigation team | Serious technical incidents are declared too | VND 20 to 25 million for an individual, double for organisations |
| Philippines | Accidents and disabling injuries | Within 24 hours | Daily fines for missed reports. PHP 100,000 for lying in a report |
| India | Death, or 48 hours or more off work | Within 12 hours | Up to 2 years in prison or a fine of at least ₹5 lakh for a breach causing death |
| Sri Lanka | Death, more than 3 days without full wages, or unconsciousness from heat, shock or fumes | Form 12 within 3 days | First offence at least Rs 5,000. More if repeated |
| Bangladesh | Fatal, serious and minor accidents. Minor means off work for over 48 hours | Within 3 days | Up to 4 years in prison, a fine of up to Tk 1 lakh, or both, for a breach causing death |
| Brunei | Death. More than 3 days' sick leave, or at least 24 hours in hospital | As soon as you can, then within 10 days | Up to BND 10,000, a year in jail, or both, for changing the scene |
| Maldives | Death or serious injury. Also work-related illness | Within 1 hour | Up to MVR 5,000 |
UAE: three layers
Federal rules apply everywhere in the UAE. Abu Dhabi and Dubai construction sites add their own deadlines. See our UAE guide and Dubai code guide.
What most countries have in common
- Life first. Rescue and treatment come before reporting and before preserving the scene.
- Protect the scene. Several countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, restrict changes to a serious accident scene. Take photos if you must move something to prevent more harm.
- Keep records. Periods differ, such as 3 years in Singapore and Brunei, and 5 years in Malaysia.
- Contractors count. Check who holds the duty. It can be the employer, the occupier or the principal contractor.
If you run sites in more than one country
- Write one simple site procedure, then add a local page for each country.
- Put the local deadline, phone numbers and forms on that page.
- Name a person and a backup at each site.
- Let the local deadline win over any internal approval. Head office sign-off must not delay a report.
- Test it. Ask a supervisor at random who they would call.
Use it on site
Print a country compliance checklist, and add the local reporting steps to your emergency plan.
Sources and further reading
- Work-related accidents: what and when to report, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore.
- Cabinet Resolution No. 33 of 2022, English translation, MoHRE, UAE.
- Regulation No. 1 of 2025 amending Regulation No. 5 of 2021, Ministry of Manpower, Indonesia.
- NADOPOD Regulations 2004, DOSH, Malaysia.
- OSH Act B.E. 2554, English translation, Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, Thailand.
- Decree 39/2016/NĐ-CP, Government of Vietnam.
- Department Order 252-25, DOLE, Philippines.
- OSH Code 2020, Gazette of India.
- Factories Ordinance No. 45 of 1942, Department of Labour, Sri Lanka.
- Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Act 2026, Laws of Bangladesh.
- WSH (Incident Reporting) Regulations, SHENA, Brunei.
- Regulation 2024/R-103, Dhivehi, Government Gazette, Maldives.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Laws and codes of practice change; always check the current official text and your site's own procedures.
