An Employee Was Injured Today: The First-24-Hours Protocol
The day an employee injured at work is the day your systems are tested — and most employers discover in retrospect which ones were missing. The protocol is short enough to fit on one page and important enough to print. Here it is, in the order it happens.
- ✔Medical attention first — paperwork never delays treatment.
- ✔Serious incident scenes must be preserved for the inspector.
- ✔Two 7-day clocks: COIDA claim and OHS report.
- ✔Keep paying — the first three months are refundable by the Fund.
Hour one: treat, secure, record
After a fatal or serious incident, tidying the scene before the inspector arrives — however well-meant — is itself an offence under the OHS Act. Secure, treat, photograph, and wait.
The two 7-day clocks after an employee is injured at work
Two separate reports run in parallel after an injury on duty. The COIDA claim goes to the Compensation Fund within 7 days: your employer’s report (WCL2) plus the treating doctor’s first medical report — this is what gets the medical costs and compensation paid (the claims guide). For serious incidents, the OHS section 24 report goes to the Department of Employment & Labour inspector, also within 7 days — a different office, a different purpose, the same deadline.
| COIDA claim | OHS report | |
|---|---|---|
| Goes to | Compensation Fund | DoEL inspector |
| Purpose | Compensate the employee | Investigate the incident |
| Deadline | 7 days | 7 days (serious incidents) |
| Key form | WCL2 + medical report | Section 24 incident report |
Keep proof of both submissions — dates, references, names. Months later, that paper trail is the entire difference between an employer who complied and one who merely remembers complying.
The money: keep paying, claim it back
Do not stop the injured employee’s pay. For temporary total disablement, the employer pays the first three months and claims the refund from the Compensation Fund — after which the Fund pays compensation directly while the claim runs. An unpaid injured employee is a dispute added to an injury, and it never improves the outcome.
Injury leave is also not sick leave: a compensable injury on duty runs on the COIDA track, not against the employee’s sick leave entitlement. And the unregistered-employer version of this day is the expensive one — if your COIDA registration is not current, the Fund can recover the full claim cost from you (registration guide). The complete COIDA picture is in the COIDA pillar guide.
Always confirm current requirements with the official source — rules and deadlines change.
- ✔COIDA registration (commercial) — R500
- ✔COIDA registration (domestic) — R350
- ✔Return of Earnings service available
Frequently asked questions
What must I do immediately when an employee is injured at work?
Get medical attention first, then make the scene safe, record the incident with witnesses and photos, and start the two 7-day reports: the COIDA claim to the Compensation Fund and, for serious incidents, the OHS report to the Department inspector.
Do I keep paying an employee injured on duty?
Yes — for temporary total disablement the employer pays the first three months and claims a refund from the Compensation Fund. After that the Fund pays compensation directly.
What if the employee is injured and I am not COIDA-registered?
The employee can still claim from the Fund — and the Fund can recover the full claim cost from you, plus back-assessments, penalties and interest. Register immediately and regularise the account alongside the claim.
Last reviewed: July 2026 · How we research our guides
EmployerGuide.online provides general information about South African employer obligations — not legal, tax or professional advice for your specific situation. Laws, rates and deadlines change; confirm current requirements with the official sources linked above, or ask Admin Boss. See our disclaimer.