LOCAL RULES: 7 CCR 1101-3

Colorado incident report requirements

Your Colorado incident report has 6 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • Any work injury: to your insurer within 10 days
  • A death or 3+ injured in one accident: the First Report within 3 days
  • A later death: a new First Report for the date of death
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Colorado employers follow federal OSHA recordkeeping and add the Division of Workers' Compensation's reporting rule (7 CCR 1101-3, Rule 5-2): every work injury goes to your insurer within ten days, and a First Report of Injury reaches the Division when lost time passes three shifts or days. Here is each Colorado rule with a link to the Code of Colorado Regulations or the Division, and what a Colorado incident report should record.

Last reviewed October 15, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Incident reportCOLORADO / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 140 words

Company: Northgate Fabrication
Site: 1840 Industrial Pkwy, shipping dock 2
Date: 10/08/2026, about 2:15pm
Injured: Luis Romero, material handler, warehouse crew
Supervisor: Tom Reilly
...
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6 Colorado rules on your checklist, including any work injury: to your insurer within 10 days.

Still to add

  • NeededType of incident
  • NeededCompleted by
  • RecommendedNotes for damage to property, equipment or the environment

Filled in for you

Company or organizationNorthgate Fabrication
Site address or location1840 Industrial Pkwy, shipping dock 2
Date of the incidentOct 8, 2026
Employee or person involved (full name)Luis Romero, material handler, warehouse crew
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What Colorado requires

  • Within ten days of notice or knowledge, the employer reports any work-related injury, illness or exposure to an injurious substance to its workers' compensation insurer; an employer that does not may face penalties or other sanctions7 CCR 1101-3, Rule 5-2 (A) (eff. 2026-07-15)
  • A fatality, or three or more employees injured in the same accident, needs a First Report of Injury with the Division within three days of notice to the insurer or self-insured employer; the insurer or administrator may file it for the employer7 CCR 1101-3, Rule 5-2 (B) (1)
  • A First Report of Injury is filed within ten days of the employer's notice or knowledge when an injury or occupational disease causes more than three shifts or calendar days of lost time, causes permanent physical impairment, first needs scheduled treatment more than 180 days after the employer's notice, or is a listed occupational disease (chronic respiratory disease, cancer, pneumoconiosis, nervous system diseases, blood-borne infectious diseases), and within ten days after any claim is denied7 CCR 1101-3, Rule 5-2 (B) (2), (3) · Division of Workers' Compensation: Reporting Injuries
  • When an injured worker who first survives dies later, the employer files a new First Report of Injury for the date of death, so there are two claims; a death of unclear cause is still reported to the insurer to investigateDivision of Workers' Compensation: Reporting Injuries
  • The insurer states whether it admits or contests liability within 20 days after the First Report is filed (or should have been filed), and a contest is filed electronically7 CCR 1101-3, Rule 5-2 (C) · Division of Workers' Compensation: Reporting Injuries
  • Each insurer sends the Division a monthly summary of the smaller injuries (no more than three days or shifts lost, no permanent impairment, no fatality) and of exposures to injurious substances, energy or atmospheres where the employer's required protective methods or equipment failed, were misused or were not used7 CCR 1101-3, Rule 5-2 (F)
  • The injured worker tells the employer about the injury in writing within 10 working days; a later report is still made as soon as possible, but missing the 10 working days may bring a penalty against the worker's benefits; workers may also file the Worker's Claim for Compensation (WC 15) with the DivisionDivision of Workers' Compensation: Reporting Injuries

Every injury to your insurer, within 10 days

Within ten days of learning of it, report any work-related injury, illness or exposure to an injurious substance to your workers' compensation insurer. An employer that does not report can face penalties or other sanctions.

When a First Report goes to the Division

A death, or three or more employees hurt in the same accident, needs a First Report of Injury with the Division within three days of the insurer's notice. Within ten days, a First Report is needed when lost time passes three shifts or calendar days, for a permanently impairing injury, when treatment first starts more than 180 days after your notice, for the listed occupational diseases, and when a claim is denied. Your insurer usually files it for you.

If an injured worker dies later, file a new First Report for the date of death. Report a death of unclear cause to your insurer anyway and let it investigate.

What the insurer does next

The insurer admits or contests liability within 20 days after the First Report. Smaller injuries, and exposures where your required protective equipment or methods failed or were not used, go to the Division in the insurer's monthly summary.

The worker's written notice

Injured workers tell you in writing within 10 working days. Missing that window can bring a penalty against their benefits, and they can also file a claim with the Division directly.

From field notes to a finished Colorado report

Note the date, time and place, how many workers were hurt, the shifts lost, and any exposure where protective equipment was not used or failed. ReportDraft writes the incident up and keeps fields for the written notice, the report to your insurer, the lost time and the First Report.

Common mistakes

  • Waiting to tell the insurer until lost time passes three shifts.
  • Missing the three-day First Report for a death or three injured workers.
  • Not filing a new First Report when an injured worker later dies.
  • Not recording exposures where protective equipment was not used.
  • Not recording when the worker's written notice arrived.

Sources

Last reviewed October 15, 2026. Next review due January 15, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.