LOCAL RULES

District of Columbia incident report requirements

Your District of Columbia incident report has 7 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • Any injury or death: the Report of Injury within 10 days
  • The Report of Injury's contents, incl. witnesses, expected lost time and the insurer
  • The statement of rights by certified mail, with the report
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District of Columbia employers follow federal OSHA recordkeeping and add the Workers' Compensation Act's Report of Injury (D.C. Code 32-1532 and 7 DCMR 203): every injury or death is reported to the Office of Workers' Compensation within 10 days, and the employee gets a statement of rights by certified mail. Here is each District rule with a link to the D.C. Code or the DCMR, and what a District incident report should record.

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

Incident reportDISTRICT OF COLUMBIA / 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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7 District of Columbia rules on your checklist, including any injury or death: the Report of Injury within 10 days.

Still to add

  • NeededType of incident
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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 District of Columbia requires

  • Within 10 days of any injury or death, or of learning of an occupational disease, the employer sends a written Report of Injury to the Office of Workers' Compensation (the Code says 10 days; the rule says ten working days, so 10 calendar days meets both); a report mailed within the time limit compliesD.C. Code 32-1532 (a), (d) · 7 DCMR 203.1, 203.5
  • The Report of Injury gives the employer's name, address, phone number and business; the employee's name, address, phone number and occupation; the date, time and place of the injury; its nature and cause; whether it is expected to result in lost time; the name of any known witness and other relevant circumstances; and the name and address of the employer's insurer7 DCMR 203.4
  • At the same time as the report, the employer sends the employee (or next of kin) by certified mail, return receipt requested, a statement of the employee's rights and obligations, including the right to file a claim within one year of the injury or deathD.C. Code 32-1532 (a) · 7 DCMR 205.1
  • Each employer keeps a record of all injuries to its employees, open to the Office's inspection during business hours at the place of business; a record is adequate if it holds the Report of Injury's information7 DCMR 204.1 to 204.3
  • Employers conspicuously post information on the Act and their insurance coverage, saying at least that an injured employee may be entitled to lost wages and medical expenses, must notify the employer of any injury and must file a claim, with the Office's current address and phone number7 DCMR 205.4, 205.5
  • Failing or refusing to send a required report brings a civil penalty of up to 1,000 dollars for each failure, and the one-year time limit for the employee's claim does not start to run until the report is filedD.C. Code 32-1532 (e), (f)
  • A report is not evidence of any fact stated in it in a proceeding about the injury or deathD.C. Code 32-1532 (c)
  • The employee gives written Notice of Injury to the Office and the employer within 30 days of the injury or of becoming aware of its link to the work, signed, with the date, approximate time and place, nature and cause, known witnesses, and whether medical treatment was obtained and from whomD.C. Code 32-1513 · 7 DCMR 206.1, 206.2

The Report of Injury, within 10 days

Report every employee injury or death to the Office of Workers' Compensation within 10 days, or within 10 days of learning of an occupational disease. The Code says 10 days and the rule says ten working days, so filing within 10 calendar days meets both. A report mailed within the time limit counts as on time.

What the report contains

The report gives your name, address, phone number and business; the employee's name, address, phone number and occupation; the date, time and place; the nature and cause of the injury; whether you expect lost time; any known witnesses and other relevant circumstances; and your insurer's name and address. Your own injury records are adequate when they hold the same information, and the Office can inspect them during business hours.

The statement of rights and the poster

When you send the report, send the employee (or next of kin) a statement of their rights and obligations by certified mail, return receipt requested, including the right to file a claim within one year. Keep a notice posted saying an injured employee may get lost wages and medical expenses, must tell you of any injury and must file a claim, with the Office's address and phone number.

Penalty, evidence and the employee's notice

Each report you fail to send can bring a civil penalty of up to 1,000 dollars, and the employee's one-year claim period does not start until you file. A report is not evidence of the facts in it. Employees give written notice to the Office and to you within 30 days, signed, with the time, place, nature and cause, witnesses, and any medical treatment.

From field notes to a finished District report

Note the date, time and place, the nature and cause, the witnesses and whether the employee will lose time. ReportDraft writes the incident up and keeps fields for the phone numbers, your insurer, the report date and the certified-mail statement of rights.

Common mistakes

  • Not reporting an injury because no time was lost.
  • Leaving the insurer's name and address off the report.
  • Not sending the statement of rights by certified mail.
  • Leaving out known witnesses.
  • Counting ten working days and missing the Code's 10 days.

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.