LOCAL RULES: RSA 281-A:53

New Hampshire incident report requirements

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

  • The injury recorded in sufficient detail and kept 5 years
  • The employee's form 8aWCA, signed by the employer with a copy back
  • Form 8WC to the Department and the carrier within 5 days
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New Hampshire employers follow federal OSHA recordkeeping and add the state's workers' compensation reporting rules (RSA 281-A:53; Lab 504.02): every work injury recorded and kept 5 years, the employee's notice signed and returned, and the Employer's First Report of Injury filed within 5 days. Here is each New Hampshire rule with a link to the statute and the Department of Labor rules, and what a New Hampshire incident report should record.

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

Incident reportNEW HAMPSHIRE / 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 New Hampshire rules on your checklist, including the injury recorded in sufficient detail and kept 5 years.

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  • NeededType of incident
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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 New Hampshire requires

  • Every employer records work-connected injuries and diseases in sufficient detail and keeps the record for 5 years from the date of injury; a completed Notice of Accidental Injury (form 8aWCA) together with the Employer's First Report of Injury (form 8WC) proves complianceLab 504.02 (a) · RSA 281-A:53, I
  • For any injury or disease that needs medical attention, the employer has the injured employee complete the Notice of Accidental Injury or Occupational Disease (form 8aWCA) as soon as possible, and acknowledges receipt by signing it and giving the employee a copyLab 504.02 (b)
  • The Employer's First Report of Injury (form 8WC) is filed with the Department of Labor as soon as possible and no later than 5 days after the employer learns of the injury, with the report sent to the insurance carrier at the same time; filing it does not give up the right to contest the claimRSA 281-A:53, I · Lab 504.02 (c) to (e)
  • For an injury that needed only first aid, an employer that does not dispute it may skip sending the first report to the carrier if it pays the bill within 30 days; if the injury then needs more treatment or causes lost time, the employer notifies the carrierLab 504.02 (g), (h)
  • If the injury causes disability beyond 3 days and the first report did not say so, the employer files an Employer's Supplemental Report of Injury (form 13WCA) with the Department, with a copy to the carrier's nearest claims office, no later than 7 days after the first day of disability; another goes in when the employee returns to work after compensable disabilityLab 504.02 (j) · RSA 281-A:53, I
  • Failing to file a first report, or filing it late, brings a civil penalty of up to 2,500 dollars; an employer may not discourage employees from reporting injuries or penalize them for it, on pain of up to 2,500 dollars per violationRSA 281-A:53, I · Lab 504.02 (i)
  • First Reports of Injury are filed electronically by the insurance carrier or self-insured employer in the manner the Department prescribes, unless the commissioner grants a hardship varianceRSA 281-A:53, III

Record every injury, keep it 5 years

Record work-connected injuries and diseases in sufficient detail and keep the records for 5 years from the date of injury. For any injury that needs medical attention, have the employee fill out the Notice of Accidental Injury (form 8aWCA) as soon as possible, sign it to acknowledge it, and give the employee a copy.

The first report within 5 days

File the Employer's First Report of Injury (form 8WC) with the Department of Labor no later than 5 days after you learn of the injury, and send it to your insurance carrier at the same time. Carriers and self-insurers file electronically. Filing does not stop you from contesting the claim.

For first aid only, you may skip sending it to the carrier if you do not dispute it and pay the bill within 30 days; if it later needs more care or causes lost time, tell the carrier.

Disability beyond 3 days

If the injury disables the employee for more than 3 days and the first report did not say so, file the Supplemental Report of Injury (form 13WCA) within 7 days of the first day of disability, with a copy to the carrier, and again when the employee returns to work.

Penalties and retaliation

A missing or late first report can cost up to 2,500 dollars, and so can each attempt to discourage an employee from reporting an injury or to penalize them for it.

From field notes to a finished New Hampshire report

Note what the employee was doing, what happened, the injury and the body part, and the first day of any time off. ReportDraft writes the incident up in sufficient detail and keeps fields for the employee's 8aWCA, the 8WC filing and the first day of disability.

Common mistakes

  • Waiting to see whether the employee loses time before filing the 8WC.
  • Not signing the employee's 8aWCA or not giving them a copy.
  • Forgetting the 13WCA when the first report did not show disability.
  • Throwing out injury records before 5 years.
  • Telling employees to hold off on reporting minor injuries.

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.