General information only — not legal advice. Search Solicitors is a directory and information resource, not a law firm. Laws and procedures vary across Australia and may change. Seek advice from an appropriately qualified Australian legal practitioner about your own circumstances. A firm profile is not an endorsement or a guarantee of qualifications, availability or outcomes.
Key Points for This Legal Help Guide
Preserve neutral, dated originals and record the source; health and safety come first.
Good evidence is accurate, dated and preserved safely. It does not need to argue a legal conclusion. Start with health and safety, then keep the records that may help a lawyer understand what happened and which scheme applies.
First steps after an incident
Seek appropriate medical care and report an immediate hazard. Make the incident report through the employer, police, transport operator, occupier, school, council or other relevant channel, and keep a copy or reference number.
Write a short chronology while details are fresh. Separate what you saw or heard from assumptions about why it happened.
Photographs, video and witnesses
Keep original files with dates and metadata where possible. Photograph the wider setting as well as the specific condition, without placing yourself or others at risk.
Record witness names and contact details with consent. Ask promptly whether CCTV exists because routine retention periods may be short.
- Exact time and place
- Wide and close views
- Warnings, lighting and weather
- Vehicle, product or equipment details
- Witness and incident-report references
Medical, work and financial records
Keep referrals, certificates, invoices, medication details and a factual symptom diary. For a work injury, retain rosters, payslips, inductions, suitable-duties proposals and communications.
Record travel, care and out-of-pocket expenses with receipts. Do not discontinue treatment or employment on the basis of a general website.
Privacy and secure sharing
Do not put names, diagnoses or allegations into a public search box or social post. Verify the firm and recipient before sending sensitive material, and ask which secure channel it uses.
Keep an unedited master copy. If you annotate a document or image, work from a duplicate.
Worked example · hypothetical
Worked Example: A photograph without its context
A person has one close photograph of a wet floor but no image of the wider area, time or warning signs.
The close image shows only part of the scene.
Ask: Are there original wider images, witnesses or an incident report?
Why it matters: Context may help test where, when and how the condition existed.
A shopping receipt fixes an approximate time.
Ask: Can the original receipt and payment record be preserved?
Why it matters: Independent records can help build an accurate chronology.
The venue may hold CCTV.
Ask: Should a preservation request be made promptly?
Why it matters: Routine footage can be overwritten.
Your next step: Keep the originals privately, write a factual chronology and ask a verified firm about any urgent preservation step.
Open the private comparison worksheet →Your private preparation
Lawyer Enquiry Worksheet: Incident and evidence inventory
Print this page using your browser, or copy the prompts into your own private notes. This page does not collect your answers.
- When and where did the incident occur?
- Which reports or reference numbers exist?
- Which original images, messages and trip records are saved?
- Who witnessed the event or immediate aftermath?
- Which treatment, work and expense records are available?
- Which deadlines or dates appear on existing documents?
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I collect evidence before getting treatment?
No. Health and immediate safety come first. Evidence can be gathered later where it is safe and lawful.
Should I post photographs online?
Usually it is safer to preserve them privately and obtain advice before publishing details that affect privacy, evidence or another person.
What if I did not make an incident report immediately?
Create an accurate chronology now and obtain advice. Do not invent or backdate a report.
Is a photograph enough to prove fault?
No. It may show a condition at a time, but responsibility, knowledge, causation and loss require broader evidence and legal analysis.
How long should I keep records?
Keep relevant originals while any claim or review remains possible and ask a lawyer about the applicable retention need.
Can I request CCTV?
You can ask the controller to preserve relevant footage, but access rights and retention differ. Prompt legal advice may help frame the request.
Official Sources and Related Legal Information
Sources checked 2026-09-25. Read each source in its own jurisdiction and context. Examples and worksheets are original editorial aids, not actual client stories. How we prepare our content.
General information only — not legal advice. Search Solicitors is a directory and information resource, not a law firm. Laws and procedures vary across Australia and may change. Seek advice from an appropriately qualified Australian legal practitioner about your own circumstances. A firm profile is not an endorsement or a guarantee of qualifications, availability or outcomes.