Workplace Accident Report Colombia (FURAT — Informe del Accidente de Trabajo)

The Workplace Accident Report Colombia (Reporte de Accidente de Trabajo — commonly known as FURAT, the Formato Único de Reporte de Accidente de Trabajo) is the official document mandated by Article 2.2.4.6.33 of the Decreto Único Reglamentario del Sector Trabajo — Decreto 1072 de 2015 — for reporting workplace accidents to the Administradora de Riesgos Laborales (ARL) within two business days of the event. The FURAT triggers the ARL's obligation to provide medical care, disability benefits, and rehabilitation services to the injured worker under Ley 1562 de 2012 and Ley 776 de 2002.

The legal definition of a workplace accident (accidente de trabajo) is established in Article 3 of Ley 1562 de 2012 as any sudden event caused by external factors during the performance of work activities that produces bodily injury, functional disturbance, disability, or death in the worker. Ley 1562 expanded the scope of coverage beyond the original Decreto Ley 1295 de 1994 definition to include: accidents occurring during work travel (in itinere — while the worker travels directly from home to work or vice versa); accidents during recreational, sports, or cultural activities organized or sponsored by the employer; accidents during union activities conducted with the employer's authorization; accidents occurring when the worker is fulfilling a mission ordered by the employer outside normal work hours; and accidents during lunch breaks if the worker remains in the employer's facilities.

The FURAT is a standardized form originally designed by the Ministerio del Trabajo and the ARL administrators, available on each ARL's online platform and the Fondo de Riesgos Laborales portal. The form was standardized through inter-institutional coordination between the Ministerio del Trabajo and the Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social following the establishment of REPS (Registro Especial de Prestadores de Servicios de Salud) and SISPRO (Sistema Integral de Información de la Protección Social) data collection requirements.

Beyond the immediate ARL notification function, the FURAT initiates a mandatory accident investigation process. Article 2.2.4.6.33 of Decreto 1072 requires that all workplace accidents resulting in injury, disability, or death be investigated within 15 calendar days by the employer's accident investigation team — which must include the COPASST (Comité Paritario de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo), the worker's direct supervisor, and an SST professional or technician. The investigation must identify root causes using a recognized methodology (such as the causal tree — árbol de causas — or the 5-Why analysis) and generate a formal accident investigation report with corrective actions, responsible persons, and implementation deadlines tracked within the SG-SST.

The FURAT also feeds Colombia's national occupational accident and disease statistics system. The Fondo de Riesgos Laborales, created by Article 22 of Decreto Ley 1295 de 1994 and administered by the Ministerio del Trabajo, collects FURAT data from all ARLs to produce the annual Informe de Accidentalidad Laboral, which is used to update occupational risk classifications, identify high-risk economic sectors requiring targeted prevention campaigns, and measure the effectiveness of national SST policies. Accident frequency and severity rates are key indicators in the Ministerio del Trabajo's sector-wide risk management strategy.

The FURAT Workplace Accident Report Colombia must be completed and submitted in the following mandatory circumstances under Ley 1562 de 2012 and Decreto 1072 de 2015.

All Workplace Accidents with Injury: Any work accident that results in bodily injury — regardless of severity — that requires medical attention must be reported through the FURAT to the ARL within two business days. This includes accidents resulting in minor injuries (cuts, sprains, contusions) that are treated and allow the worker to return to work the same day (accidents without lost time), as well as accidents causing temporary disability (incapacidad temporal), permanent partial disability (incapacidad permanente parcial), total and permanent disability (invalidez), or death.

In Itinere Accidents: Accidents occurring while the worker travels directly from their home to the workplace or from the workplace back home, provided the route is the normal and direct route, must be reported as workplace accidents under Article 3 of Ley 1562. The ARL requires documentation of the worker's home address and normal commuting route as part of the in itinere accident investigation.

Accidents During Employer-Organized Activities: Work accidents occurring during recreational, sports, or cultural activities organized or sponsored by the employer — including company parties, sports days, and team-building events — must be reported through the FURAT regardless of whether the activity occurred during regular work hours or on weekends.

Accidents to Workers Outside Regular Premises: When workers performing activities at client sites, construction sites, off-site delivery locations, or any location other than the employer's registered address suffer a work accident, the FURAT must be filed with the ARL. The employer's SG-SST obligations extend to all locations where workers perform activities on the employer's behalf.

Apprenticeship Accidents: When SENA apprentices in the practical training phase suffer a work accident, the receiving employer must report through the FURAT within two business days. Apprentices in the practical phase are covered by ARL under Decreto 933 de 2003 and receive the same SGRL benefits as permanent workers.

Post-Accident Investigation Trigger: Even when the injured worker does not require medical leave, filing the FURAT is the trigger for the mandatory accident investigation required by Article 2.2.4.6.33 of Decreto 1072 within 15 days — a requirement that applies to all accidents and near-miss incidents (incidentes de trabajo) to identify corrective actions for the SG-SST.

A complete FURAT Workplace Accident Report Colombia under Decreto 1072 de 2015 and Ley 1562 de 2012 must contain the following mandatory fields to trigger ARL coverage and the accident investigation process.

Employer Identification: Legal name (razón social) or full name for natural persons; NIT or cédula; ARL affiliation number (número de afiliación ARL); workplace address where the accident occurred; CIIU economic activity code; assigned occupational risk class (Clase de Riesgo I-V); employer telephone and email for ARL communication.

Injured Worker Data: Full legal name; cédula de ciudadanía or cédula de extranjería; date of birth; gender; job title and type of work performed; employment contract type; months of seniority with employer; daily salary (salario diario) used as the base for incapacidad temporal calculation; AFP fund name; EPS name; ARL affiliation number.

Accident Circumstances: Date of the accident (fecha del accidente); time of the accident (hora del accidente — 24-hour format); place where the accident occurred (within the workplace, in transit, at client site, etc.); detailed narrative description of how the accident occurred; the activity the worker was performing at the moment of the accident; the immediate cause of the accident (the hazardous condition or unsafe act that directly caused the injury); and whether the accident was in itinere.

Injury Description: Part of the body injured (cabeza, tronco, extremidades superiores, extremidades inferiores, or multiple areas); type of injury (fractura, luxación, contusión, laceración, quemadura, amputación, intoxicación, etc.); type of causal agent (machinery, tools, falls, chemical substances, electricity, etc.); whether the worker required emergency medical attention at the time of the accident.

Medical Diagnosis and Prognosis: The attending physician's diagnosis code (CIE-10 classification); estimated disability period (días de incapacidad); type of medical leave (incapacidad temporal, incapacidad permanente parcial, or referral for invalidez assessment by the Junta de Calificación de Invalidez under Decreto 1352 de 2013).

Accident Witnesses: Names, identification numbers, and contact information of any witnesses (testigos) to the accident — witness statements are required components of the accident investigation report under Article 2.2.4.6.33 of Decreto 1072.

Previous Accidents: Record of whether the injured worker has suffered previous accidents with the same employer or in the same work area — required for the accident investigation's root cause analysis and IPVR matrix update.

Employer Declaration and Signatures: The employer's authorized representative certifies that the information is accurate; the injured worker (or their representative if incapacitated) confirms the narrative description; and the COPASST representative signs confirming they have been notified of the accident investigation obligation.

Forms-legal.com provides this FURAT Workplace Accident Report Colombia template as a reference. The official FURAT must be submitted directly through the ARL's electronic platform or the Fondo de Riesgos Laborales portal — paper submission is no longer accepted by most ARLs.

Additional compliance elements for a Workplace Accident Report Colombia (FURAT — Informe del Accidente de Trabajo) used in Colombia include: Under the Codigo Sustantivo del Trabajo (CST), Colombian employment law governs individual and collective labour relations. The Ministerio del Trabajo enforces compliance and issues regulations. The Sistema General de Seguridad Social (EPS, ARL, Fondo de Pensiones) provides health, occupational risk, and pension coverage. The Unidad de Gestion Pensional y Parafiscales (UGPP) audits employer contributions. The Caja de Compensacion Familiar administers family subsidy benefits. Forms-legal.com provides this template as a starting point for Colombia-compliant documentation.