(a) An employer shall report all injuries received by employes in the course of or resulting from their employment immediately to the employer's insurer. If the employer is self-insured such injuries shall be reported to the person responsible for management of the employer's compensation program.

(b) An employer shall report such injuries to the Department of Labor and Industry by filing directly with the department on the form it prescribes a report of injury within forty-eight hours for every injury resulting in death, and mailing within seven days after the date of injury for all other injuries except those resulting in disability continuing less than the day, shift, or turn in which the injury was received. A copy of this report to the department shall be mailed to the employer's insurer forthwith.

(c) Reports of injuries filed with the department under this section shall not be evidence against the employer or the employer's insurer in any proceeding either under this act or otherwise. Such reports may be made available by the department to other State or Federal agencies for study or informational purposes.