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Accident, Injury, Incident, Hazard Reporting and Investigation Policy

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Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) The University of Western Sydney aims to promote the timely reporting and investigation of all accidents and incidents and to ensure legislative compliance. The aim of this policy is to ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibility in relation to accident/injury/incident/hazard reporting.

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Section 2 - Definitions

(2) The following definitions apply for the purpose of this policy:

  1. Accident - An unplanned event which has the potential to disrupt normal safe operations, such as a system failure, which results in, for example, a fatality, injury, occupational illness, loss of containment, uncontrolled discharge to the environment, legal claim or any other Occupational Health and Safety non-compliance.
  2. Incident - An event (near miss), which could have caused an accident, but did not.
  3. Dangerous Occurrence - Dangerous Occurrences are incidents prescribed by the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000 that must be reported to Workcover via the Occupational Health Safety and Information Services Unit.
  4. Hazard - Any thing or any condition that causes or has the potential to cause injury, harm or ill health.
  5. Lost Time Injury - An incident where there is an injury that prevents the employee from attending work for one full day/shift or more.
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Section 3 - Policy Statement

(3) The University of Western Sydney requires that an Accident/Injury/Incident/Hazard Notification Form be completed in regard to all accidents/incidents that occur in areas under the control of the University. This form should be completed and forwarded to the Occupational Health Safety and Information Services Unit within 48 hours of the occurrence of the accident/incident.

(4) The University also requires that all accidents/injuries/incidents/hazards be investigated and that appropriate strategies be developed and implemented to eliminate or reduce the likelihood of future occurrences. In order to achieve this the University requires that all accidents, injuries, incidents and hazards be investigated in a timely fashion.

(5) This policy applies to all University staff and students as well as to individuals who visit the university.

Part A - Accountability

Employees

(6) Employees must:

  1. Report all accidents/injuries/incidents/hazards to their direct supervisor and/or Manager.
  2. Ensure the completion of the Accident/Injury/Incident/Hazard Notification Form.

Direct Supervisors

(7) Direct Supervisor must:

  1. Investigate all reported accidents/injuries/incidents/hazards
  2. Ensure corrective action is taken to prevent recurrence
  3. Forward all appropriate documentation to the Occupational Health Safety and Information Services Unit in a timely fashion

Occupation Health and Safety Coordinator

(8) Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator must:

  1. Review all accident/injury/incident/hazard report forms
  2. Ensure completion of accident/injury/incident/hazard report forms in a timely fashion
  3. Provide feedback, advice and support to direct supervisors
  4. Provide guidance and assistance to direct supervisors to prevent a recurrence of the same or similar accident/injury/incident/hazard
  5. Monitor the investigation process and control strategies implemented
  6. Ensure timely notification to WorkCover Authority as required
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Section 4 - Procedures

Part B - Scope

(9) This procedure covers the requirements associated with the investigation of accidents/injuries/incidents and hazards, including fatalities, injuries, occupational illnesses, loss of containment, environmental non-compliance (with licence), public complaints and legal claims. This includes events which actually caused or could have caused any of the above. The procedure covers - immediate action, investigation, classification and any corrective action.

(10) The established Accident/Injury/Incident/Hazard Reporting System is to be used by staff, students or visitors who identify a hazard, are injured or become ill in connection with their work at or visit to the University.

Part C - Objective

(11) To ensure all incidents and accidents are properly investigated

(12) To ensure corrective action is taken to prevent re-occurrence and reduce the risk potential of the working environment

(13) To identify hazards in the workplace

Part D - Immediate Action

(14) In the event of an accident/injury/incident/hazard staff shall, where it is safe to do so, take appropriate immediate action to minimise the risk of further injury or damage (for example, first aid, fire fighting, contain spills, contact emergency services).

Part E - Reporting

(15) Reporting of accidents/injuries/incidents/hazards is essential for the identification of hazards in the workplace.

(16) Incidents with the potential for injury or damage (near accident) should also be reported.

(17) The person directly involved in the accident/injury/incident or hazard or, if unable, another person (staff member, worker) shall complete the Accident/Injury/Incident/Hazard Notification Form. This form should be completed and forwarded to the Occupational Health Safety and Information Services Unit within 48 hours of the occurrence of the accident/incident.

(18) For accidents, which constitute an emergency, refer also to the Emergency Procedures Manual.

(19) Serious accidents/injuries/incidents and hazards must be immediately reported to the Occupational Health Safety and Information Services Unit. This will include any accidents or incidents, which are WorkCover reportable (see Reporting to WorkCover below).

(20) Any accident/injury/incident or hazard involving actual or alleged discrimination/harassment must be reported to the Equity and Diversity Unit to ensure that these claims are assessed in relation to the Anti-Discrimination legislation.

(21) In addition, the responsible line manager or the Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator, has the authority to suspend work in the area where the accident/injury/incident/hazard has occurred, or to suspend similar work, until the investigation has been completed and/or corrective action taken, if there is a risk of a similar accident/injury/incident/ hazard occurring.

Reporting to WorkCover (Statutory Reporting)

(22) The WorkCover Authority must be notified, within 7 days, of any of the following situations occurring:

  1. When an employee provides a medical certificate stating that he or she is suffering from a work related illness and is unable to carry out his or her usual duties for a continuous period of at least 7 days as a result of the injury/illness
  2. When, as a result of an accident at your workplace, a person dies or is injured so that he or she cannot carry out their usual duties for at least 7 days after the accident

(23) N.B. - The WorkCover Authority must be notified even if the person injured or killed is not an employee. You should liaise directly with the Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator who will notify WorkCover. (Refer to Section 27 of the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act, 2000 and Occupational Health and Safety Act Regulations, 2001 (Notification of Accidents).

(24) It is the responsibility of the immediate manager to ensure completion of:

  1. The Accident/Injury/Incident/Hazard Report Form
  2. Any relevant Workers Compensation documentation within 24 hours of any accident/injury or incident
  3. The WorkCover Accident Report Form, in consultation with the Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator.

Part F - Accident/Injury/Incident/Hazard Investigation

(25) All accidents/injuries/incidents and hazards shall be investigated in accordance with the guidelines in the Accident/Injury/Incident/Hazard Report Form.

(26) During the investigation, an analysis shall be carried out to identify any Occupational Health and Safety Management System failure. This will involve an examination of the incident, by the manager, along the following lines:

  1. Is there a procedure, which covers this area of activity?
  2. Is the procedure adequate? (i.e. effective, workable, comprehensive, simple, easy to use, etc.)
  3. Was the procedure properly implemented?
  4. Was the procedure followed?
  5. What influences, outside of the immediate process, are evident?

(27) The objective of the investigation shall be to establish the real cause(s) of the accident or incidents, so that corrective action is aimed at preventing recurrence of the event.

(28) It is the responsibility of the immediate manager to ensure:

  1. Timely notification to the Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator of -
    1. Accidents/injuries/incidents/hazards within 24 hours
    2. Major accidents/injuries/incidents/hazards immediately
  2. The accident/injury/incident/hazard is fully investigated and formally advise the Occupational Health Safety and Information Services Unit accordingly or in cases of discrimination/harassment, refer to the Equity and Diversity Unit or, where legal obligations overlap with Occupational Health Safety and Information Services Unit, refer to the appropriate Unit/Division.

(29) The Occupational Health and Safety Coordinator will monitor trends of accidents/injuries/incidents/hazards and initiate further investigation where:

  1. A number of incidents are noted for similar situations
  2. A workers compensation claim has been lodged
  3. The manager has requested assistance to investigate an accident/injury/incident/hazard
  4. A serious or major incident has occurred
  5. A situation is deemed to require further investigation

Part G - Corrective Action

(30) The scope and impact of any corrective action taken shall be appropriate to the magnitude and potential for harm of the accident/injury/incident or hazard.

Part H - Records

(31) Records of all accident/injury/incident/hazard notifications, reporting, investigation and corrective actions shall be kept. Where applicable, records shall be kept for duration as required by legislation.

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Section 5 - Guidelines

(32) Nil.