Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Policy Guidance
for Incident
Reporting and
Investigation
Document Reference: H&S No.10/00/00.48
Table of Contents..
.2
1. Introduction.....
3
3. Background...
...5
9.
Definitions
.8
Appendices
Appendix 1: Incident Reporting Flowchart
Appendix 2: Dangerous Occurrence/Near Miss Reporting Flowchart
Appendix 3: Definitions RIDDOR Reportable Incidents
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1. INTRODUCTION
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2. SUMMARY OF ACTION REQUIRED TO FACILITATE THIS POLICY
All Staff*: -
*Please note that, the Incident/Near Miss Form (Form S1e) can be found in
your department or at http://www.gcu.ac.uk/healthandsafety/index.html.
Students should not be regarded as staff unless they are actually
employed by the University e.g. some research students, placement
students who are paid by the University.
Heads of Department: -
- The Head of Department shall ensure that any incident which occurs
within their area of responsibility and control should be properly
investigated.
- Designate a responsible person to assist in collecting incident
information, completing paperwork and taking remedial action. The
responsible person could be the Departmental Safety Co-ordinator
or any other member of staff. Note that the reporting of dangerous
occurrences and near misses is mandatory.
- Communicate to all staff within your department the procedures for
dealing with incidents and ensure that they have been informed of
the name(s) of the responsible person(s).
- Ensure that any paperwork is completed and forwarded according to this
guidance to ensure compliance with legislation.
- Ensure that the Health and Safety Adviser is informed as soon as it
becomes apparent that an employee will be off work for more than
three days as a result of a workplace accident.
- Ensure that the Health and Safety Adviser is informed if an employee
subsequently dies with one year as a result of an incident at work.
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- Inform the Health and Safety Adviser if an employee suffers from a
reportable disease (Please See Appendix 3).
First Aiders: -
Responsible Persons: -
- In the case of a dangerous occurrence telephone the Health and Safety
Adviser.
- Investigate incidents before completing the relevant parts of any
Incident/Near Miss Form and recommending remedial action,
identifying where possible any immediate or underlying causes.
- Ensure remedial action is carried out.
3. BACKGROUND
3.1 This document will guide you on the Universitys policy and procedures for
complying with the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous
Occurrences Regulations 1995. For more detailed guidance on the
Regulations you may wish to obtain a copy of A guide to the Reporting of
Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (HSE
Books, L73, ISBN 0-7176-1012-8).
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3.3 An incident in this document refers to any accident resulting in fatality,
major or first aid injury, or a dangerous occurrence or a near miss. The
reporting of diseases is also covered in this set of policy arrangements.
Please refer to section 8 for a full explanation of the key terms
used throughout this document and Appendix 3 for the definition
of a RIDDOR reportable incident.
4.1 Staff have a legal responsibility, under the Social Security (Claims and
Payments) Regulations 1979, to record any injury at work, no matter how
minor. They should do so by reporting the incident on an Incident/Near
Miss Form (Form S1/S1e) or in the departmental accident book for minor
incidents (eg. slight cut or abrasion.
4.2 When an accident occurs and a person is more seriously injured a First
Aider should be summoned immediately to provide treatment, by calling
telephone extension 2222. In the event that the accident causes the
death of an employee or a major injury to an employee, arising out of or
in connection with the work of the University (this also includes a death or
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major injury as a result of physical violence), the First Aider will contact
the Health and Safety Adviser by telephone on 331 8859 as soon as they
have finished attending to the injured person. In the event that the
accident causes the death of a non-employee or leads to the non-
employee to being taken to hospital by whatever means, and the injury
arises out of or in connection with the work of the University, again the
First Aider will contact the Health and Safety Adviser by telephone as
soon as they have finished attending to the injured person.
Note: For a definition of major injury please refer to Appendix 3.
4.3 For every accident attended, regardless of whether the injuries were
serious or the Health and Safety Adviser was contacted by telephone, the
First Aider must submit an Incident /Near Miss Form (Form S1/S1e) to the
Health and Safety Adviser within 3 working days of the accident.
4.4 Once the Form S1/S1e is received by the Health and Safety Adviser the
incident details will be entered into a computer database and, where
necessary, forwarded to the relevant Departments responsible person.
This will not be necessary if the injury sustained did not arise out of or in
connection with the work of the University.
4.5 On receiving the Form S1/S1e the responsible person may have to visit
the scene of the accident to gather information before completing the
Form S1/S1e for the signature of the Head of Department (in the absence
of the Head of Department the responsible person will sign the form).
The Form S1/S1e will then be returned to the Health and Safety Adviser
within 4 working days of the responsible person having received it. A
copy should be retained by the responsible person and the Head of
Department.
5.2 The responsible person will then visit the scene of the incident to gather
information where necessary. If the incident is a dangerous occurrence
the responsible person will contact the Health and Safety Adviser
immediately by telephone (331 8859).
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5.3 The responsible person will complete the relevant parts of Form S1
(shown in the Appendix) for the signature of the Head of Department (in
the absence of the Head of Department the responsible person will sign
the form). The Form S1 will then be returned to the Health and Safety
Adviser within 7 working days of the incident. A form should be sent
to the Health and Safety Adviser even where the Adviser has already
been contacted by telephone. A copy should be retained by the
responsible person and the Head of Department.
6.2 The Health and Safety Adviser will already have been notified through the
accident reporting procedures that an employee was injured and will be
able to use the information from the Form S1/S1e to provide a report to
the Health and Safety Executive (the enforcing authority).
7.2 In order for this to happen the responsible person within a Department, or
the Head of Department, must monitor the progress of any employee
seriously injured in an accident at work. As soon as the responsible
person or HOD becomes aware of the subsequent death of an employee
they should inform the Health and Safety Adviser on 331 8859.
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7.3 Reasonable steps must also be taken to monitor the progress of any
employee who is seriously injured and leaves their employment within
a year of the incident.
9. DEFINITIONS
9.3 First Aid injuries are any injuries which require first aid treatment
but do not require any further treatment (e.g. taken to hospital). In this
document we exclude very minor cuts and scratches which are self
treated, for example by the application of a plaster. However it should be
remembered that for any accident, no matter how minor, an entry should
be made in the Accident Book.
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