POLICY ON INCIDENT AND ACCIDENT REPORTING AND INVESTIGATION

LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND

The University is required by NSW OHS legislation to keep a register of all injuries that result from University activities. Under NSW Workers'Compensation legislation, the University must notify its workers compensation insurer within 24 hours of all injuries that have the potential to result in a workers' compensation claim. The details of all serious injuries and incidents must also be reported by the University to the NSW WorkCover Authority within seven days of their occurrence. Those that involve a fatality or are otherwise particularly serious must be reported to WorkCover immediately and the site of the incident is not to be disturbed.

UNIVERSITY POLICY

To comply with the requirements of legislation and to maintain an effective accident/incident monitoring system, the University is committed to the following:

• prompt investigation and reporting of all incidents/accidents that affect staff, students and visitors by the immediate supervisor or person in charge of the area
• consultation by supervisors with those involved and prompt action to prevent recurrence
• compilation and periodic review of accident statistics to determine accident trends and identify work areas of concern
• provision of instruction and training for staff in accident/incident investigation

PROCEDURES

OHS & Injury Management maintains the University's incident/injury register and forwards relevant reports to the workers' compensation insurer and NSW WorkCover as required.

1. REPORTING METHOD
Accidents, injuries, illnesses and near misses are to be reported using via the myHRonline using the Incident and Injury Reporting.

2. REPORT TIMING
All incident reprts must be submitted within 24 hours of the incident. If full details of the incident, injury, investigation and corrective actions are not available within this timeframe, the essential details of the incident or injury as they are known should be submitted initially. Additional information, including details of supervisor investigation and corrective actions, should be submitted via email to as soon as possible (within one week).

3. ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
Reported accidents and incidents should be promptly investigated by the immediate supervisor of the injured or ill person, or by the person in charge of the area where the incident occurred. The investigation should identify the causes of the accident and assess any hazards that need to be controlled. Supervisors should discuss the incident with relevant staff and decide on suitable risk controls to be implemented. The investigation and corrective actions are to be summarised in the Incident Report and subsequent email.

ohsrm Part B form (pdf)

Incident Investigation Notes (pdf)

4. IMPORTANCE OF REPORTING
The reporting of incidents is essential for the identification of hazards in the workplace. This should prompt remedial action to address the identified hazards and prevent any recurrence of the incident. The University's accident reporting system is to be used by staff, students or visitors who are injured or become ill in connection with their work or visit to the University.

"Near misses", incidents with potential for injury or damage should also be reported and investigated. These incidents often serve as warnings that more serious consequences could have resulted. Preventing recurrence is therefore still important.

The incident report also serves as a record for future reference should there be any subsequent complication eg. delayed health effects, that may require the report as a factual base.

For more information on how to investigate accidents, see Incident Investigation Notes.

For information about Workers' Compensation Insurance, see the Workers Comp Frequently Asked Questions.

NOTES
Approved by the Central OHS Committee: March 10, 2004
Revised by Wendy Collis, 12 March 2009