Incident Reporting Andaccident Investigations

Supervisor’s Guide to

Incident Reporting andAccident Investigations

Safety programs and other risk-reduction measures minimizeincidents, but cannot prevent every untoward event. Once an incident occurs, thesupervisor ensures it is documented so the incident can be investigated immediately, causes identified, and actions taken to prevent future similar incidents, not place blame.

Which incidents should be reported?

Report all injuries, including minor ones, regardless of whether injury or property damages resulted. Less serious incidents often predict the potential for more damaging events. Prompt, accurate completion of the incident report is critical to minimize negative injury effects and timely, accurate Workers’ Compensation payments.In addition to attestingthe facility's concern for employee safety and willingness to improve hazardous conditions, incident reports are required by Workers' Compensation law and many state OSHAs. In some cases, incident reports are used in court.

Who completes the incident report form and when?

Initially, both the employee and the employee’s supervisor should complete the incident report form completely and accurately. The employee is required to report the incident to their manager or supervisoras soon as possible, but not later than 24 hours after they become knowledgeable of their work-related injury or illness. Needlesticks must be reported immediately.To document additional information, complete the Incident Investigation Worksheet. Within 24 hours, the supervisor will route the form(s) to the appropriate person so it may be promptly forwarded to the insurance carrier.Then the safety committeereviews the incident reports to determine if the incident was analyzed appropriately, if there was improvement opportunity, any corrections made, and the result of actions taken.

How should an incident investigation be completed?

A one-on-one cooperative discussion needs to be conducted between the supervisor and injuredemployee, and between the supervisor and witness(s). Promptness is pivotal for the facts to be fresh in the minds of those involved. Discussions should take place at, or as near as possible to, the scene where the incident occurredto provide clues, description clarity,and reveal contributing conditions. Discussions need to be done in a caring manner, and end on a positive note, focusing on finding ways to prevent future injuries.The supervisor or manager should ask the employee what suggestions they have for preventing similar injuries, thank them for their assistance, and reiterate the concern of management for the employee’s safety and health.

Use of the word “carelessness”

Carelessness, when used as an accident cause, places the fault with the person involved in the accident and hinders any attempt to learn underlying causes. Because it does not provide any facts related to the accident, corrective action cannot be taken to prevent reoccurrence. “Carelessness” should never be used or accepted as an incident cause.