Accident and Incident Management Program
Purpose
The purpose of the Greenville University Accident/Incident Management Program is to ensure consistency in the management of all Greenville University work related accidents and incidents (near misses) and to use the information obtained through the process to prevent similar occurrences.
Objective
The main objective of the Greenville University Accident/Incident Management Program is to identify and examine fundamental causes and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence. In addition, this program:
• Serves to compel supervisors to review, analyze and address employee injuries
• Helps supervisors to understand the hazards present in their areas of responsibility
• Identifies weaknesses in the University’s frequency and cost reduction efforts, and suggests cost effective remedies for such weaknesses
• Develops accident trend information
• Demonstrates to employees that the administration takes injuries seriously
• Serves to reduce the number of fraudulent claims
• Provides information for workers’ compensation claims handling as well as regulatory reporting and record keeping
Scope
The Greenville University Accident/Incident Management Program will apply to all departments within Greenville University. All accidents and incidents will be examined.
Responsibilities
Greenville University believes that everyone shares the responsibility for the success of the Accident/Incident Management Program. Specific groups and their respective duties are as follows:
The President along with the SALT Team are responsible for implementing this program and will perform quarterly program evaluations. In addition, they will review incident reports and trends on a quarterly basis.
Supervisors and their Department Heads will investigate all accidents/incidents and identify their root causes, complete investigation forms, and develop corrective actions, preventing similar accidents.
Workers’ Compensation Coordinator (WC Coordinator) in the case of an injury, will file a claim, work with the workers’ compensation carrier and maintain claim files. The WC Coordinator will also compile accident/incident data quarterly for the SALT Team to review.
Employees must report accidents/incidents immediately and participate in the investigation process. Employees should share insights with supervisors about ways to prevent future accidents.
Accident/Incident Reporting
If a work-related accident/incident occurs during regular business hours an Employee Accident/Incident Report should be made the same day to the Supervisor. Employees may obtain an Employee Accident/Incident Report form from their immediate supervisor.
The following steps should occur following each accident/incident:
Employee
1. If needed, seek emergency medical treatment and notify direct supervisor
2. If you need medical attention beyond work site first aid, notify direct supervisor and contact Stephanie Comrie, Nurse Practioner, McCracken-Dawdy-Hall Family Practice 618- 664-1380 - Physician must complete the Return to Work Recommendations Form
3. If you are hurt; if there is property damage; or if you have caused harm to others, THEN
4. Sign and date Post Accident Drug Testing Consent and Release Form and proceed to Greenville Regional Hospital Lab for testing with Occupational Medicine Request Form
5. Complete, sign and date the Employee Accident/Incident Report Form for all accidents/incidents
Supervisor
1. If the employee was injured and requires medical treatment beyond first aid, call ahead to the McCracken-Dawdy-Hall Family Practice to schedule an appointment with Stephanie Comrie, Nurse Practitioner (618) 664-1380 or arrange for appropriate transportation to the ER department at Greenville Regional Hospital, if necessary.
2. Have employee sign a Post-Accident Drug Testing Consent and Release Form and arrange for Employee to have a drug and alcohol screening (complete and send Occupational Medicine Requisition with Employee). Forward the signed Post-Accident Drug Testing Consent and Release Form to the WC Coordinator.
3. Review Employee Accident/Incident Report Form with the injured employee. Sign, date and forward a copy to the WC Coordinator.
4. Investigate and thoroughly complete the Accident/Incident Investigation Form with the Department Head. See “Accident/Incident Investigation” section for more information. It is extremely important to fully complete this form. If the form is not completed correctly, it will be returned to the Supervisor for correction/completion. Send a copy of the Accident/Incident Investigation Form to the WC Coordinator.
5. Take immediate corrective action to avoid similar injuries.
WC Coordinator
1. Accept Employee Accident/Incident Report and Accident/Incident Investigation forms and review for thoroughness.
2. Report any injuries or illnesses to the workers’ compensation insurance carrier by completing and submitting the Employer’s First Report of Injury or Disease Form.
3. Submit a copy of the Employer’s First Report of Injury or Disease Form to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, if applicable.
4. Maintain personal and confidential claim files.
Accident/Incident Investigation
Determine the Facts
The Supervisor should identify and document all the facts of the accident by completing the Accident/Incident Investigation Report. To do this, the Supervisor should:
• Interview the individual(s) involved as well as witnesses; ask open-ended questions by using the Suggested Investigation Questions. Do not assign blame.
• Record general information (name, date, time of day, job task, general conditions, etc.).
• Photograph or videotape the accident scene if possible.
• Diagram the layout of the accident scene, and the relationship of machinery, equipment, and witnesses.
• If possible, safely reenact the accident to ensure that no one else is injured.
Determine the Causes
The cause of the accident/incident may be obvious and be determined immediately by the investigator. However, it is important that the investigator delve deeper to determine the underlying causes of the accident. These might include:
• Lack of employee or supervisor training
• Improper or outdated methods
• Lack of enforcement of safety regulations
• Inadequate equipment or machine maintenance
Determine the Corrective Actions
Investigators should be aware that there may be more than one method or technique for eliminating the cause of an accident/incident. It is also important to realize that a temporary corrective action may be appropriate if the most effective corrective action cannot be immediately used. The investigator should follow up with the Department Head to implement corrective actions.
Review Accident/Incident Investigation Forms
The SALT Team will review related forms and procedures annually to ensure the quality of investigation remains high
Analyze Accidents/Incidents
The SALT Team will analyze all accidents/incidents quarterly for trends or reoccurring problems. During the analysis, the date, time, and location of the accidents; the type of accidents; the nature of the injury and body part(s) involved; and the employee’s training and experience level will be taken into consideration.