Recording and Reporting Incidents : An Introduction

What is incident reporting ?

Incident reporting is the process of capturing, recording, and managing an incident occurrence, such as in injury, property damage, or security incident.

It typically involves completing an incident report form when an incident occurrence has happened and following it up with additional incident follow on forms such as an investigation, corrective action, hazard report, and sign off.

These follow on forms ensure that the incident occurrence causes are investigated to potentially mitigate and aim to prevent the same type of incident from happening again.

This might involve discovering hazards in the workplace or implementing new risk management or training processes to help staff understand the root causes of what happened in order to prevent it from happening again.

Examples:

- Injury in the workplace

- Illness report

- Near miss or close call

- Safety observation

- Lost time injury

- Medical treatment only incident

- First aid report

Importance of Incident Reporting

Incident reports should be completed immediately after a near miss, unexpected, awareness, or adverse event has occurred.

This ensures that the involved individuals or witnesses can recall the details of the occurrence with clarity to fill the report form accurately.

Additionally, employers may also implement a specific incident reporting time frame in the overall safety management procedures to be adhered to by all staff.

(What is the purpose of incident reporting?)

(Incident Reporting) (Accident reporting) (Near-miss reporting)

Reasons for reporting incidents/accidents:

Importance of reporting can prevent injuries, fatalities and damages.
Awareness of threats (Hazards and Risks) ( incidents keep us aware)
Legal requirement (Legal requirement to report some incidents.) (( legal -RIDDOR 2013):
Enable investigations to be carried out (To start the investigation)
It helps to identify the Corrective action
It helps to identify/discover the Hazards & Risk
It helps to understand the root cause to prevent it from happening again.
To trigger the provision of First aid.
Preserve accident scene. ( Preserve the evidences)
Record for civil claims / Insurance claims.
To receive the compensation
Avoid fines by reporting injuries right away ( avoid fines for late denial of liability, if reported on time)
Lessons learned within the organisation and benchmarks between industries.
Official record and act as evidence in future
Incident reporting is a key habit that creates positive Health and safety culture / safety climate.
Incident reporting is cheaper than the cost of a major incident.
Prevent the reoccurrences of the incident
To review or update the risk assessment
To review or update the Safe System of work
To identify the reasonable precautions to prevent this from occurring again
If reported earlier and no action taken , then it reoccurs then it proves Employer’s negligence
It prevents severe accidents when safety issues are identified and fixed before they become more significant problems.
It saves time and resources that could otherwise be spent dealing with more severe accidents.
Boosts the overall well-being of every worker in the organization
Protects the organization against non-compliance issues associated with H&S regulations
Reporting incidents helps the organization to keep track of the trends, patterns and discover anomalies.
Improves other H&S measures in the worksite, such as reporting potential hazards and risk assessments.
Creates a robust health and safety culture in the organization
It helps the management know the significant problems in the workplace and develop improved processes and safe procedures for workers.

Why Should Accident Report Books Be Filled In?

An accident book, put simply, is a record of any accidents/injuries at work that people have suffered. Incidents that could be recorded in the accident books could include:

Trips and slips
Cuts
Burns
Serious illnesses
Serious accidents
Serious injuries

Someone within the workplace should have the responsibility of recording injuries in the accident book. The information they should note down could include:

The time and the date of the accident.

The job title and name of those affected by the accident.

Details of what has happened. This should include what caused the accident, what injuries were sustained and what treatment was given. It should also include details of whether the person was taken to hospital or sent for further medical care elsewhere.

The signature and name of the person recording the accident/who performed first aid.

How to notify to External Agencies like HSE authority/ Competent Authority?

How should the employer notify the competent authority about accident?

Employer will immediately call to competent authority or Local Enforcement Authority (By telephone)
Call/inform to labour Inspector on INCIDENT CONTACT CENTRE
Provide the accident information. ( Internally – By telephone to manager)
Employer will use FAX services to give the information about accident
Provide Accident report.
Initial Report with minimum basic information -
By Written notices: The employer will give written confirmation to Authorities after a phone call.
The employer will write an email with accident report to HSE authority.
Detailed Reports with more details
- - - - -- -- - Who Injured (e.g. Worker /operator)
- - - - - -- - - How Injured (e.g. collision with vehicle etc.)
- - -- - - - - - -Types of injury (Incident) (e.g. major accident)
Employer will fill ONLINE REPORT FORM (Accident Form)
Incident description ( information) will reach to competent authority.
Description of event, Date , Time, How injured, who injured, severity etc.
Via Media relations contacts: The employer can inform to regional journalist who will contact to competent authority and journalist also can do the email Competent Authority.
Reporting should be done by a competent person: The employer/Competent Authority will contact to a named individual HSE representative or Advisory team and can provide the accident details.
Using the correct format standard format of notification-
- - - - - - - - Incident form,
- - - - - - - - Accident Record book information,
- - - - - - - - -Description of the accident…..
Reporting to Internal Authority- Notice board, During Meetings (TBTs, Departmental meeting etc.), Training
Employer need to report within a specified timeline as required by Local laws

The Incident report must include the following details:

The date of submission to RIDDOR
The details of the person making the submission (name, job title, phone number)
The details of the company or premises in which the accident occurred (name, address, email).
The location, date and time of the accident
The personal details of the injured person (name, job title, phone number)
A description of the injury, illness or incident

Download an Blank incident report form/ template for Practice/Learning:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13SqUnEQVypuSNP0kCjF36JgTzM1BmNGO/view?usp=sharing

Incident Reporting Requirement-What required ?

The organizational accidents/incident report form
Accident book
National accident reporting procedures for external agencies. (RIDDOR2013)

The ILO Code of practice requires that occupational accidents are classified as:

Occupational accidents resulting in death;
Occupational non-fatal accidents with at least three consecutive days of incapacity excluding the day of the accident.
Commuting accidents;
Occupational diseases as defined in national laws; and
Dangerous occurrences as defined by national laws.

Register of accidents, major accidents and dangerous occurrences ( As per Form No. 29 )

Download this Register of accidents editable format in Excel

Interview Questions related to Accident Book :

Question- Is an accident book a legal requirement the UK?

Answer- Yes, The Accident Book is an essential document for employers and employees, who are required by law to record and report details of specified work-related injuries and incidents (RIDDOR-2013)

Question- What must be reported(covered) in the accident book?

Answer- The accident book should contain the minimum following information:

The date and time on which it occurred.
The person who was injured.
Any witnesses.
The type and nature of the injuries sustained.
The cause and full circumstances of the accident.

Question- Is there are Near-miss books to record the near-misses at the workplace?

Answer- Yes, The Near-miss Book has been produced by HSE to help employers and employees record details of workplace near misses.

No alt text provided for this image — https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/near-miss-book.htm

References- www.hse.gov.uk, (Kindly visit the www.hse.gov.uk), Link for the Near-Miss Book

This record book will allow you to see if there are any patterns in when or how things go wrong.

A pattern of near misses provides an early warning that something needs attention.

It makes good business sense to be proactive and take action early when problems are likely to be less serious.

Near misses may seem trivial but they are a valuable source of information. Taking time to review the underlying causes is likely to reduce risk, improve health and safety, and save you time and money.

Please note:

There is no legal requirement to record near misses, however, you do have a legal duty to protect the health and safety of your employees and members of the public who may be affected by work activities.
Understanding near misses can help you to do this by reducing the risk of accidents.

Arrangements for notification- At National level – Employer Responsibility

(Refer ILO - Recording and notification of occupational accidents and diseases )

6.1.4. National laws or regulations should specify:

(a) the respective information on occupational accidents, occupational diseases, dangerous occurrences and commuting accidents, as appropriate, to be notified to the competent authority, labour inspectorate, insurance institution or other bodies;

(b) the timing of the notification, which should preferably be made by the employer:

(i) by the quickest possible means immediately after reporting of an occupational accident causing loss of life;

(ii) within a prescribed time for other occupational accidents and occupational diseases;

(c) the prescribed standardized form of notification to be used for submission of notifications to the competent authority, labour inspectorate, insurance institution or other bodies;

(d) that the employer identify a competent person at the level of the enterprise for notification;

(e) the responsibilities, appropriate arrangements and procedures enabling employers to cooperate in the notification procedure where two or more enterprises engage in activities simultaneously at one workplace; and

(f) the systems for the classification of information to be used (see section 3.2 of this code).

Why Do People Not Report Their Accidents Or Injuries?

Why workers do not report the accident at workplaces?

You may begin to wonder why there are incidents that go unreported.

Barriers to Reporting of Accidents/ Incidents (near-miss) (Barriers of Accident Reportings)

Unclear organisational policy. ( nothing mentioned about reporting procedures)
No reporting system in place.
Culture of not reporting
(peer pressure from co-workers).
Overly-complicated reporting procedures.
Excessive paperwork. ( Too much Paper Work)
Takes too much time. (Time consuming) (Too much times and effort involved)
Presence of Blame culture. (Fear of being blamed or professionally embarrassed)
Apathy – poor management response. (not understanding the value of reporting, instead seeing reporting and investigations as taking unnecessary time and effort which should be avoided .)
( No support from management)
Concern over impact on organisation/individuals' reputation.
Reluctance to receive first aid. ( Embarrassment)
Lack of reporting awareness to workers. (Not understanding what should be reported)
Fear of disciplinary action.
Fear of punitive action (by the employer)
Belief that nothing will be done in response to report
-Lack of interest from the organization
Too much work pressure (Don't want work interruptions: All workers have deadlines and/or quotas to make. )
Lack of recognition / feedback after reporting
They may fear being treated differently by their employer if they report it
Deductions in incentive amount as some organizations promote safe workplace.
Worker may think their employer would not be able to afford to pay for a claim

Activity : Accident Scenario #1

The campus garbage truck is out on campus performing routine pickups.. There are three employees assigned to the vehicle; a driver and two attendants.

It’s been threatening to rain all morning. There have already been a few sprinkles and the skies are dark. All of a sudden the dam breaks loose…it starts raining hard. The two attendants on the back run and get in the cab.

They have only one pick up left and they are at the location. They decide between them that they will back up to the spot and “real quick” dash out of the cab and put the garbage in the bin. This location usually doesn’t have much garbage anyway. They are backing up, with very little visibility, when a student on a skateboard comes around the wall to their side and is hit by the rear of the truck. The occupants in the cab are unaware of the student until they feel the bump of the vehicle driving over something. It is the student’s skateboard and legs. They get out to see what they hit and discover the injured person.

Analyse the possible answers:

What should happen from here?
What sort of claim is this? Auto or General Liability?
What should do?
How could we have avoided this Incident?
What do you think is the root cause of this incident?

Improving the incident reporting

(Remove the barriers to Reporting of Accidents by following ways)

Clear organisational policy.
Good reporting system in place.
Culture of reporting ( no peer pressure).
Simplified reporting procedures.
Less paperwork.
Takes less time.
No Blame culture.
Sympathy – good management response.
Less concern over impact on organisation/individuals reputation.
Importance to receive first aid.
Reporting awareness to workers.
No fear of disciplinary action / reprisal .

Accident Record Form ( Contents of Accident report ):

Name and address of casualty.
Date and time of accident.
Location of accident.
Details of injury.
Details of treatment given.
Description of event causing injury.
Details of any equipment or substances involved.
Witnesses’ names and contact details.
Details of person completing the record.
Signatures.
Details of failures – non-compliance/law breaches

Question: What are the typical contents of an internal incident-report form?

Internal and External Incident-Reporting

Reporting of events will depend on the severity.

Incidents need to be reported to regulator by law(RIDDOR, ILO), e.g.:

Internal Reporting :

Employer
Directors
Senior managers
Human resources managers
Health & safety advisers
Worker representatives
Immediate supervisor/line manager
Someone in control of premises
An injured person
An employee

External Reporting

A representative of an injured person
Family of the casualty
External authorities (e.g HSE Authority / Competent Authority , Stakeholders)
Insurance companies
Public relations advisers

Who Should Report under RIDDOR?

Responsible persons that should make reports under RIDDOR include:

An employer (e.g. MD, director etc.)
Someone in control of premises
An injured person
An employee
A representative of an injured person
A gas engineer/supplier
Additional –Competent person/Line Manager/Supervisor

Why are incident data collected?

(Reason of Data Collection and Why Analysis the data )

Analysis of data: Information > Valuable feedback > System improvement

What is the trend in accident/incidence rate over the past 5 years?
What are the most common types of accident?
What are the most common types of injury?
Between what times of the day do most accidents occur?
Which part of the body is most frequently injured?
Which department has the highest accident rate?
What is the accident-rate trend for a particular part of the organisation?
Where do most accidents occur in the workplace?

Content of Accident Reporting Training Programme

Why to Report?
What Accident to be reported?
How to make an incident report?
When do I need to report an incident?
Who should report the accident?
To whom report?

Group discussion:

Forklift accident in a warehouse-

A forklift truck is used to move loaded pallets in a large distribution warehouse. On one particular occasion the truck skidded on a patch of oil. As a consequence, the truck collided with an unaccompanied visitor and crushed the visitor's leg.

The initial responses of reporting and securing the scene of the accident have been carried out. The investigation reveals that there have been previous skidding incidents that had not been reported and the organisation therefore decides to introduce a formal system for reporting near miss incidents.

What factors that should be considered when developing and implementing such a system.

Possible Hints for discussion-