Accidents, near misses, diseases and dangerous occurrences - when and how to report.
We all have a duty to report any of the above when they occur during work activities or in the workplace, including travel and fieldwork anywhere in the world.
Why do we do this? Three reasons:
Legal compliance - the HSE places upon us a statutory duty to report the above under The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013
Financial reasons - reporting leads to a healthier and safer workplace and can reduce sick leave. It can also prevent minor hazards becoming major hazards (which is why we report near misses).
Moral reasons - it is the right thing to do. If we report unsafe issues then we play our part in protecting others from those same issues by alerting management to problems
Definitons - what do we need to report?
Accidents - a type of incident which is separate, identifiable, unintended and causes physical injury. These can range from minor cuts to broken limbs; physical violence to trapped fingers etc
Diseases - these must be linked to exposure to a hazard at work and require a medical diagnosis before reporting and can include new symptoms or the worsening of existing symptoms. Typical reportable diseases are: occupational asthma, occupational dermatitis, cramp of the hand or forearm, carpal tunnel syndrome, hand-arm vibration syndrome, tendonitis. Exposure to carcinogens, mutagens and biological agents are also reportable.
Dangerous occurrences - these are certain incidents with a high potential to cause death or serious injury. There are a whole host of these which go beyond the scope of this article. The DSA will advise on specifics at the time of reporting. Typically they cover diving operations, collapse of scaffolding (potentially from fieldwork activities), biological agents, explosives, electrical short circuits.
Near misses - any event that doesn't lead to harm but does have the potential to cause illness or injury. In these instances, an unexpected event occurs which had not been planned or risk assessed but you feel it had the potential to escalate. That it didn't in this case could be just a matter of luck.
Dangerous occurrences and near misses - what's the point in reporting?
Reports allow us to prevent accidents in the future - typically, most near misses go on to cause an injury/accident unless rectified or further assessed
Allows an investigation to learn about what happened and why, in order to prevent recurrences or improve best practice
Allows for the replacement and/or repair of dangerous equipment
Safety Culture - a no blame scenario
The important thing to remember about reporting as above is that the University operates a no-blame culture. We actively want to know when things go wrong so we can improve and this message is supported strongly by Charlie in his video about safety culture at the University.
When you make a report, the DSA will conduct an investigation if required and make recommendations for improvements. You might be asked further questions, but you are not being held responsible. We recognise that incidents occur even with the best planning and we all have a duty to contribute to their prevention. We all have a right to leave the workplace in the same condition as we arrived!
How to report
Use the online reporting system (SOLAR)
Report directly to a first aider (names are posted around the building)
Email to environment-safety@york.ac.uk