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Accident Reporting and Investigation Plan

Purpose
An accident reporting and investigation plan prescribes methods and practices for reporting and investigating accidents that can be read and understood by all managers, supervisors, and employees. No matter how conscientious the safety efforts are, accidents are going to happen sometimes due to human or system error.

This written Accident Reporting and Investigation Plan is intended to demonstrate The University of Mary Washington's compliance with the requirements in 29 CFR 1904 by:

  • prescribing methods and practices for reporting and investigating accidents, and providing a means to deal with workplace accidents in a standardized way.

In addition it is the policy of the University to comply with all workers' compensation laws and regulations.

The requirements of this plan apply to all operations and departments at the University.

Administrative Duties
The University of Mary Washington's Workman's Compensation Coordinator, is responsible for developing and maintaining and reporting First Records of Injury to Risk Management. This function is shared by the Human Resource office and the Safety office. They are both responsible for the OSHA 300A report as well as compensatory reports for the employee and have full authority to make necessary decisions to ensure the success of this plan. They are also qualified, by appropriate training and experience to commensurate with the complexity of the plan, to administer or oversee our accident reporting and investigation program and conduct the required investigations and incident evaluations.

This written Accident Reporting and Investigation Plan is kept at the following locations Fairfax House and the Safety office at the Physical Plant Building.

Accident Reporting Procedures
Employees injured on the job are to report the injury to their supervisor as soon as possible after the incident/accident. Near miss accidents or incidents (when an employee nearly has an accident but is able to avoid it) should be reported as well.

The supervisor must immediately notify Human Resources Department and the Safety Department when an incident/accident occurs.

If they are not available a report should be forwarded for there review and the supervisor shall conduct an investigation and interview. The Employer's Accident Report, VWC Form No.3 is required to be completed by designated individual by each area for service support personnel. Residents Life Department are to have incident reports completed for all injury's involving students which will be
forwarded to the Safety Department for review.

Any employee witnessing an accident at work is to call for emergency help or whatever assistance appears to be necessary. In addition, the employee is immediately to report the accident to his or her supervisor and take part in answering questions related to the Accident Report and Accident Investigation.

Accident Investigation Procedures
Thorough investigation of all accidents will lead to identification of accident causes and help:

  • reduce economic losses from injuries and lost productive time;
  • determine why accidents occur, where they happen, and any trends that might be developing;
  • employees develop an awareness of workplace problems and hazards;
  • identify areas for process improvement to increase safety and productivity;
  • note areas where training information or methods need to be improved; and
  • suggest a focus for safety program development.

For all accident investigations, the Safety Department or designate will perform the following duties:

  • Conduct the accident investigation at the scene of the injury as soon after the injury as safely possible.
  • Ask the employee involved in the accident and any witnesses, in separate interviews, to tell in their own words exactly what happened.
  • Repeat the employee's version of the event back to him/her and allow the employee to make any corrections or additions.
  • After the employee has given his/her description of the event, ask appropriate questions that focus on causes.
  • When finished, remind the employee the investigation was to determine the cause and possible corrective action that can eliminate the cause (s) of the accident.
  • Complete an accident investigation report with the employee and review data with employee for accuracy. This will provide information to put into database format.

The accident investigation report is used to:

  • track and report injuries on a monthly basis;
  • group injuries by type, cause, body part affected, time of day, and process involved;
  • determine if any trends in injury occurrence exist and graph those trends if possible;
  • identify any equipment, materials, or environmental factors that seem to be commonly involved in injury incidents;
  • discuss the possible solutions to the problems identified with the safety team and superiors; and
  • proceed with improvements to reduce the likelihood of future injuries.

Injury/Medical Issues
If a workplace accident results in injury or illness requiring hospitalization of three or more employees or a fatality of one or more employee, the University's Workman's Compensation Coordinator will report the incident within eight hours by phone or in person to the nearest VOSH office.

If an injured person is taken to a doctor, a statement from the doctor will be attached to the Accident Report form.

Record-keeping
  The University of Mary Washington's Workmen Compensation Coordinator is responsible for maintaining the following records and documentation:

  • OSHA 300A log of injuries and illnesses
  • Accident investigation reports
  • Employer's Accident Report

The University of Mary Washington Safety Department is responsible for maintaining the following records and documentation:

  • Training records
  • Investigation and Interviews

Training
This plan is an internal document guiding the action and behaviors of employees, so they need to know about it. To communicate the new accident reporting and investigation plan, all employees are given a thorough explanation as to why the new plan was prepared and how individuals may be affected by it.

The information and requirements of this written plan are presented to employees during new hire orientation or as the plan is reviewed and modified but at least annually.

Program Evaluation
The accident reporting and investigation program is evaluated and updated by The University of Mary Washington's Workmen's Compensation Coordinators and the Safety Department annually to determine whether the plan is being followed and if further training may be necessary.

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