The Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act come's into effect whenever there is a serious injury on a worksite, or an accident/incident that has the potential for causing serious injury. If an injury or incident (listed below) occurs at a worksite, the prime contractor or if there is no prime contractor, the contractor or the employer responsible for the worksite must notify Alberta Human Resources and Employment, Workplace Health and Safety Director of inspections, as soon as possible. The company's investigation policy should already outline who has the notification responsibility.
Incidents:
- An injury or accident that results in death.
- An injury or accident that results in a worker being admitted to a hospital for more than two days.
- An unplanned or uncontrolled explosion, fire, or flood that causes a serious injury or that has the potential of causing a serious injury.
- The collapse or upset of a crane, derrick, or hoist.
- The collapse or failure of any component of a building or structure necessary for the structural integrity of the building or structure.
The Occupational Health and Safety Act require that the prime contractor or employer responsible for the worksite is responsible for reporting the injury or incident and preparing an incident investigation report.
For any accident covered by the Act, you must:
- Keep the scene of the accident/incident undisturbed other than to attend to an injured person, prevent further injuries, or control imminent danger hazards created by the accident.
- Notify Alberta Human Resources and employment - Workplace Health and Safety Director of Inspections, reporting the time and place the accident/incident occurred and the nature of the accident/incident.
- Investigate the circumstances surrounding the serious injury or accident.
- Write a report of your investigation and have a copy available for inspection by a Workplace Health and Safety Division officer. This report must be retained for a period of two years after the serious accident/incident.
- Who was notified (name of organization)
- What person you contacted ( name and position)
- When they were notified (date and time)
- Where the accident/incident took place
- Why they were notified (in general terms, describe the reason for notification)
Fatal Accidents
If a fatal accident occurs, you as the supervisor and in the role of an investigator should remind management that the jurisdictional police must be notified of the occurrence immediately. Ensure that the scene is not disturbed, and arrangements are made to preserve evidence. In addition, fatal accident investigations contain more details than a "Report Form" will allow. A fatal accident report should be done in "open form" which is a narrative chronological report, using the accident investigation form questions as a guide. Workers can ask Workplace Health and Safety for a copy of their signed witness statement.
If a fatal accident occurs, you as the supervisor and in the role of an investigator should remind management that the jurisdictional police must be notified of the occurrence immediately. Ensure that the scene is not disturbed, and arrangements are made to preserve evidence. In addition, fatal accident investigations contain more details than a "Report Form" will allow. A fatal accident report should be done in "open form" which is a narrative chronological report, using the accident investigation form questions as a guide. Workers can ask Workplace Health and Safety for a copy of their signed witness statement.
Imminent Danger Investigation
The Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act require a worker to notify his employer of the existence of imminent danger at the worksite and to refuse to carry out the work or an operation which believes will cause imminent danger to his or another worker's health or safety. When notified, the employer, who is often represented by the site supervisor, must investigate and take action to eliminate the imminent danger. The immediate notification of imminent danger often means that personal injury or property damage has occurred at the time of notification and that the immediate implementation of corrective action to eliminate the hazard would generally not result in property damage or personal injury. The investigation, which the supervisor conducts, can be documented on the organization/company's accident/incident or near miss investigation report. A copy of the report with documented corrective action must be received by the worker who gave the notification of the imminent danger.
The Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Act require a worker to notify his employer of the existence of imminent danger at the worksite and to refuse to carry out the work or an operation which believes will cause imminent danger to his or another worker's health or safety. When notified, the employer, who is often represented by the site supervisor, must investigate and take action to eliminate the imminent danger. The immediate notification of imminent danger often means that personal injury or property damage has occurred at the time of notification and that the immediate implementation of corrective action to eliminate the hazard would generally not result in property damage or personal injury. The investigation, which the supervisor conducts, can be documented on the organization/company's accident/incident or near miss investigation report. A copy of the report with documented corrective action must be received by the worker who gave the notification of the imminent danger.
Worker Compensation Act Requirements
Keep in mind that while you will be dealing with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, you may have other obligations and responsibilities covered under the Workers Compensation Act whenever an employee suffers personal injury on the worksite, or is entitled to medical aid pursuant to an accident. If the accident/incident is likely to disable the worker for more than the day of the incident, management must:
NOTE: How Workers Compensation Board procedures are handled could vary greatly from the company to the company.
Keep in mind that while you will be dealing with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, you may have other obligations and responsibilities covered under the Workers Compensation Act whenever an employee suffers personal injury on the worksite, or is entitled to medical aid pursuant to an accident. If the accident/incident is likely to disable the worker for more than the day of the incident, management must:
- Report the accident to the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) within 72 hours.
- Notify the WCB, within 24 hours, when you learn that the employee has returned to work or can do so.
NOTE: How Workers Compensation Board procedures are handled could vary greatly from the company to the company.