An Incident is any unplanned and unwanted event which results in damage or injury, or which could have resulted in damage or injury. Almost every incident is the result of a combination of causes. The primary purpose of investigations is to identify these causes so that corrective action can be taken to prevent a recurrence of the incident. Additionally, information collected will be valuable in meeting WCB and OH&S reporting requirements.
Incident and Hazard Reporting
Incident and hazard reporting is required by legislation, company policy, and contractual agreements.
All incidents and near-misses are to be reported to your supervisor immediately. Either the employee, his supervisor, or a manager, will record the details of the hazards and incidents on the Incident & Hazard Report Form. Then a manager will follow up with an Accident/Near Miss Investigation Report to ensure that appropriate action has been taken to reduce the chances of a recurrence. Please see a sample of each form in the Master Forms section at the back of this manual.
These steps will help you investigate the Accident/Incident/Near Miss and fill out the form.
Step 1) Discuss the accident/incident/ near miss with the employee involved and with any witnesses. Be sure to question the why-what-where-when-who-how aspects of the accident/incident/near miss.
Step 2) Inspect the equipment or materials involved for conditions that could have been made safer.
Step 3) Is the employee involved suited for the job he/she is doing? Did he/she receive adequate training? Are there any other contributing problems - use of drugs, use of alcohol, or emotional problems?
Step 4) Recommendations to correct the problem must b practical. Be sure your recommendations will not create other
situations which could result in injury to employees.
Step 5) Complete your report no later than the next working day after the accident/incident/near miss.