Incident & Near Miss Reporting Policy

DEFINITIONS:

• Incident: An unplanned event that interrupts the completion of a wok activity and results in an injury/illness and/or property or environmental damage
• Near miss: a situation that had the potential to result in an incident as defined above but did not
• Hazardous condition: a situation that has the potential to cause an incident or near miss
• Occupational illness: a physical condition that results from exposure in the workplace to a physical, chemical or biological agent
• Property damage: any damage to Company property and/or equipment
• Environmental damage: any damage to or release of hazardous substances into the environment, including the ground, water and air, that causes or could cause an adverse effect
• Critical injury: a work-related injury of a serious nature that [modify to reflect definition in OHS law]:
• Places life in jeopardy;
• Produces unconsciousness;
• Results in substantial loss of blood;
• Involves the fracture of a leg or arm;
• Involves amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot;
• Consists of burns to a major portion of the body; or
• Causes the loss of sight in an eye.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• All workers must report workplace incidents, occupational illnesses, hazardous conditions, near misses and property and environmental damage to their immediate supervisor as soon as possible after their occurrence.
• The Company will implement a reporting system, review reports and recommendations of preventive and corrective actions, and maintain records.
• Supervisors are responsible for completing the appropriate reporting forms and distributing them to [insert designated parties, such as the JHSC, safety coordinator, etc.] in a punctual manner.

REPORTING PROCEDURES:

Workers:

Workers must report all workplace incidents, hazardous conditions, near misses and property and environmental damage to their immediate supervisor as soon as possible after their occurrence. Workers who experience a work-related injury or occupational illness should seek immediate medical attention and promptly report the injury/illness to their supervisor.  Note: All work-related injuries/illnesses, no matter how slight, must be reported to a supervisor.

Supervisors:

Once notified of an incident, hazardous condition, near miss or property or environmental damage, the supervisor must complete an incident report form and submit it to [insert name of appropriate person/group, i.e., safety director, JHSC, etc.].

Reporting to the Government

If a worker is critically injured or dies or [insert other criteria under the OHS law in your jurisdiction for incidents which must be reported to the appropriate government agency, i.e., explosions, fires, equipment collapses, etc.]:

• No one shall interfere with, disturb, alter or otherwise interfere with any wreckage, equipment or thing at the scene of or connected to the occurrence until permission to do so has been given by the MOL. The only exceptions are to save a life or relieve human suffering, maintain an essential public utility service or transportation system, or prevent unnecessary damage to equipment and other properties.
• The [insert appropriate person, i.e., safety director, JHSC chair, etc.] will immediately notify the MOL and submit a written report to the MOL within [insert deadline under the OHS law, i.e., 48 hours]. The written report must contain [modify to reflect the information required in incident reports in your jurisdiction’s OHS law]:
  • The employer’s name and address
  • The nature and circumstances of the occurrence and the bodily injury or illness sustained
  • A description of the machinery or equipment involved
  • The time and place of the occurrence
  • The name and address of the person who was killed or critically injured
  • The names and addresses of all witnesses to the occurrence
  • The name and address of the physician or surgeon, if any, by whom the person was or is being attended for the injury or illness
  • The steps take to prevent a recurrence.