Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Accident Investigation Program - Occupational Injuries & Illnesses

1.0 PURPOSE

To establish an internal uniform accident investigation procedure to assist faculty and staff in meeting their responsibilities regarding accident reporting and accident prevention.

2.0 GENERAL

It is Rose-Hulman’s policy to have supervisors investigate all accidents as a means of developing preventive or corrective safety measures. All written reports are to be reviewed by the Environmental Health and Safety coordinator. All serious cases are to be reviewed by the President or Vice-President of Business and Finance.

3.0 DEFINITIONS

3.1 

Accident - An unplanned event or occurrence, including near misses, that either caused or had the potential to cause injury, illness, production interruption, and/or property damage.

3.2

Serious Case - A serious case is an event that caused:

 

a)

An injury/illness that resulted in 5 days away from work;

b)

Loss of life, limb or function;

c)

Property damage equal to or greater than $10,000;

d)

Emergency response by an outside agency; or

e)

Potential for any of the foregoing.

4.0 SCOPE

An effective investigation process is an essential element of any safety program. Accurate and timely accident investigation is important for:

a) 

Determining immediate/proximate cause(s);

b) 

Determining contributing cause(s); 

c)

Determining root cause(s);

d)

Developing corrective actions to prevent similar events;

e)

Documenting the facts for regulatory and insurance purposes;

f)

Providing information on accident costs;

g)

Promoting improved safety performance; and

h)

Trend analysis.

 

 

 

5.0 PROCEDURE

All supervisors are to be properly trained in how to conduct an accident investigation. Training will emphasize that an accident investigation is primarily a fact-finding process to identify causes and develop measures that can be taken to prevent a recurrence. Assistance in conducting such training may be obtained by contacting the Office of Environmental Health and Safety.

The following procedures are to be implemented after an injured or ill employee has been provided with appropriate medical care and any other emergency situations have been resolved. If no injuries are involved, the investigation should commence immediately. All work-related injuries and illnesses must be reported to the immediate supervisor and designated site coordinator in order to file the appropriate worker’s compensation information.  Step-by-step procedures are available at the Administrative Services website (INSERT LINK)

5.1 

The investigation is to be conducted by the employee's immediate supervisor.

5.2 

The facts surrounding the accident should be assembled through: 

             a)   Visits to the scene;

             b)   Interviews with affected employee(s) and eyewitnesses as appropriate;

             c)   Taking photographs or making drawings of the scene for future reference

                   and documentation.

5.3

An accident review team should be established to review the facts of the accident, perform casual analysis and identify countermeasures designed to prevent recurrence. This team should be established by the supervisor of the affected employee and should include the injured employee (when possible) and other faculty, staff or technical representatives as required.

5.4 

The findings of the investigation and the recommendations of the accident review team are to be recorded in the incident investigation form (Attachment A) and then forwarded to the Environmental Health and Safety coordinator for review and approval.

5.5

The completed, reviewed, and signed-off incident investigation report is to be submitted to the Environmental Health and Safety coordinator within 24 hours of the accident.

5.6

A system for tracking implementation of corrective and preventive measures is essential.

6.0 INVESTIGATE REPORT RETENTION

Investigation reports and supporting documentation will be retained for five years.

7.0 COMMUNICATIONS

The cause(s) and preventive measures of the accident should be communicated to all relevant personnel via team meetings, bulletin boards, safety alerts, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

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