What you should do as an employee:
1. Inform your line manager as soon as possible if you have been involved in any of the following:
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- Any accident which results in an injury to any person
- An incident of violence and aggression towards you or your colleagues, whether physical, verbal, in person, over the phone, written threats etc. This type of behaviour should not be tolerated
- If you are suffering from ill-health caused by work. This could include pain and discomfort from using your computer, a manual handling back injury, illness from exposure to substances hazardous to health, a disease attributed to work
- Near misses or events that under slightly different circumstances may have caused an ‘accident’
2. If you are unsure, follow the Incident Reporting Flowchart (see: https://gloucestershirecc.sharepoint.com/sites/SHEHub/SitePages/How-to-report-an-accident(1).aspx)
3. Ensure an accident form is created, preferably with your manager, detailing all specified information.
What should you do as a manager
If you are made aware of an accident, incident or ill-health, it is your responsibility to ensure it is appropriately managed, investigated and reported via the GCC H&S Portal.
The following actions should be taken, proportionate to the incident and risks:
- Immediate Response
- First aid - assist the injured, call for first aid assistance or call emergency services by dialling 999 if necessary
- Ensure Safety - prioritise the safety of all persons in the area, stop all work and make sure there is no risk of further injury or danger
- Report what's happened to Facilities Management if necessary (Tel 01452 425850)
- Defusing the situation - staff need to talk through their experience as soon as possible after the event and preferably within the hour. It is important to create a supportive and positive atmosphere where acceptance of the situation is encouraged
- Secure the scene
- You may need to prevent anyone else entering the areas to prevent danger or preserve evidence
- Document the Incident
- Take photographs of the scene, equipment and any relevant conditions
- Take details of any witnesses and what they saw or heard
- Complete an accident report form via the GCC H&S Portal with details of the incident
- Investigate the Incident
- Conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the accident
- Review existing safety procedures and identify any lapses or areas for improvement
- Review existing risk assessments and any training that has been provided
- For major incidents, inform your senior manager and contact the SHE team
- Implement Corrective Actions
- Address any immediate hazards identified during the investigation
- Develop and implement measures to prevent recurrence, such as additional training or changes in procedures
- Amend any risk assessments to identify any further actions or update control measures
- Post Incident Support https://gloucestershirecc.sharepoint.com/sites/SHEHub/SitePages/Post-incident-Support-and-Reporting.aspx
- Provide any ongoing medical support for the injured/affected employees
- Consult with HR about the management of the situation
- Consider referral to Occupational Health, counselling, temporary alteration of duties etc
Although ‘safety’ is all about preventing accidents, we can learn from those that do happen. Consequently, it is important that accidents are reported quickly so that an investigation may follow as soon as possible and then remedial action put in place to prevent a recurrence.
Purpose of investigation
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- to establish the root causes of the accident/incident
- to identify any weaknesses in standards or arrangements for managing health and safety
- to identify any corrective action(s)
- to reduce the likelihood of a recurrence
- but not to blame any individual or group of individuals
Level of investigation
The level of investigation will clearly vary depending on the severity of the accident/incident (or the likely consequences in the event of a near miss). To assist line managers in deciding the degree of investigation the following levels provide guidance:
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- Level 1 – a minor accident with minimal consequences or implications – a simple investigation conducted by line manager
- Level 2 – a more serious accident that requires a proper investigation but can be accomplished by the local manager/supervisor
- Level 3 – a serious accident, probably with reportable injuries – conducted by the line manager but may include other assistance (e.g. a SHE Adviser)
- Level 4 – an accident with life threatening or fatal injuries – investigation very likely to be led by a senior managers and, if fatal, will have external involvement by the HSE, police etc. Could also be a high potential accident or near miss for which a Structured Inquiry may be arranged.
