OHS Incident Reporting and Investigation

 

Reporting of incidents is an important tool in managing OHS.

Incident Reporting and Investigation Policy

The Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania is committed to ensuring health and safety on Synod Sites and programs. The Synod Incident Reporting and
investigation enables Synod members to report incidents in a timely manner as per legislative requirements.

What is an Incident?

  An incident is any event that has caused or could have resulted in injury and / or property damage.

Who should make a Report?

  Any person involved in an incident that has occurred on any Uniting Church property or during a formally arranged event / acitivity by the Uniting Church not held on chuch property.

  In the case of paid staff, any incident that occurs during the course of their working day is to be reported.

  It is preferable that the person or persons involved in the incident should complete an incident form as they would be able to give the most information. Where a visitor or contractor
  has been involved in an incident their contact person should inform them of the need for an incident report form to be completed.

In the event where the person or persons involved can not complete the form themselves, another person should do this on their behalf and where possible the person or persons involved in the incident should be consulted.

Note: Uniting Aged Care and Uniting Care have separate Incident Reporting systems.

When should Reports be made?

Immediately after an incident has occured or as soon as practically possible after the incident.

How to make a report:

Print the Incident Report from the link below and comple all details.

A copy of the completed form is to be forwarded to the OHS Unit either by fax to 9654 4179 or by mail to 130 Little Collins Street Melbourne Vic 3000.

The completed form is then to be given to:

• For Congregations / Presbyteries  - congregation / presbytery contact person
• Synod offices, CTM, Archives, Uniting Church Camps - The manger /supervisor / team leader that the person completing the incident form directly reports to. 

 

Why conduct Incident Investigations?

Incident inestigations allow for:

• the facts of an incident to be known
• appropriate remedial action to be take for the prevention of a recurrance or similar incident occurring in the future
• the Synod to take appropriate action to communicate and relay information and strategies to all members of the Synod
• for trends in incident causes to be establshed

 
To view and print a copy of the Incident Reporting and Investigation Policy please click on the link at the bottom of the screen.

 

Who should be involved in an Incident Investigation?

An investigation team need to be assigned to investigate an incident, the size of the team is dependent upon the seriousness of the incident but should consist of a minimum of two people. In the event of a notifiable incident the OHS Advisor (or delegate) must be a member of the investigation team

 

When does an investigation need to be started?

Incident investigations need to start as soon as an incident has occurred.

 

When does an investigation need to be completed by?

The investigaion team must complete the investigation and complete the Incident Investigation Form within:

• Notifiable Incidents - 72 hours of the incident occurring
• Non notifiable incidents - 7 days of the incident occurring

 

Investigation Form

To view and print a copy of the Incident Investigation Form please click on the link at the bottom of the screen.

 

Where to forward the completed Incident Investigation Form:

A copy of the investgation form is to be forwarded the OHS Unit either by fax to 03 9654 4179  or by mail to 130 little Collins Street Melbourne Vic 3000.

The completed form is to then be given to:

• Congregations / Presbyteries - Congregation / presbytery contact person

• Synod offices, CTM, Archives, Uniting Church Camps - The manager / supervisor / team leader that the person who completed the original incident form reports to

 

What is a Notifiable Incident?

A Notifiable Incident is any incident that is legally notifiable to the WorkSafe / WorkCover authority of the state where the incident took place.  There are set timeframes for reporting and failure to do so can result in legal prosecution and potential fines.

Each state has some varations as to what consitutes a notifiable incident and how the statutory authority is to be notified. The OHS Unit will on behalf of the Synod be the liasion with WorkSafe / WorkCover.

 

What to do if a Notifiable Incident has occurred

To ensure a consitent approach and that legislative requirements are met by the Synod, the OHS Unit must be immediately informed of a Notifiable Incident.

Follow the notifiable Incident Chart - click on the attachment at the bottom of the screen.

 

 

Definition of Notifiable Incident

 

a)     Victoria

Any incident in which an injured person (staff, contract staff, minister, visitor, member of the public or contractor) on Synod property or during a Synod event requires:

i)    Medical treatment within 48 hours of being exposed to a substance.  Includes exposure to dangerous goods, biological agents, electromagnetic radiation and hazardous substances;
(This does not include needle-stick injuries where the worker has no follow up treatment post blood tests.)

ii)   Immediate hospitalization as an inpatient;

iii)  Immediate medical treatment for:

·         Amputation

·         Electric shock

·         Loss of bodily functions

·         Separation of skin from underlying tissue

·         Serious eye injury

·         Serious head injury

·         Serious laceration

·         Spinal injury

Incidents are also notifiable if they constitute a dangerous occurrence.  A dangerous occurrence seriously endangers lives or health and safety of people and includes:

i)      Collapse, overturning, failure or damage to certain items of plant;

ii)     Collapse or failure of an excavation or the sharing support of an excavation;

iii)    Collapse of part of a building or structure;

iv)    Implosion, explosion or fire;

v)     Escape, spillage or leaking of substances

b)     Tasmania

An incident in which a person (staff, contract staff, minister, visitor, member of the public or contractor on Synod property or during a Synod event) is killed or suffers “serious bodily injury or illness”; or a “dangerous incident” occurs as a result of which a person could have been killed or could have suffered serious bodily injury or illness:

"serious bodily injury or illness" means an injury or illness that disables a person to the extent that as a consequence of that injury or illness the person is subject to a period of admission to hospital as an in-patient; (in the case of a resident becoming ill this must be reported if the illness can be attributed to the facility)

"dangerous incident" means –

(i)        damage to any boiler or other pressure vessel, or damage to a load bearing member of any lifting machinery, scaffolding or amusement structure, being damage which endangers the health or         safety of any person in the vicinity; or

(ii)       an uncontrolled explosion, fire or discharge of electricity, gas or steam; or

(iii)      an occurrence, including those involving any substance, involving imminent risk of explosion, fire, death, serious bodily injury or illness to any person or serious damage to any property;

A dangerous incident at a workplace includes the following:

(i)        an accidental explosion of gas, dust or explosive material;

(ii)       an incident involving a high probability of severe electric shock;

(iii)      a fire in a confined space including underground;

(iv)      a serious fire, other than a bush fire, requiring the attention of a trained fire fighting team;

(v)       any interference with, or obstruction of the use of, a sole emergency egress from an area in which a person is required to work;

(vi)      an accident or incident involving a mine winder or shaft, including a serious mine winder overwind;

(vii)     any uncontrolled escape of high pressure oil or water;

(viii)    the tipping over of self-propelled mobile plant;

(ix)      an accident involving the failure of load-bearing or pressure-retaining components of registered plant;

(x)       any other type of incident of which an inspector has specifically requested notification.

c)     New South Wales

Serious incidents include the following occurring at, or in relation to, a place of work:

·         that resulted in a person being killed

·         an injury that results in the amputation of a limb

·         the placing of a person on a life-support system

·         any event or circumstance listed below that presents an immediate threat to life:

·         the loss of consciousness of a person caused by impact of physical force, exposure to hazardous substances, electric shock or lack of oxygen

·         major damage to any plant, equipment, building or structure

·         an uncontrolled explosion or fire

·         an uncontrolled escape of gas, dangerous goods or steam

·         imminent risk of explosion or fire

·         imminent risk of an escape of gas, dangerous goods or steam

·         a spill or incident resulting in exposure or potential exposure of a person to a notifiable or prohibited carcinogenic substance (as defined in Part 6.3 of the OHS Regulation 2001)

·         entrapment of a person in a confined space

·         collapse of an excavation

·         entrapment of a person in machinery  

·         serious burns to a person.

 

 

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