Even after all the control measures in place still accidents may occur due to human error or the lacuna in the system. It is the employer’s responsibility to look after the safety of the workers and also it is his responsibility to develop a proper reporting system for reporting accidents at the workplace. Reporting an accident is a lawful necessity. The report will give a picture to the regulatory authorities about the injuries, deaths, illnesses and dangerous occurrences as how they are occurring and how they could be investigated.
Why is reporting an accident a must?
Reporting an accident is a must because it will help the organization to analyze the tendency of the incidents happening in the workplace. When such data and statistics are maintained, suitable control measures could be planned so that similar accidents should not occur. The accident data also helps in defining future courses of action for the health and safety of the workers.
Accident and Injury Reporting at workplace
Employers must take a serious note of accidents and incidents that happen at the workplace. He must see that accident reporting is done by workers without any fear and in turn the employer should report the following to the regulatory authority:
- Illness
- minor injuries
- major injuries
- dangerous occurrences
- injuries that may result man hours losing
- death
The following are the steps to follow for reporting accidents and injuries at work:
Check whether there is any impending danger at the accident site
As soon as the accident occurs check the site and analyze if there is any impending danger which can further worsen the situation. Priority is to ensure no hazard exists in the accident scene and for that we may need to isolate the services if any, remove the hazardous equipment. Barricade the whole area and identify the injured persons at the site. Inform the concerned person or authority about the incident and follow the first aid procedures if required.
Ensure the medical aid reaches the accident site
As soon as the accident occurs, the concerned person or responsible authority must be informed along with the medical assistant. It is a legal requirement that every location must have a certified first aider who can immediately reach the location for initial medical assistance. The first will confirm whether the casualty be shifted to hospital for further medical care after analyzing the situation.
Maintain a proper accident book
Every company must maintain a proper accident book for maintaining the details of the accident which allows the organization to analyze the data of the accident for future course of action. Apart from that, a detailed assessment of the similar accidents can help the company to identify the root cause and develop measures which can curb the similar accidents in future.
Report the accident as per the laws
Depending on the intensity of the accident it is mandatory for the company management to inform the legal authorities for a proper investigation and for the insurance purposes.
Conduct a proper investigation
Investigation must be started as soon as possible so that the details of the accident and the information could be lost or forgotten by the witnesses. So it is a must that the plan for the investigation to identify the root cause of the accident, could it have been prevented and future remedial actions to avoid such accidents. For this a competent team must be formed consisting of various members, right from worker, supervisor to technical expert.
