The University requires that all injuries, incidents and hazards are properly reported, investigated and recorded.
- Deciding how to notify
- Statutory reporting requirement
- Reporting incidents, injuries, illness, disease or near misses
- Reporting hazards
- Injury, incident and hazard investigation
Deciding how to notify
- Incident
- A report is required for an event which has resulted in injury to a person or has caused ill health, damage or loss.
- Near miss
- A report is required for an event which had the potential to cause injury to a person, ill health, damage or loss.
- Hazard
- A report is required for a situation which presents the potential for an incident, accident or near miss (click link for further definition).
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Statutory reporting requirement
"If, at a workplace, an employee incurs an injury, or is affected by a disease, that –
- results in the death of the employee; or
- is of a kind prescribed in the regulations for the purpose of this subsection,
the employer of that employee shall forthwith notify the Commissioner in the prescribed form giving such particulars as may be prescribed."
Section 19 (3) Occupational Safety and Health Act W.A., 1984, Reg 2.4 and 2.5 Occupational Safety and Health Regulations W.A., 1996.
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Reporting incidents, injuries, illness, disease or near misses
Injury reporting
In the event of an injury the person(s) involved should:
- Seek first aid or medical attention as required
- Inform their supervisor as soon as possible
- Complete Part 1 of the Confidential Incident / Injury / Near Miss Report Form, or Needle-stick / Sharps Injury or Exposure to Bodily Fluid Report Form and fax it to UWA Safety and Health on (+61 8) 6488 1179
- Assist their supervisor in the investigation and reporting on the incident or accident.
The supervisor of the person(s) involved in the incident is required to:
- Ensure that any injured person is promptly attended to.
- Conduct an initial investigation into the cause of the incident.
- Complete Part 2 of the Confidential Incident / Injury / Near Miss Report Form and ensure that it reaches the Safety and Health within five (5) working days..
- Notify and liaise with the local Safety and Health Representative and line management in relation to the incident. A Confidential Incident / Injury / Near Miss report form should be completed for every incident and faxed to UWA Safety and Health on (+61 8) 6488 1179.
- Notify and liaise with the local Safety and Health Representative and line management in relation to the incident.
- Ensure that all serious injuries are reported to UWA Safety and Health immediately by phone on (+61 8) 6488 3938 or Security (+61 8) 6488 3020 for after hours assistance. A list of serious injuries as defined by WorkSafe WA is provided below.
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Notification and reporting of serious injury, illness or disease
It is a requirement of WorkSafe WA that all serious injuries, illness or diseases are reported to them as soon as possible. If unable to contact UWA Safety and Health, a 24-hour reporting line (+61 8) 9327 8800 is available, for any injury at work involving an employee which resulted in the following:
- Death
- Fracture of the skull, spine or pelvis
- The arm, (other than a bone in the wrist or hand).
- In the leg, (other than a bone in the ankle or foot).
- Fracture of a bone in:
- Amputation of an arm, hand, finger, finger joint, leg, foot, toe or toe joint.
- Loss of sight of an eye.
- Any injury other than those referred to above which, in the opinion of a medical practitioner, is likely to prevent the employee from being able to work again within 10 days of the day on which the injury occurred.
Infectious diseases
Infectious diseases include tuberculosis, viral hepatitis, legionnaire's disease and HIV, where these diseases are contracted during work involving exposure to human blood products, body secretions, excretions or other material which may be a source of infection.
Occupational zoonoses
Occupational zoonoses are Q fever, anthrax, leptospiroses and brucellosis, where these diseases are contracted during work involving the handling of, or contact with, animals, animal hides, skins, wool, hair, carcasses or animal waste products.
UWA Safety and Health must be immediately notified of these incidents by contacting (+61 8) 6488 3938 or Security (+61 8) 6488 3020 for after hours assistance.
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Reporting hazards
On identifying a hazard, staff must act as quickly as possible to eliminate it. This may mean a simple alteration, substitution or removal of the hazard or even talking to the people involved to enlighten them of their hazardous practices.
If staff are unable to make a hazardous situation safe they are required to notify UWA Safety and Health on (+61 8) 6488 3938 or by reporting the hazard using the form below.
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Incident, injury and hazard investigation
The main aim of investigating incidents and hazards is to:
- prevent similar incidents recurring in the future
- identify any new hazards
- identify and choose suitable controls.
Investigation should occur as soon as possible. The less time between an incident and the investigation, the more accurate the information obtained. While concern for an injured person shall take precedence over everything else, when incidents involving injury or illness occur, early investigation is essential.
Information required when investigating an incident, injury or hazard includes:
- What happened?
- How it happened?
- Why it happened?
Investigations of incidents, injuries or hazards are not to be used as vehicles to allocate blame. Successful incident investigation requires everyone's co-operation to prevent possible recurrence in the future. Any suggestion that blame allocation or 'scape-goating' is intended would jeopardise the investigator's credibility and reduce the quality and accuracy of information supplied.
For more information on how to conduct an investigation, please call UWA Safety and Health or review the WorkSafe publication - Tips for Investigating Accidents and Incidents.
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