Incident Reporting Procedures

1. Governing policy

The Incident Reporting Procedures gives effect to the Health and Safety Policy so that all incidents and hazards are promptly reported and that all identified hazards and risks are eliminated or minimised as far as is reasonably practicable.

2. Scope

These procedures apply to all students and staff and relates to health and safety hazards and incidents. Critical incidents are dealt with under the Critical Incident Policy (and associated procedures).

3. Procedures

Training and communication

3.1 The Institution provides information, training, and instruction to students and staff that is suitable to:

the nature of the work carried out by staff, e.g. teaching, support services, or corporate office;
the nature of the risks, e.g. fire, injuries;
the controls being put in place to treat identified risks;
different student cohorts, with special consideration given to international students.

Incident reporting

3.2 In the event of an incident involving a student/staff member or witnessed by a student/staff member, he/she should report it immediately to the Manager on Duty on 0429 994 590, report it in person to staff on the main reception desk or in Student Services (for students), or with the People and Training Manager (staff).

3.3 For emergency situations that require police, fire or ambulance assistance, the student/staff member should immediately dial Emergency Services on 000.

3.4 In the event that a staff member witnesses, or is involved in, any incident, hazard, accident or injury resulting, or potentially resulting, in an injury or an unsafe practice or a near hit, the attending staff member (e.g. Manager on Duty) must complete a Staff Incident and Hazard Report Form (available in Sharepoint at Assembly>Workplace Health and Safety (WHS).

3.5 The completed form should be sent to the Maintenance Manager ([email protected]) and to the Vice President (People and Training) ([email protected]).

3.6 The contents of the form are transferred by the Maintenance Manager, the Vice President (People and Training) or the President’s office to the Register of Accidents and Incidents.

3.7 All critical incidents should be dealt with in accordance with the Critical Incident Policy (and associated procedures).

Work related injury management

3.8 When the Institution becomes aware of a work related injury or illness, the following procedures are followed:

a trained staff member provides first aid and makes sure the injured person receives the correct care;
the Vice President (People and Training) notifies the insurer of any injury or illness within 48 hours of becoming aware;
the Vice President (People and Training) records the injury in the Register of Accidents and Incidents;
the Vice President (People and Training) maintains contact with the employee and supports the injured person to recover at work; and
if it is a notifiable* incident, the Vice President (People and Training) notifies SafeWork NSW. *A notifiable incident is the death of a person, a serious injury or illness of a person or a dangerous incident. See also the Critical Incident Policy.

Work related injury notification

3.9 The Institution is obliged to report a work-related injury within 48 hours of becoming aware of the injury to its insurer with the following information:

the worker’s date of birth;
details of any time off work;
knowledge of the injured person’s capacity to recover at work and expected return to work date;
a copy of the return to work plan which details the employer’s ability to support the employee to recover at work in suitable employment;
the business ABN or workers’ compensation insurance policy number, and employer’s contact details;
a pre-injury average weekly earnings (PIAWE) form for the injured person.

3.10 The injured person may also need to provide the following documentation for submission to the insurer:

a certificate of capacity – this is a certificate completed by the treating doctor which provides medical evidence regarding the injury or illness sustained as a result of the employment;
wage information: pay slips, PIAWE form, wage reimbursements;
medical information: medical reports, referral letters, x-rays and scans, medical reimbursement receipts; and
other documents: return to work plans, outstanding invoices.

Registration of injuries

3.11 The Institution maintains a Register of Accidents and Incidents and this file is accessible and maintained by authorised members of the Operations Team, the Vice President (People and Training) and the President’s office. The information kept in the Register includes:

name of the injured worker
the worker’s address
the worker’s age at the time of injury
the worker’s occupation at the time of injury
the industry in which the worker was engaged at the time of injury
the time and date of injury
the nature of the injury
the cause of the injury.

Reporting to management and governance bodies

3.12 The Maintenance Manager reports, via the Chief Operations Officer, to the Executive Management Group (EMG) on health and safety matters at every EMG meeting including incidents, near misses, and reported hazards.

3.13 The President and Managing Director (President) reports to the Board of Directors on health and safety matters on a quarterly basis.

4. Roles and responsibilities

4.1 The EMG uses collected data to monitor trends in health and safety incidents and improve health and safety risk mitigation strategies.

4.2 The President is responsible for quarterly reporting on health and safety performance to the Board of Directors.

4.3 The Maintenance Manager is responsible for collecting data, and creating reports on, health and safety hazards and incidents and reporting to the EMG.

4.4 The Vice President (People and Training) is responsible for staff injury management and workers’ compensation matters.

5. Related documents

Critical Incident Policy
Critical Incident Management Procedures
Health and Safety Policy
Risk Management Framework (Risk Appetite Statement, Risk Management Policy, Risk Register)

Approved Board of Directors on 7 December 2020