In the world of Occupational Health and Safety, an incident is the negative outcome of an uncontrolled hazard. For example, a slippery floor that’s left unaddressed is a hazard. If someone should slip and fall — or even if they almost fall — that is considered an incident. A hazardous condition or near miss are also incidents and should be reported.
Hazardous Condition; A hazardous condition is a situation or circumstance that could pose a risk to employees such as an icy sidewalk.
Near Miss; A near miss is that “Whew!” moment when something occurs and a person realizes that they came “this close” to getting hurt.
Each of these scenarios is an opportunity to mitigate a potential risk and prevent an injury from occurring. Both are preventative in that they provide the opportunity to control a hazard before somebody gets hurt. If these things go unreported, then the hazard or risk is not mitigated.
When incidents happen and somebody does get hurt, our first priority is always to get the injured or ill worker help. After that, you should complete the Hazardous Condition Reporting Form right away and let your supervisor know what has taken place. Depending on the nature of the incident or its consequences, we may be required to report the incident to Alberta Occupational Health and Safety and/or the Workers’ Compensation Board. This process is in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety policy entitled Reporting and Investigation.
Bethany’s Policy states:
Employees will report hazards and injuries immediately to the supervisor of the area no matter how small they may seem at that time. If that person cannot be located, another supervisor within the facility shall be told.
And that their manager, when an employee reports a hazard or a work related injury, will take immediate steps to investigate and document the incident as well as take steps to remove the hazard.
The importance of reporting cannot be understated. We are obligated under law to address hazards and risk in the workplace and employees have a right to participate in this obligation by reporting hazardous conditions or near misses when they occur.
Additional Links & Resources
Reporting and Investigating of Incidents and Injuries
Hazardous Condition and Employee Injury Report
Safety Hazard and Injury Reporting
Identifying and Controlling Hazards
Lesley MacKinnon
Manager, Safety & Disability Management
Human Resources
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