Incident and Hazard Reporting Procedure

Purpose. This procedure explains what to do when an incident, injury, near miss or hazard occurs and how it is recorded, investigated and closed.

1.Immediate response

Make the area safe, provide first aid and call emergency services if anyone is seriously hurt. The duty manager must be told immediately of any injury, fire, chemical spill, aggressive behaviour or damage to plant. Do not disturb the scene of a serious incident until the duty manager releases it.

2.Reporting

The worker involved, or the first worker on the scene, must complete the Incident and Hazard Report Form before the end of the shift. The duty manager must enter the event in the WHS register the same day and assign an initial severity rating. Guests who are injured must be offered first aid and their details recorded.

3.Notifiable incidents

Deaths, serious injuries, and dangerous occurrences such as a gas leak, a structural collapse or an uncontrolled chemical release are notifiable. The General Manager must notify the state regulator immediately by phone and in writing within 48 hours, and must keep the record for five years.

• Death of any person
• Injury requiring admission to hospital
• Amputation, serious burn, serious head or eye injury
• Uncontrolled fire, explosion or chemical release

4.Investigation

The department manager will investigate every injury and every near miss with the potential for serious harm within five business days, with the health and safety representative present. The investigation will identify the direct cause and the underlying causes, and will recommend controls using the hierarchy of controls.

5.Corrective actions and closure

Corrective actions must be recorded in the WHS register with an owner and a due date. The register entry is closed only when the action is verified as complete and effective. The health and safety committee reviews open actions at every meeting.

6.Hazards

Hazards that have not yet caused harm are reported the same way. Where a hazard can be fixed on the spot, fix it, then report it so the pattern can be seen.