Construction Health and Safety Accidents Notification and Investigations PDF

CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY BGN292 TOPIC: ACCIDENT NOTIFICATION AND INVESTIGATION Introduction What is an accident? An accident is defined as an unexpected, unplanned event in a sequence of events, that occurs through a combination of causes which result in physic...

CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY BGN292 TOPIC: ACCIDENT NOTIFICATION AND INVESTIGATION Introduction What is an accident? An accident is defined as an unexpected, unplanned event in a sequence of events, that occurs through a combination of causes which result in physical harm, injury or disease to an individual; damage to property; a near miss; a loss or a combination of these effects. An accident is the undesired event giving rise to death, ill health, injury, damage or other loss (OHSAS 18001: 1999 Standard). An accident is unexpected or unplanned events, multi-causality and sequence of events and losses that arise out of or in the course of work (MS1722: 2005 Standard). Accidents represent a serious detriment to productivity, quality and competitiveness and reputation to an organizations. Causes of accidents Some typical causes of accidents are: i. Overexertion ii. Impact and collisions iii. Slips and falls iv. Chemicals and/or chemical reaction v. Poisoning a. Poisoning by solids and liquids b. Poisoning by gases and vapors vi. Drowning vii. Fire viii. Extreme heat and temperatures ix. Exposure to radiations/caustics x. Medical complications  The Three Basic Causes Poor Management, Safety Policy & Decisions, Personal Factors & Environmental Factors Unsafe Unsafe Act Indirect Causes Condition Unplanned release of ACCIDENT energy and/or Personal Injury Hazardous material Property Damage  1 Serious accident 2 Lost time, losses 50 First aid, rescue 80 Property damage, home loss, income loss 400 Near misses out there Tye – Pearson Triangle Effects Statutory Notification Employees are required by the OSH Act to inform the nearest office of the DOSH in the event of any of the following incidents at the place of work I. Accident II. Dangerous occurrence III. Occupational poisoning IV. Occupational disease A doctor who attends to a patient whom he believes to be suffering from an occupational diseases or poisoning must also report the patient to DOSH. The department may order an inquiry into the cause of the accident, poisoning and disease. All accidents where an employee requires medical treatment must also be reported to the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) using 3 copy of Form 21 within 48 hours. 3 copies: 1 for SOCSO, 1 for clinic or hospital 1 copy will be retained by employer. This copy must be kept for 5 years In the case of foreign worker who protected under Workmans Compensation Act, if accident occurs, the employer must make a report to the nearest Department of Labour. Accident Reporting All supervisors and manager must be instructed to completed accident report whenever an accident occurs. A report required not only when employee is injured but also where property damage took place. An investigation also must be made to determine what caused the accident and how to avoid it from happening again. To make a managers task easier, an accident report form should be prepare as follows: Sample of accident report form Accident Investigation Procedures Why Investigate an Accident or Incident? i. Identify the root cause of the accident, and also factors that did not directly lead to the accident. ii. The result/findings of the accident investigation can then be used to prevent future accidents or recurrence. iii. Problems will be revealed during the investigation, hence action items and improvements can be formulated to reduce the likelihood of accidents. When to investigate? The first thing to do when accident happens, is to implement emergency procedures, that is to attend to the injured worker, and bring the situation under control. Once this has been accomplished, the accidents investigations should begin. Accident Investigation Procedures What to investigate? i. The purpose is to collect facts and not to find faults or to put blame. ii. To find and identify causes: major causes and contributing causes. Guided by who, what, where, when, why and how. iii. To note down mistakes/breaches of precautionary procedures by the worker. iv. Investigations should be objective and analytical and thorough. v. All facts, interviews and answers must be carefully recorded. Accident Investigation Procedures Who should investigate? i. The immediate superior or supervisor shall investigate the accident. ii. The safety Engineer/Officer, or assigned safety staff/ safety committee shall investigate the accident, either jointly with the superior or independent. iii. When appropriate, a third party (specialist, consultant, government agencies) will have to investigate the accidents. How to investigate? i. Isolate the accident scene ii. Record all evidence iii. Photograph or videotape the scene iv. Identify witness v. Interview witness Reporting Accidents Accident report should contain a minimum information as per OSH Act requirement and for record keeping such as: i. Case number of accident ii. Victim’s name, department, SOCSO number, personal particulars iii. Location, date, time of accident or illness first diagnosed iv. Job particulars, job description, length of service, job status v. Nature and severity of injury, in specific details vi. Name and address of physician/hospital attending vii. Description of accident (step by step) viii. Specific task/activities that was involved during the time of accident ix. Employee proximity, posture related to his surroundings at the time of accident x. Supervision status at the time of accident (no supervision, directly or indirectly) xi. Corrective actions that have been taken so far xii. Recommendations xiii. Additional information (historical data relating to similar accident, witnesses) Record Keeping OSH Act (Safety and Health Committee Regulations, 1996), it shall be the responsibility of the organization and the OSH committees to retain all records pertaining to safety and health matters for a minimum period of seven years for purposes of inspection by the DOSH officer (regulation 27) It shall also be the duty of the OSH committees to study and review trends of accidents, and to follow up on call accidents reports and its effectiveness of the corrective and preventives actions that have been executed.