WHY YOUR WORKPLACE SAFETY PROGRAM NEEDS INCIDENT REPORTING !
WHY YOUR WORKPLACE SAFETY PROGRAM NEEDS INCIDENT REPORTING
Accident vs. Incident
In the past, the term "accident" was often used when referring to an unplanned, unwanted event. To many, "accident" suggests an event that was random, and could not have been prevented. Since nearly all worksite fatalities, injuries, illnesses are preventable, OSHA suggests using the term "incident" when referring to these events.
Why is incident reporting necessary?
1. Incident reporting provides a process in which the situation can be corrected in order to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
2. If management is not aware of what kinds of problems are occurring in the workplace that may cause or have already caused injury or property damage, then it is impossible to create improved processes that will protect the workers.
3. Prompt medical attention may be needed to ensure a minor injury doesn’t become worse, develop into an infection or become life-threatening.
4. When a minor incident or a near miss is ignored (not reported), the workplace is at an even greater risk for an even more serious incident to occur in the future because the hazard or inefficient process was never provided a chance to be corrected.
5. Documenting all incidents allows a company to track patterns, realize trends, and discover anomalies.
6. Often, a correction implemented to solve a safety hazard or prevent an incident can be translated to process and production improvements.
7. With completed incident reports, a company can protect themselves from undue lawsuits. Without a complete record of what actually happened, there is not much the company can provide in defense, if needed.
8. Reporting a near miss or a minor incident is cheaper than dealing with the costs associated with a major injury, equipment failure, fatality or significant property damage.
9. Feedback from incidents that are reported provides a way to encourage employee participation in the workplace safety improvement strategies.
10. Incident reporting is a key habit that creates a stronger safety culture.
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