Safety and Health Program- Incident and Investigation Upgrade Chapter

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Accident/Incident Investigation & Reporting Procedures

Introduction:

The Company Accident/Incident Investigation & Reporting System is designed to:

1. Track and analyze employee injuries and illnesses, property and vehicle damage, as well as serious events or near misses which might have resulted in personal injury, illness, or property and vehicle damage

2. Initiate the worker's compensation process, if necessary

3. Meet regulatory reporting requirements

All incidents (accidents resulting in injury or causing illness to Company employees) and events (near-miss accidents) shall be reported in order to:

Establish a written record of factors which cause injuries and illnesses and occurrences (near-misses) which might have resulted in injury or illness but did not, as well as property and vehicle damage.

Maintain a capability to promptly investigate incidents and events in order to initiate and support corrective and/or preventive action.

Provide statistical information for use in analyzing all phases of incidents and events involving Company personnel.

Provide the means for complying with the reporting requirements for occupational injuries and illnesses outlined in Section 19 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

Applicability and Scope:

The Incident Reporting System requirements apply to all incidences involving Company personnel arising out of or in the course of employment which results in (or might have resulted in) personal injury, illness, and/or property and vehicle damage.

>>>>>Incidents (Occupational Injuries and Illnesses)

>>>>>Injuries and illnesses that require reporting include those injuries and illnesses occurring on the job which result in any of the following: lost work time, restrictions in performing job duties, requirement for first aid or outside medical attention, permanent physical bodily damages, or death. Examples of "reportable injuries and illnesses include, but are not limited to, heat exhaustion from working in hot environments, strained back muscles from moving equipment, acid burns on fingers, etc.

>>>>>Other incidents requiring reporting include those incidents occurring on the job which result in any of the following: injury or illness, damage to a Government vehicle, fire/explosion, property damage of more than $100, or chemical releases requiring evacuation of at least that immediate spill area. Examples of reportable incidents include denting the fender of a Government vehicle, spilling 1 liter of sulfuric acid on the floor, and release of pressurized air through a leaking valve into a room.

>>>>>Examples of "non-reportable" injuries and illnesses include small paper cuts, common colds, and small bruises not resulting in work restrictions or requiring first aid or medical attention. Examples of other non-reportable incidents include, but are not limited to, dropping and breaking an empty glass sample bottle, knocking over 10 milliliters of sulfuric acid in a graduated cylinder under a fume hood and knocking a chair or table over.