Accident and Hazard Reporting Policy

The purpose of this policy is to promote a safe campus by facilitating the reporting and investigation of campus accidents and hazards. Incident investigations identify the root causes and contributing factors that can potentially be eliminated or controlled to reduce the frequency and severity of incidents, injury, or property damage.

All faculty, staff and student employees are responsible for reviewing the Accident and Hazard Reporting Policy to ensure they understand their reporting responsibilities. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the EHS and Risk Management Department at EHS.RiskManagement@denison.edu.

Definitions
Accident: The National Safety Council defines an accident as an undesired event that results in bodily injury or property damage that could potentially recur or result in future injury.
Incident: An incident is an unplanned, undesired event that adversely affects completion of a task.
Near-Hit: Near hit describe incidents where no property was damaged and no personal injury sustained, but where, given a slight shift in time or position, damage and/or bodily injury easily could have occurred.

Procedure

1. Reporting:
   • Contact EHS/Risk Management immediately when an injury occurs and visit the Licking Memorial Hospital for necessary medical care. They are located at 1320 W. Main St., Newark, OH 43055.
   • Complete the Accident and Hazard Report as soon as possible, but within 24 hours, following any accident, near-hit or identified hazard either on campus or when engaged in Denison business off campus.  Accidents or hazards documented in an Office of Campus Safety report do not need to be documented on an Accident/Hazard Form.
2. Report and Responsibilities: 
   The Accident and Hazard Report can be found on MyDenison when you search “injury report” or on the EHS and Risk Management Department website in MyDenison.  Supervisors should ensure that faculty, staff and students know where the blank forms are located and how to access them.
   • The Denison University Accident and Hazard Report must be completed by:
     • Employee Accident or Hazard: Affected person(s) and their supervisor. The lead investigator for employee incidents is the EHS/Risk Management Department. The affected person should fill out the front page, and the supervisor should fill out the second page.
     • Student/Visitor Accident or Hazard: Any employee aware of accidents, near-hits, or incidents involving students or visitors must report using the Accident and Hazard Report to the EHS/Risk Management Department unless the event is captured in an Office of Campus Safety (OCS) report. All OCS reports that meet the definition of accident, near-hit, or hazard, must be provided to the EHS/Risk Management Department. 
   • When completing the report, the supervisor should focus on trying to identify the root-cause for the accident or hazard; oftentimes this will include speaking with other employees and taking notes and photos if necessary.
   • The purpose of having the injured or affected employee fill out the report is to get:
     • their perspective on what happened,
     • what they think caused the accident and
     • what they think can be done to prevent recurrence
   • The completed report must be sent to the EHS and Risk Management Department via email, campus mail, or hand delivery.  If using email, send to EHS.RiskManagement@denison.edu.

3. How to effectively complete the report:

• Six key questions should be answered: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
• Fact should be distinguished from opinion, and both should be presented carefully and clearly.
• The report should include thorough interviews with everyone with any knowledge of the incident.
• A good investigation is likely to reveal several contributing factors, and it probably will recommend several preventive actions.  This information will be used to correct risk when possible.

4. Accountability: The EHS and Risk Management Department will review and close out each report.

Health and Safety

The safety and health of all employees is of utmost importance to the university. The Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Risk Management is the department charged with oversight of the safety program. EHS/Risk Management asks administrative and supervisory personnel to assist by incorporating security and safety practices in their staff orientation program and in their daily operations.

The university seeks to comply with federal, state and local safety regulations and to develop procedures and programs to ensure the continuing safety of the university community. The university has the responsibility to provide all pertinent training and retraining, as well as required personal protective equipment (PPE). Employees have the responsibility to perform the job safely, actively participate in safety training, and wear PPE when necessary. Employees are required to comply with safety practices established by departments for specific jobs and functions. Employees who fail to follow or neglect proper safety practices are subject to disciplinary action and or retraining as necessary.

Safety Practices

Health and safety are the business of every Denison employee. All employees are to report unsafe conditions or practices to Environmental Health and Safety and Risk Management at EHS.RiskManagement@denison.edu.
Some examples of required safety practices are:

• Maintain a work area and desk that is clean and orderly.
• Keep desk and cabinet drawers closed when not in use.
• Inform supervisor of any defective equipment so that it can be repaired or replaced.
• Place broken glass in a labeled and sealed box and put it aside (not in the trash can) for the building services assistant.
• Keep restrooms and storage rooms clean and orderly.
• Do NOT block fuse boxes, electrical panels, or fire extinguishers.
• Keep all fire exits and egress hallways clear.
• Only chemicals and cleaning supplies provided by the university are authorized for use on campus.

Safety Shoe Program

Non-office personnel working in Facilities Services, residence halls and other areas where potential foot injury could occur are required to wear a substantial work shoe. In some instances, a supervisor may require safety shoes (steel toe) to be worn. Denison participates in a safety shoe cost reimbursement program. Employees working in Facility Services should refer to their department policy for additional information.