• All injuries should be reported to the nearest manager or safety officer. Subsequently, the Manager should determine the next cause of action and treatment options.

• When completing the injury report, it is important to accurately describe the injury events in chronological order without downplaying or embellishing the severity of the injury or the events leading to the injury.

• Information gathered from individuals who do not have firsthand knowledge or information relating to the injury cannot be used in reporting.  The injury report should not contain second or third hand information.

 

• If you are not a trained medical professional, refrain from using diagnostic terms when filling out the injury report. Diagnostic terminology such as sprains, torn ligaments and broken bones should be avoided until after the injured party receives proper medical attention. Descriptions such as “severe pain in lower left leg, individual cannot put pressure onto leg and cannot walk without assistance” can be used in place of “potential broken left leg”. 

 

• Take note of details such as weather conditions, time of day, shift period, sublocation, department and specific hazards in the immediate area.

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• Ensure that any first aid or medical intervention that was provided to the injured party is properly documented. 

 

• Deploy a digital injury reporting application. Managers and safety personnel can file reports using a cell phone or tablet to improve data collection and response times.

Remember, injury reporting is an effective tool for minimizing future injures. In addition, it positively influences safety culture and increases employee communication and participation.

For more information on injury reporting or to learn how Accupoint Software can help streamline your Safety Management program, please contact us today.

The petroleum industry requires dangerous work. Protecting personnel from injury requires rigorous monitoring and training protocols and scrupulous attention to reporting, prevention and data analysis when an accident occurs.  Here are three fundamental concepts to keep in mind when designing an effective injury management program:
 
1) Know your hazards.  Most injuries in the petroleum industry fall into one of two large categories: safety-related injuries and health-related injuries. 
 
Safety-related injuries include those related to:

• Motor Vehicle Accidents
  
• Contact Injuries
  
• Fires and Explosions
• Slips, Trips and Falls
• Confined Space Accidents

 
Health-related hazards include:

• Chemical hazards-toxins, irritants, asphyxiants
  
• Biological hazards-viruses, parasites, bacteria
• Physical hazards-noise, vibrations, radiation
• Economic hazards-overuse and repetitive stress injuries, awkward postures
• Psychosocial hazards-overwork, isolated sites, violence

 
Be aware of where each of these may appear in your site or team workflows and make sure preventive and responsive protocols are in place to deal with each.
 
2) Manage your risks. A robust risk management program has the following 7 steps:
 

1. Planning-identify and assemble relevant staff, obtain regulatory and process requirements.
   
2. Risk Identification-use the list above as a baseline and add any other risks particular to your operation.
3. Risk Assessment-what procedures are in place for prevention? how have they failed? what is the result of failure? what new procedures are necessary?
4. Risk Recording-formally document Risk Assessment findings with respect to pertinent regulations and requirements.
5. Risk Control-define and implement new procedures for prevention and mitigation of identified risks.
6. Follow On Assessment-ensure new procedures are in place and evaluate their effectiveness.
7. Monitor and Review-repeat this process at regular intervals to capture new risks, refine procedures and improve outcomes.

 
3) Design a program that works. Effective injury management programs must satisfy the following requirements:
 

1. Ensure site safety by evaluating all processes and workflows for potential risk and establishing comprehensive prevention and mitigation protocols.
   
2. Empower all workers to protect themselves by making safety procedures straightforward and as simple as possible; training must be thorough, frequent and accessible.
3. Relates directly to regulatory and audit requirements as well as other internal and external reporting structures, to maximize transparency and minimize administrative burden.
4. Is thoroughly documented so that workers, trainers, executives and external regulators have clearly-defined expectations.

 
If you adhere to the guidelines above when designing and refining your injury management program, you will be able to anticipate problems more effectively and resolve them more efficiently.  For more information on how Accupoint’s web-based solution can help you improve your injury management program, please contact us today.

It's never a fun thing when somebody in your workplace experiences an accident on the job. Accidents and injuries happen in all industries that require a lot of physical work and stamina, and the petroleum industry is no exception. It's how we respond to an injury that makes all the difference in preventing future accidents.

Prompt injury reporting to OSHA is a regulatory requirement that must be taken care of as soon as possible. If the injury results in a fatality, you only have an eight-hour window of time to report the injury to OSHA. This is true even if the accident results in a fatality later on. All deaths within 30 days of a work-related incident must be reported.

Employers with more than ten employees and whose establishments are not classified as a partially exempt industry must record work-related injuries and illnesses using OSHA forms. These forms must be submitted within a very specific time frame.

If you are not exempt, you must record all work-related injuries and illnesses that result in time off from work, restricted work and even in transfers to another job, such as some time behind a desk instead of in the field. Any loss of consciousness or medical treatment beyond first aid must be recorded in company records and reported to OSHA.

Employers are also expected to record significant work-related injuries or illnesses that are diagnosed by a physicians or medical team, even if they don't cause time away from the job.
What does OSHA considered to be an injury? Pretty much anything: this includes cuts, sprains, broken bones, and amputations and of course anything requiring surgery. Work-related illnesses include both acute and chronic conditions, and usually involve long-term exposure to toxins and contaminants. These include skin diseases, respiratory disorders, and sometimes even poisoning such as solvent intoxication.

Some injuries are considered serious enough to merit reporting within 24 hours. These typically include work-related inpatient hospitalizations, amputations, and injuries resulting in the loss of an eye.

Regulatory requirements are often easy to meet when you're using an integrated reporting solution to manage the paperwork. For more information on how Accupoint can help streamline your injury reporting process, please contact us at 800.563.6250 or visit us at www.accupointsoftware.com.