Accidents record keeping

Again, we spill out the horrendous numbers one out of every 25 in-patients becomes a victim of a medical accident. Some 195,000 people die of medical accidents every year. The actual figure might be twice of that, and medicine has the worst accident rate of any US industry. Substandard care in America kills over 57,000 people and wastes over 9 billion annually. Physicians drive 80% of the cost. So the Bush administration quickly committed 100 million, and congressional bi-partisan effort has been behind the introduction of legislation to stimulate electronic patient record keeping, or electronic health records (EHR). 

Because an effective safety program in the plant or facility must include training, the ultimate objective of training is to influence the attitudes of employees around the clock. Off-the-job accidents cost industry many times more than on-the-job injuries. Although workers compensation is not involved, absenteeism from off-the-job injuries results in productivity losses and insurance cost increases. Employees injured off the job may, with the assistance of unscrupulous lawyers, sometimes claim the injury occurred during work time. Such fraud can be combatted by effective record keeping and supervisory vigilance. 

Sweden, have an elaborate public health apparatus with a presence in most large workplaces, so that accident and illness data are generated as byproducts of monitoring and treatment. This is the most accurate and informative approach. In the US, on the other hand, data are derived from OSHA employer logs, creating, as we have seen, disincentives to honest record-keeping. Nevertheless, some rough comparisons are possible. 

OSHA s mandatory record keeping requirements has simplified the process of collecting safety and health statistics for the purpose of monitoring problems and taking appropriate actions. Both exempt and nonexempt employers must report the following types of accidents within 48 hours (1) those that result in deaths, and (2) those that result in the hospitalization of five or more employees. 

Accident Statistics Chapter 8 covered record keeping and some accident statistics. The most common statistics are weekly, monthly or annual accident or incident occurrences. They usually include frequency and severity statistics. These general statistics give an overall picture of an organization s safety performance. An organization may compare its... 

Many companies conduct accident investigations and keep accident records and other data on the company s safety and health initiatives. If a company has a sufficient number of accidents/incidents and enongh detail in their occupational injury/illness investigation data, the company can begin to examine trends or emerging issues relevant to their safety and health intervention/prevention efforts. The analysis of this data can be nsed to evaluate the effectiveness of safety and health at various workplaces, jobsites, or for groups of workers. The safety and health data can be used by a company to compare to that of other companies that perform similar work, employ a comparable workforce, or compete in the same kind and size of market on a state, regional, national, or international basis. 

From the above, it may be seen that the application of quality systems to the management of health and safety at work has distinct benefits, especially when consideration is given to the tremendous overlap between the two subject areas. Overlap examples include policies systems and procedures standards documentation - records training (including record keeping) statistical analyses - causal, numerical accident/complaint investigations audits/inspections (internal and external) and the taking of remedial control action. 

Software. Any computer, main frame or micro, requires specially written instructions before it can carry out any task. These instructions, in the form of computer programmes, are known as software. Note that any computer can run a number of different programmes which means, for example, that a microcomputer normally used for analysing accident records can also be used for word processing, financial modelling and for keeping other types of record. 

The main focus of the model is on the system created by the work elements from the commencement of work to the creation of a hazard. The model and the choice of terminology have been chosen to clearly identify the accident causation process. This clarity is necessary for the pmpose of determining prevention strategies, accurate record keeping and risk communication, all necessary in decision making, training, education and the development of safe work systems. 

Fig. H/3.2.5 1 is an important record-keeping document for HAZID analysis. This hazard register is same as the risk register discussed in Clause 3.2 of Chapter I, and details of the risk register are shown in Fig. 1/3.2.1-1. Since details of the risk register are already available, it will not be repeated here. Fig. 11/3.2.5-1 shows the basic structure. In the case of HAZID, hazard register is the popular term, hence it is used here. These hazard registers are available for each section of the facility. For each section, all hazards and major incidents/accidents are listed along with the probable cause. The register also contains the control measure, assumptions, etc. This will become the main document for subsequent use.

The easiest way to identify whether there are any ergonomic issues at a school is to look at past injury data. OSHA 300 record keeping logs, past accident investigation reports, or insurance losses can help you determine whether any issues exist. Looking at this data and asking some key questions will help you identify and locate specific job tasks or occupations that have incurred ergonomic injuries. These questions should include ... 

Incident/Accident and Near-Miss Record Keeping... 

The primary duties of the accident review board is to determine the cause and responsibility of serious accidents or a pattern of accidents, and to make recommendations that will prevent similar occurrences. The members of the board are typically supervisor level employees appointed by management. Members must be objective in performing their duties. The board may hold accident hearings, as discussed in the section Record Keeping and Accident Investigation in this chapter. 

A sample of a written statement for a written safety and health program for accident investigation can be found in Figure 7.7, which also includes a sample statement related to the record keeping policies of the company regarding accidents, incidents, injuries, and illnesses. 

Figure 7.7 Sample accident investigation and record keeping statements.

The OSHA record-keeping criteria have been discussed in detail as an example of the issues with all of the injury record keeping we reviewed. The old ANSI system had just as many different ways of using the same criteria as does the OSHA system. The international schones we have reviewed have similar problems, with the added complexity of vastly different cultural attitudes about accident and prevention measures. 

There are many advantages to assigning a particular vehicle to an employee. When you lease a vehicle to an individual, that person is responsible for that vehicle, which puts pressure on him or her to keep the vehicle clean and in good condition. Knowing that you have to be in the same vehicle every day motivates you to keep it well maintained and reduces abuse of the vehicle. It is convenient from a record keeping point of view to keep track of the vehicles and accidents or other incidents that occur. For this reason, assigning vehicles to employees will decrease your operating costs. 

Researchers have studied whether the qualities of the various subsystems of a SHE information system affect the accident risk. Two different research methods have been applied. In so-called ex-post facto studies, scientists explore whether there are differences in the SHE information systems between companies with high and low accident rates. They have found that companies with low accident rates have better injury record-keeping systems (Simonds and Shafai-Sahrai, 1977), better formal routines for workplace inspections (Smith et al., 1978), and are more inclined to inquire into minor injuries and near accidents (Cohen et al., 1975). 

Common consequence measures such as LIT and RWI are easy to record but are insensitive to the actual size of the loss. An eye injury resulting in a few days of absence, and an amputation of an arm, are both recorded as a LTI. The number of days of absence better reflects the actual losses but is not readily available at the time when the accident is recorded. This is especially a problem in keeping accident records, when the duration of the sick leave extends over several recording periods (months, quarters, etc.). 

The second and third uses illustrate the support and rationalisation that computerisation offers the SHE administrator. We will present examples of these applications in Part VI. A more basic administrative function is to keep track of the accident and near-accident records and to help distribute these records within the company and to the insurer and the authorities. 

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