What is an incident?
A health and safety incident is something that happened because of work that resulted in harm (physical or psychological), or that almost resulted in harm (near miss).
Work-related injuries and illnesses can impact physical or mental health. Some injuries and illnesses are more immediate, while others develop over time.
If you say to yourself, “that was a good catch!” or “I was lucky not to get hurt,” it may be a near miss.
Some examples of near misses are:
- You trip over an obstacle but catch yourself before you fall
- A piece of equipment fails or breaks while you are using it
- You discover a sharp where you are not expecting it
- A patient is exhibiting escalating behaviours
How to report an incident
TELL your supervisor or manager immediately about the incident, even if there was no injury or illness.
SEEK first aid, if needed, for immediate help with an injury or illness, or to record early signs and symptoms, such as minor aches, pains and strains.
REPORT the incident or injury to your employer.
- Health authority employees call the Workplace Health Contact Centre at 1-866-922-9464
- Affiliate/independent employees fill out an Incident/Injury Report. Ask your supervisor for the form.
It’s your duty to complete this report. No one else can complete this on your behalf. Ask for a copy of the report for your records.
OBTAIN medical treatment, if needed. Make sure you explain that your injury or illness is related to work and how.
FILE a WCB claim if you needed medical treatment and/or missed time from work. www. worksafebc.com or 1-888-967-5377.
CONNECT with your joint occupational health and safety committee (JOHSC) worker representative to ensure you have representation for your incident investigation.
FOLLOW UP to find out when and how changes will be made to correct the health and safety issue.
*PSLS is used for reporting patient safety incidents only. All OHS incident reports must be reported through the contact centre or incident report form.