Incident Lessons Learned: Incident Reporting

Summary

Recently, two trip and fall incidents occurred at the U of A that were not initially reported. The first happened in a stairwell located down the hall from a lab. As the incident occurred in the stairwell and away from the lab, the supervisor did not think it was work related and therefore did not report it. The second incident involved an individual tripping and falling while walking across campus, resulting in what appeared to be a minor scrape to the ankle. Again, the incident was not initially reported.

Consequences

In the first case, the worker began experiencing back pain days after the incident. The incident had not been reported to Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) through the ARISE incident reporting system or to the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB). It was only after back pain started that the incident was reported to Health Recovery & Return to Work (HRRTW), who subsequently reported it to WCB and notified HSE. In the second case, although the worker sought medical care it was not reported in ARISE or to the WCB. Due to a subsequent infection, the worker required multiple medical visits and was off work for an extended period, at which time the incident was reported in ARISE and to the WCB. In both cases the incidents were not reported to WCB within 72 hours, as is required by law.

Culture of Care

The university has an incident reporting tool that is part of the U of A’s Research Information Services (ARISE) System, and which is managed and overseen by HSE. According to U of A policy, all members of the university community, including staff, students and visitors, must report all incidents that occur during university-related activities both on and off campus. Through incident reporting, HSE is able to support the individual as needed, conduct investigations, identify trends and ensure that corrective actions are implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future. HSE can also work with the individual, their supervisor and HR to ensure that the incident is reported to WCB in a timely manner.

Call to Action

In case of an incident while conducting university-related activities on or off campus:: 

1. Notify your supervisor.
2. Report the incident online
3. Work with your supervisor to identify and implement corrective actions.

Remember, if this is a police, fire or medical emergency, call 911 immediately followed by University of Alberta Protective Services at 780 492 5050. Once it is safe to do so, report the incident in ARISE.

The University of Alberta is committed to the safety, health and well-being of our faculty, staff and students. Every day, we advance this commitment to safety through the Culture of Care.