A ccident/ I ncident R eporting “AIR”

Accident/Incident Reporting “AIR”

OBJECTIVES • Recognize the purpose of the new AIR form • Define reportable accidents, incidents and hazardous conditions • Describe the notification procedures for reports • Be able to locate the AIR form online • Properly complete an accident, incident or hazardous condition report

PURPOSE • To create a form that is unique to the Fire Department • To comply with Federal, State and City reporting requirements • Streamline the report distribution process • Improve reporting accuracy and timeliness • Identify accident patterns • Recognize potentially hazardous situations • Report and review near misses

What Is An Accident? An unplanned, unwanted, but controllable event which disrupts the work process and causes property damage or injury to people Most everyone would agree that an accident is unplanned and unwanted. The idea that an accident is controllable might be a new concept. An accident stops the normal course of events and causes property damage or personal injury, minor or serious, and occasionally results in a fatality.

What Is An Incident?Near Miss An unplanned and unwanted event which disrupts the work process and has the potential of resulting in injury, harm, or damage to persons or property. An incident may disrupt the work process, but does not result in injury or damage. It should be Taken as a “wake up call”. It can be thought of as the first of a series of events which could lead to a situation in which harm or damage does occur. Example of an incident: A 50 lb carton falls off the top shelf of a 12’ high rack and lands near a worker. This event is unplanned, unwanted, and has the potential for injury.

THE “TIP OF THE ICEBERG” Accidents Accidents or injuries are the tip of the iceberg of hazards. Report incidents (near misses) since they are potential “accidents in progress”. Incidents Don’t only report accidents. Incidents should also be reported and investigated. They were in a sense, “aborted accidents”. Criteria for investigating an incident: What is reasonably the worst outcome, equipment damage, or injury to the worker? What might the severity of the worst outcome have been? If it would have resulted in significant property loss or a serious injury, then the incident should be investigated with the same thoroughness as an accident investigation.

THE “ACCIDENT WEED” Hazardous Hazardous Practices Conditions Diesel fumes Horseplay Poor housekeeping Ignored safety rules Defective tools Didn’t follow procedures Equipment failure Did not report hazard No MSDS’s Don’t know how Purchasing unsafe equipment Poor work procedures Lack of supervision No follow-up/feedback Rules not enforced Lack of Training Lack of safety leadership Poor safetymanagement Poor safety leadership Root Causes

REPORTABLE ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS • Any accident that results in damage to equipment, vehicles or property of the City of Kirkland • Any accident that involves a City of Kirkland employeeand results in damage to equipment, vehicles or property not belonging to the City of Kirkland • Any accident resulting exposure, injury or death of a City of Kirkland employee • Near miss incidents, no damage or injuries, potential future accidents

ACTIONS AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE • Check for danger • Help the injured • Secure the scene • Contact your supervisor and the on-duty Battalion Chief • Contact Kirkland Police (if outside of KPD jurisdiction, call local police and KPD) • Identify witnesses • Take lots of pictures • Gather the facts • Complete required documents First, make sure you and others don’t become victims! Always check for still-present dangerous situations. Then, help the injured as necessary. Secure the scene and initiate chains of custody for physical evidence. Contact your on-duty supervisor and Battalion Chief. Identify witnesses and physical evidence.

Accidents Causing Injuries or Death • Check for danger • Help the injured • Secure the scene • Contact Supervisor and Battalion Chief. If any employee is hospitalized overnight, the on-duty Battalion Chief(or designee) must notify Washington State Department of Labor and Industries within eight hours of the accident • If there is a fatality, the on-duty Battalion Chief(or designee) must notify Washington State Department of Labor and Industries within eight hours of the accident • Contact Safety 21 via dispatch, or phone

Accidents Causing Injuries or Death (continued) • In case of serious injuries or death, secure the site of the accident, preserve the scene for further investigation. Take pictures of the accident site • Provide personnel to assist in the L&I investigation • Accompany injured firefighters to the hospital • Insure that proper paperwork is completed (MIRF etc.) • Contact Safety Officer

INCIDENTS Near Misses • Secure the area to prevent a dangerous incident from turning into an accident • Notify your on-duty supervisor • Complete the new online “AIR” form • Notify the Safety Officer via email advising that a form is on the way

HAZARDOUS CONDITION REPORTING • A hazardous condition is considered a potential incident or accident. Nothing has happened yet (no near miss, injury, or property damage) • If possible, correct the situation at the time it is discovered • Secure the area to prevent people from being injured • Report the situation, using the AIR form, as soon as possible after discovering the hazardous condition • The supervisor is only required to sign the Hazardous Condition report if it is presented to him/her. If preferred, the person reporting the hazardous condition can remain anonymous. This is not acceptable for reports of hazardous conditions, accidents or incidents

AIR FORM REPORTING PROCESS • Locate the AIR form on the RGT Website under Forms-Kirkland • Once it is pulled up- click the “Highlight Existing Fields” icon • This will highlight the fields that are fillable • Choose the type of report by checking the appropriate box • Fill out the form completely online, together with the on-duty supervisor. Use the TAB key to navigate the fields • Do not try to save the document unless you “save as” another name • Print the document, sign and date it, and have the supervisor also sign it • The entire last page is a page for the narrative. Please be very detailed. Include pictures with the description if possible

AIR FORM REPORTING PROCESSContinued • Once completed and signed by you and your on-duty supervisor, send the completed form to the Safety Officer • Notify the safety office immediately using email (Safe21) or phone call, for all reports. This allows the safety division to anticipate the report • All reports and notifications must be done on the same day asthe event • If the injured party is not able to complete the report at that time, the supervisor will complete the detailed report as described. The injured employee must complete a report as soon as he/she is able • In addition to the instructions above, immediate notifications of serious injuries include the chief, deputy chiefs and safety officer

IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER • Safety is always first at the scene of an accident, incident, or hazardous condition • Reports must be completed on the same day as the event • The only person you need to send the report to is the safety officer. We will distribute the report from our office • Always notify your on-duty supervisor and Battalion Chief • Always notify Safety 21 when you have filled out a report. Use email Safe21 or call 3698 or 206-963-3001. Leave a detailed message if there is no answer. • Page three of the report is a full page, fillable, section that can be used for the narrative. Please be detailed in the narrative • The Safety Committee will review all submitted reports. The Designated Safety Officer may contact you for additional details prior to the next safety meeting

CONCLUSION Like any new process, we expect some changes to be made to this form and/or the process as we receive constructive feedback from you. If you ever have any questions or suggestions please don’t hesitate to call or write me. Officers- Please have your crew go through this process as a training exercise. There is no better learning tool than to actually go through the process to see how it works. Thank you for your work!! Mike Dettmer 425-587-3699

A ccident/ I ncident R eporting “AIR”