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UNCONTROLLED IF PRINTED

PROCEDURE

Issued with the authority of the Chief Commissioner

and General Manager of Scouts Australia NSW

Chief Commissioner

signature

Chief Executive

Officer signature

Sponsor Head of Risk

Document type Procedure Date of issue April 2018

Document code & no. PRO15 Version number 0.2

Document title Incident reporting and analysis Due for review July 2018

Incident reporting and analysis


Scouts Australia NSW

File name PRO15 Incident Reporting and Analysis v 0.2 page 2 of 14.

Incident reporting and analysis

1 Purpose and scope This procedure describes the steps involved in responding to health and safety incidents; the reporting of

those incidents and the root cause analysis aimed at taking steps to prevent recurrence. The procedure

does NOT cover first aid or emergency response (instead, refer to the respective emergency or first aid

procedures).

The procedure applies to professional employed staff, members and supporters (described collectively in

this procedures as workers), regardless of whether the incident occurs during the course of work-related or

recreational Scouting activities. By definition, incidents include:

injuries

illnesses

near misses

The procedure also describes the additional regulatory requirements for serious work-related incidents,

such as preserving the scene and notification to SafeWork NSW.

Definitions and a flow chart of the process are shown in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 of this procedure

respectively.

In the context of this procedure, the two words analysis and investigation can be used interchangeably.

Even a simple root cause analysis is a form of investigation. The word investigation is reserved by some

people for more significant and formal investigations. The formality and depth of an investigation or

analysis will vary greatly depending on the circumstances surrounding the incident.

2 Responsibilities

Workers* Completing and lodging a Scouts Australia NSW online incident report within 24 hours (or as

soon as practicable).

Participating in an incident analysis as required.

*The term workers in this procedure is used to describe professional employed staff, members and supporters collectively.




Leaders of youth Lead the initial response to the injury or illness as appropriate (see section in this procedure

called Initial response).

Completing and lodging a Scouts Australia NSW online incident report on behalf of the youth involved, within 24 hours (or as soon as practicable).

After an incident, liaise with the youth’s family as appropriate in regard to the welfare of youth(s) involved.

Participating in an incident analysis as required.

Board members: Review incident statistics in order to monitor WHS performance and appreciate the risk profile

of Scouts Australia NSW

Ensure that any adverse trends are being addressed

Respond as necessary to any significant or serious incidents

Encourage workers to report incidents

Uphold the requirement that incidents are managed with the appropriate confidentiality

Managers, site managers and leaders of adults Responsible for ensuring that the incident reporting procedure is implemented within their

region.

Recognise immediately when or notifiable (or potentially notifiable) incident occurs and take steps to preserve the scene or direct staff to so. Inform the CEO and/or Head of Risk immediately.

Assign preventative and corrective action responsibilities to competent persons and ensure that actions are closed out in a timely manner.

Review and consult with workers regarding corrective actions to ensure they are effective.

Retain records of incident anlysis and presented for viewing if requested by their supervisor (or higher eg Regional Commissioner), the injured person (or their agent or supervisor), CEO or Head of Risk or representative of SafeWork NSW.

Region Commissioners Responsible for ensuring that the incident reporting procedure is implemented within their

region.

Liaising with group leaders etc to confirm that incidents are being reported adequately.

Supporting the analysis process and helping to obtain support for members / families who are impacted by incidents or injuries.

Reviewing incident reports from their own region (available through their region office).

Reviewing incident statistics provided by state office and discussing these at relevant meeting etc to share learning and agree actions.




Head of Risk Review all incident reports. Where further information is required in order to close the root

cause anlaysis, request for additional information to be gathered at the local level.

Review and analyse incidents over time to monitor trends or identify patterns of reoccurrence which need to be analysed.

Work with Information Technology to run incident summaries on a monthly basis, and maintain the incident register.

Liaise with the Chief Executive Officer in regard to reported incidents that are (potentially) notifiable to SafeWork NSW, and ensure that these incidents are notified to the regulator.

Inform the CEO of any significant reported incidents as per protocol advised by the CEO.

Provide incident statistics on a regular basis (no less than quarterly) to Board, Regions, Activity Centres and other committees as required, along with meaningful commentary.

Chief Executive Officer Obtain any legal advice on Scouts Australia NSW's obligations and other legal issues.

Upon being informed of a (potentially) notifiable incident, consider obtaining legal advice immediately.

Liaise with the Chief Commissioner, Head of Risk and Communications and Development Manager, and field team in regard to incidents which are notifiable to Safe Work NSW, or other significant incidents.

The CEO will be the nominated point of contact between Scouts and the regulator.

State Commissioners Contribute technical and other input into incident investigations in their scope of responsibility

where applicable.

Where communicated, build lessons learnt from incidents, into program design and strategies where applicable.

State Commissioner – Air Activities Centre is responsible for ensuring that Scouts NSW

complies with CASA reporting and investigation requirements for aviation accidents or

incidents. The investigation of aviation incidents is not within the scope of this procedure.

3 Incident management The primary purpose of incident management is to control the impact of injuries or damage i.e assist the

injured person(s), make safe the immediate situation and inform the manager or leader in charge. Refer to

the emergency plan for the specific site or activity as applicable.




Where a significant injury or illness has occurred, a representative should be assigned locally to follow up

with the injured person, or in the case of a youth, the inured youth’s family, regarding their welfare. This

liaison is important for facilitating membership welfare however it does NOT form part of the incident

analysis. Any significant changes or updates in the injured person’s condition should communicated to the

person conducting the root cause analysis for noting on the incident report or injury register.

4 Incident reporting On-line Reporting takes place after the immediate situation has been controlled. All incidents that have

caused harm, or had the potential to cause harm to any person affected by or engaged in Scouting activities

(ie. including contractors, visitors, and members of public) should be reported. Even minor injuries or near

misses could be indicators that our practices can improve. Next time, it could be a more significant injury.

The incident report should be submitted via the web-based online form, available on the Scouts website

within 24 hours. On-line forms can be filled out and submitted by personal computer, or by mobile phone.

Submission within 24 hours may not always be possible (eg in a remote location when there is inadequate

access to the internet), so the incident report form should be submitted on line as soon as practicable once

internet access is regained.

Paper-based incident report forms may be utilised to make an initial report where is it not feasible to use

on-line reporting initially eg. in remote areas without internet access, or for incident involving clients or

school groups where reporting by lap top or mobile phone is challenging. Where a paper-based form is

submitted, the site manager will arrange for the incident to be reported on-line at the earliest convenience.

If the incident occurs at a Scout Camp Site or Activity Centre, the Camp Warden or Activity Centre Manager should also be notified in a timely manner to enable their own reporting and preventative action process to be followed. If the incident was caused by a hazard at a location that is not controlled by Scouts, a representative of the

organisation which has control of the location, should also be notified in a timely manner to enable their

own reporting and preventative action process to be followed.

First aid etc as appropriate

Notify leader in charge or manager

Escalate further if help is needed to control the immediate situation

Once the immediate situation is controlled, submit report




Notifiable incidents

The following incident types are Notifiable to Safe Work NSW if they occur during the course of paid, or

unpaid, work.

o the death of a person o a “serious injury or illness” o a “dangerous incident”

See the definitions section in the procedure for a description of work, serious injury or illness and dangerous occurrence.

If a notifiable incident occurs: o once the injured have been assisted and any further immediate threats to safety are

controlled; you must also cease activities, preserve the scene and where possible, protect the site from disturbance.

o Phone the Head of Risk and /or CEO urgently, at State Office 02 9735 9000. Where neither the Head of Risk nor the CEO are available, ask for the Communications and Development Manager.

o If the relevant state office cannot be contacted, another manager or member may report a Notifiable incident to SafeWork NSW by phoning 131050.

o Take down the names and contact details of witnesses. Advise witnesses that if they are questioned by Safe Work NSW, to keep strictly to the facts – do not make assumptions about the cause of the incident, nor to state that any individual is to blame.

o Continue to liaise with State Office personnel and stand by for further instructions. SafeWork NSW have right of entry and Scouts NSW should co-operate with the regulator’s investigation.

Scouts NSW must keep a record of each notifiable incident for at least 5 years from the day that notice of the incident is given to SafeWork NSW. There are significant penalties for not complying with this requirement.

Other incidents requiring urgent notification to management

As the Scouts Australia NSW Protocol – Issues and Incidents requiring immediate notification to the CEO, incidents that involve any of the below, should be reported urgently (initially by phone) to: Head of Risk and/or the CEO AND a senior manager responsible for the location (eg Regional Commissioner or Site Manager).

a) Incidents that are notifiable to Safe Work NSW (see definitions section and section below); b) Incidents that require emergency attendance of fire services, ambulance or police c) Injuries which lead to hospital admission (other than treating as an outpatient) d) Significant loss or damage to property (i.e. more than estimated $5000) e) An incident on or near Scout premises that could attract adverse media attention

Note: Where neither the Head of Risk nor the CEO are available, contact the Communications and Development Manager.




Immediately following a significant incident, managers should consider referring the witnesses and injured workers to professional counselling. In some cases, immediate trauma counselling might be appropriate. State Office can assist to organise this.

Incident register

Head of Risk is responsible for maintaining a register of all incidents on behalf of Scouts Australia NSW. The register of injuries must include, at minimum:

o name of the injured worker o the worker's address o the worker's age at the time of injury o the worker's occupation at the time of injury o the industry in which the worker was engaged at the time of injury o the time and date of injury o the nature of the injury o the cause of the injury

5 Incident analysis

Why do we analyse incidents?

Incidents are analysed to determine the contributing cause(s) of the incident and to subsequently recommend corrective action to prevent reoccurrence. The purpose of the analysis is not to establish blame, but gather the facts to reduce the risk of injury in future.

What types of incidents do we analyse?

Most reported incidents should be investigated in some way or another i.e formally (documented

investigation using an incident analysis tool) or informally (notes made on an incident report at the

time of reporting). The depth and formality of inquiry will vary greatly depending on the nature

and seriousness of the incident.

Some incidents are outside the control of Scouts NSW (eg personal illnesses), or are unpreventable (eg a member trips during a bush walk). These types of incidents may not require a casual analysis, however, it is essential that Scouts NSW has processes in place to respond to these incidents to ensure the person’s welfare or to prevent escalation of a hazardous situation. Where the adequacy of the response is unknown or in doubt, then the incident should be analysed in order to determine if the response was adequate or if improvements are required.

How do we perform the investigation?

The depth and formality of the investigations will vary in accordance with the significance of the incident.

The investigation or analysis process:

Determine who will investigate. The responsibility for incident analysis generally lies at a local

level eg Site Manager or leader in charge.




For serious and notifiable incidents, Head of Risk and Chief Executive and determine if a lawyer

should be engaged to lead the investigation.

The investigation should attempt to uncover the root cause of the incident i.e what caused the

incident in the first place? It should also consider the appropriateness of the response. i.e. was

the initial response a reasonable response, or could steps be taken to improve the

effectiveness of future responses?

Gather documentation/information as soon as possible whilst information is fresh in witness

minds. Gathered other relevant documents to assist with the analysis eg checklists,

maintenance reports, past incident reports, equipment logs, safe working procedures, accounts

from witness etc.

Photographs may be taken and/or diagrams made if appropriate. Photographs associated with

incidents should never be circulated outside of the investigation, without the permission of a

Board Member.

Interview appropriate personnel to confirm event facts and reveal casual factors. Keep strictly

to the facts – do not make assumptions about the cause of the incident, nor to state that any

individual is to blame.

Determine what process (systems) aspects can be improved and / or what steps can be taken

on an individual basis prevent recurrence.

Keep records of the investigation and provide Head of Risk with a copy of this documentation if

requested.

For major incidents eg incidents listed under “requires notification to senior management”, Major incident Investigation Report template should be used. A copy of this form is available from Scouts NSW Head of Risk.

Confidentiality

Incidents must be discussed in a confidential manner, ie. names or identifying details of individuals involved must not be used, except where they have provided their prior permission for their identity to be disclosed.

6 Preventative or corrective Actions Once the root causes are known, corrective actions can be determined. Corrective actions must be determined in line with the Hierarchy of Controls. Care must also be taken to consider whether the proposed solutions will introduce new risks. A formal (documented) risk assessment is required where legislated e.g. Manual Handling, Plant & equipment, Hazardous Substances, Dangerous Goods. For incidents associated with tasks that already have an existing risk assessment, the risk assessment should be reviewed to incorporate any new learning. Determine the preventative/corrective actions determined and make sure responsible people are informed as well as designating a date for implementation. Discussions and due dates can be documented in meeting minutes. Alternatively, where a site has a WHS Action plan, the proposed actions should be recorded and monitored on the plan.




Close out of preventative/corrective actions and risk controls must be recorded in the relevant minutes (Staff Meeting, Group/District/Region Meeting, Health & Safety Committee meeting or Scoutsafe team meeting). Relevant incident information should be tabled and reviewed at the relevant Activity Centre, Group, Region, etc to ensure controls are effective, appropriate and reviewed for each area.

7 Review and close out The Manager or Leader in Charge and/or his delegate must complete all relevant information to verify effective risk controls have been implemented to prevent a re-occurrence of the incident. Make sure all relevant personnel have been trained and/or informed and instructed on the changes/ risk controls implemented. Major Investigation Reports may not be provided to any other persons without express approval of the Chief Executive and/or Chief Commissioner. The incident will be considered as closed, once any corrective action has been completed. Incident reports or analyses may be re-opened if similar incidents are reported in the future and give reason to believe that the cause should be reinvestigated, or that the corrective actions were ineffective.

8 Records & references WHS Act 2011 eg section 38, 39

Scouts Australia NSW WHS Policy and Framework

Incident Reports

Incident register

WHS Board Agendum papers

Meeting minutes

Major incident investigation report

Protocol – Issues and Incidents requiring immediate notification to the CEO

Safe Work Australia Incident Notification Information Sheet

SafeWork NSW web site – notifiable incidents

Leader Support guide - Managing Traumatic & Critical Incidents

9 Associated forms Web-based incident Report Form

Paper based incident Report Form – for restricted use only – contact Scouts NSW Head of Risk

Major incident Investigation Report - for restricted use only – contact Scouts NSW Head of Risk




10 Appendices Appendix 1 – Definitions

Appendix 2 Flow chart for incident, injury and near miss




Appendix 1 - Definitions

Dangerous Incident Definition from the WHS Act

Dangerous incident means an incident in relation to a workplace that exposes a worker or any other person to a serious risk to a person’s health or safety emanating from an immediate or imminent exposure to: (a) an uncontrolled escape, spillage or leakage of a substance, or (b) an uncontrolled implosion, explosion or fire, or (c) an uncontrolled escape of gas or steam, or (d) an uncontrolled escape of a pressurised substance, or (e) electric shock, or (f) the fall or release from a height of any plant, substance or thing, or (g) the collapse, overturning, failure or malfunction of, or damage to, any plant that is required to be authorised for use in accordance with the regulations, or (h) the collapse or partial collapse of a structure, or (i) the collapse or failure of an excavation or of any shoring supporting an excavation, or (j) the inrush of water, mud or gas in workings, in an underground excavation or tunnel, or (k) the interruption of the main system of ventilation in an underground excavation or tunnel, or (l) any other event prescribed by the regulations, but does not include an incident of a prescribed kind.

Notifiable Incident Definition from the WHS Act and Safe Work Australia INCIDENT NOTIFICATION INFORMATION SHEET

A notifiable incident as outlined in the WHS Act is:

the death of a person

a “serious injury or illness”

a “dangerous incident” arising out of work carried out by a business or undertaking or a workplace. Only these types of incidents are notifiable, and only if they are work related. Part 3 of the WHS Act (2011) requires the regulator to be notified of serious workplace incidents and for the site of those incidents to be preserved until an inspector arrives or directs otherwise.

immediate notification of a “notifiable incident” to the regulator after becoming aware of it

if the regulator requests it – written notification within 48 hours of the incident

preservation of the incident site.

Note relating to Scouts NSW: Only incidents that occur during the course of ‘work’ are Notifiable to Safe Work NSW. When in doubt about whether a serious incident is work-related and therefore notifiable, regard the incident as work related. Preserve the scene and report it to State Office (by phone) immediately. State office (CEO) will then determine the need to notify the regulator.




Hazard A hazard is anything (including work practices or work practice or procedures) that has the potential to harm the health and safety of a person. In the context of this procedure, note that a hazard is different from a near miss.

Incident: An event or chain of events, which has, or could have caused injury, Illness, financial loss or reputational loss to people or assets. Incidents include: injury, illness and near miss.

Near Miss: An event which, although it did not result in personal injury/disease or damage to people, property or the environment, it had the potential to do so.

Lost Time Injury (LTI):

A work injury, which results in the inability to work for at least one full day, or shift, any time after the day or shift in which the incident occurred.

Medical Treatment Injury (MTI):

A work injury that requires treatment by, or under specific orders of a registered medical practitioner or another registered treatment provider eg: General Practitioner, Physiotherapist, and which is beyond the scope of normal first aid, but does not result in a Lost Time Injury.

First Aid Injury (FAI):

Any work injury which requires a "one time treatment" of first aid and subsequent observation of minor scratches, cuts, burns, splinters, and so forth provided by a qualified First Aider.

Preserve the scene Definition from WHS Act

The person with management or control of a workplace at which a notifiable incident has occurred must ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, that the site where the incident occurred is not disturbed until an inspector arrives at the site or any earlier time that an inspector directs. The need to preserve the site also extends to any plant, substance, structure or thing associated with the notifiable incident. This clause does not prevent any action: (a) to assist an injured person, or (b) to remove a deceased person, or (c) that is essential to make the site safe or to minimise the risk of a further notifiable incident, or (d) that is associated with a police investigation, or (e) for which an inspector or the regulator has given permission.

There are significant penalties for not complying with this requirement.

Non-work related From guidance provided by Safe Work Australia

Activities that are purely domestic, social, recreational or private in nature would not be considered work and therefore are unlikely to be covered by the WHS Act. Examples (taken from Safe Work Australia guidance material) include:

running a game of tag with children as a volunteer leader

teaching a group of children how to light a camp fire safely, or

leading bush walks with a group of young people on a weekend. Incidents that occur during non-work activities are reportable to Scouts NSW (via on-line incident reporting) but are NOT notifiable to the regulator. Serious non-work incidents should still be reported urgently to the relevant manager and state office, as they could attract adverse media attention and a formal investigation could be required.




Serious injury or illness Definition from the WHS Act

In this Part, serious injury or illness of a person means an injury or illness requiring the person to have: (a) immediate treatment as an in-patient in a hospital, or (b) immediate treatment for:

(i) the amputation of any part of his or her body, or (ii) a serious head injury, or (iii) a serious eye injury, or (iv) a serious burn, or (v) the separation of his or her skin from an underlying tissue (such as degloving or scalping), or (vi) a spinal injury, or (vii) the loss of a bodily function, or (viii) serious lacerations, or

(c) medical treatment within 48 hours of exposure to a substance, and includes any other injury or illness prescribed by the regulations but does not include an illness or injury of a prescribed kind.

Work-related From guidance provided by Safe Work Australia

‘Work’ is not defined in the WHS legislation, and nor is it necessarily distinguished by whether a person is being paid or not. All work that paid staff perform would be defined as ‘work’ however, some activities that volunteers perform without payment, are also regarded as ‘’work’. Activities which involve dealing with assets or enabling the activities of Scouts would be ‘work’. The following examples assist in understanding what activities would be regarded as work; - Employed Staff Staff: all work performed by paid staff. - Maintenance and Working Bees: eg mowing lawns or managing or participating in a working bee to maintain a scout hall. - Container Deposit Scheme: eg tasks associated with operating the Container Deposit Scheme. - Leader Training: eg training a new Scout leader in skills to lead a group of scouts in a range of recreational or social activities. - SAIT (trainers and trainees): Teaching, or being trained in, skills where the certification could be commercially exploited. This would include the trainees (i.e. first aid, certificate II, III, or IV’s).




Appendix 2 Flow chart for incident, injury and near miss

If the incident requires notification to Safe

Work NSW (see below), cease activity, make

the area safe, and preserve the scene. Notify

manager and State Office urgently. Await

further instruction.

WHS procedures revised / improvements

implemented / learning shared etc

Incident, injury or Near Miss occurs

Manager/Group Leader initiates an investigation of

the contributing causes.

Incident statistics are reviewed at the Board, Site

Meetings etc and corrective actions assigned where

appropriate.

For out of pocket medical expenses: Paid worker lodges Allianz Workers Compensation claim

OR Volunteer or member lodges Chubb Personal Accident & Sickness, Voluntary Workers and Group Journey Insurance – Claim.

State Office staff (in consultation with CEO) will notify regulator of Notifiable incidents and liaise with field personnel. Legal advice should also be obtained eg in relation to how to proceed with the investigation.

Manager/Group Leader completes 5.1 Incident

Report Form within 24 hours or as soon as

reasonably practicable.

Head of Risk receives incident report on-line.

Where necessary, Head of risk will liaise with local

or regional personnel until investigation is closed

out.

Incidents that require notification to Safe Work NSW ie. “Notifiable” incidents:

the death of a person

a “serious injury or illness”*

a “dangerous incident”* arising out of work.

Only WORK-RELATED incidents are reportable to Safe Work NSW. All work that paid staff perform would be defined as ‘work’

and some activities that volunteers perform, are also regarded as ‘’work’ and are therefore subject to WHS legislation and

incident Notification eg. Working bees, maintenance, SAIT, Container Deposit Scheme, Gang Shows.

Apply first aid, medical treatment etc as needed

Inform Site Manager/Leader in Charge

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