P-614 Accident Reporting & Investigation

Issued By: Roy Hollett, Deputy Chief
Approved By: Ken Stuebing, Fire Chief
Date of Issue: 2018/05/04

Forms Required:     
•    FD-013 Incident & Near Miss Report


PURPOSE:
To define standard methods for the reporting and investigating of all incidents and near misses involving members, equipment, apparatus and properties under the control of Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency (HRFE). 

OBJECTIVE:
To promote the safety of members and ensure the reporting and investigation of all incidents and near misses following the procedure defined in this policy.

SCOPE:
All members of HRFE.

DEFINITIONS:

•    “Critical Injury” includes unconsciousness, loss of a substantial amount of blood, fracture of a leg or arm, amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot, burns to a major part of the body, loss of sight in an eye and any injury that places life in jeopardy.  

•    “Medical Prognosis” is a written statement from a medical practitioner, which outlines the member’s ability to carry out all or some duties. The medical prognosis does not provide detailed information respecting the condition but provides the member’s medically endorsed precautions and capabilities.

•    “Time Loss Injury” includes an injury for which a worker is compensated for a loss of wages following a work-related incident or exposure to a noxious chemical. This includes injuries for which personnel receive compensation from the Worker’s Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, IAFF Local 268 Group Benefits Plan or the VFIS® plan.

•    “Near Miss” is an unplanned event or series of events that did not cause injury or damage, but had the potential to do so. “Near misses” are investigated just like incidents to prevent similar circumstances from leading to an incident in the future.

•    “Motor Vehicle Incident” occurs when a HRFE vehicle is involved in any incident that causes damage with another vehicle, person or any stationary object.

POLICY: 

All incidents, injuries and near misses shall be reported and investigated. This also applies to contractors operating on HRFE property.

For all incidents involving HRFE members and property the Supervisor shall complete and submit an “Incident and Near Miss Report” (Form FD-013) at the earliest opportunity. This must be completed before the end of shift (career) or before leaving the station (volunteer).

FD-013 forms shall be type written.  Any section which is not applicable shall be indicated as such using “N/A” or equivalent notation. The reporting supervisor shall email the report to the Fire Safety Division (fsdiv@halifax.ca) with copies to their Platoon/Division Captain and District Chief (or Manager). 


1    INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOLLOWING AN INCIDENT 

1.1    Incidents Involving Critical Injury, Fatality or Incident Involving Serious     Damage to HRFE Property

Incidents described in Part 63 of the Occupational Health & Safety Act shall be reported to the Nova Scotia Department Labour and Advanced Education (NSDLAE) by the Division Chief, Safety and Complianceas soon as possible, and never more than 24 hours after the incident.

Incidents which are likely to result in excess of $10,000 property loss are considered “serious damage” for the purposes of this policy.

Members shall: 
•    Render immediate first aid and request appropriate assistance as required.
•    Secure the scene.
•    Immediately notify their supervisor of the incident.


Supervisors shall: 
•    Other than to the extent that is necessary to treat injured persons, prevent further injuries or protect property from immediate harm, secure the area and not allow the scene of the incident to be disturbed until authorized by the HRFE Safety Officer, NSLAE Officer or designate.
•    Notify Dispatch of the incident immediately. 
•    Complete and submit “Incident and Near Miss Report” (Form FD-013).

Dispatch shall: 
•    Immediately notify the Platoon/Division Captain, District Chief (or other Manager), Division Chief, Safety and Compliance and on duty FST member of the incident.

Platoon/Division Captain shall:
•    Respond immediately to the location of the incident.
•    Ensure that the scene of the incident is secured.
•    Take pictures and document the scene.
•    Seize any equipment involved and store in a secure location for further investigation. 
•    Start the investigative process.

District Chief (or Manager) shall:
•    Go to the hospital to attend to any injured members.
•    Update the Fire Strategic Team (FST) when possible

Division Chief, Safety and Compliance shall:
•    Respond to the scene of the incident and lead the investigation.
•    Notify the Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee.
•    Notify NSDLAE if required.

In the event of critical injury of a HRFE member, the Fire Chief or Designate and the Fire Service Chaplain shall, in person, notify family of the incident and render assistance.
In the event of death of a HRFE member, the Fire Chief or Designate and the Fire Service Chaplain as well as a Union representative or a close friend within the Fire Service shall, in person, notify family of the incident and render assistance. The FFAP Coordinator shall check the LODD Form FD-105.

1.2    Motor Vehicle Incidents

Involved drivers must stop at any incident scene and make every reasonable effort to provide their information to the owner of any damaged vehicle or property.  If property is unattended and the owner cannot be notified, the driver must report the incident to police as soon as possible and not more than 24 hours after the incident. (NS Motor Vehicle Act Section 97)

The Driver and/or the Supervisor shall:
•    If there are any injured persons, request police and EHS immediately.
•    Immediately inform dispatch.
•    Complete and submit “Incident and Near Miss Report” (Form FD-013).

Dispatch shall: 
•    Notify the Platoon/Division Captain and District Chief.

Platoon/Division Captain shall:
•    Respond to the location of the incident, take pictures and document the scene and start the investigative process.

District Chief shall:
•    If any of the conditions listed in P-304 “Assessment of Vehicle Operators” are met, the supervisor shall immediately remove the operator from driving duties until they are successfully re-evaluated.
•    Ensure the incident investigation is completed.

1.3    All Other Incidents and Near Misses

Members shall:
•    Immediately report any incident or near miss to their Supervisor.

Supervisors Shall:
•    Report the incident to the Platoon/Division Captain or Manager immediately.
•    Complete and submit “Incident and Near Miss Report” (Form FD-013).  

Platoon/Division Captain shall:
•    Respond to the location of the incident, take pictures and document the scene and start the investigative process.

1.4    MEDICAL ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT

Dispatch shall: 
•    Immediately notify the Platoon/Division Captain, District Chief (or other Manager), Division Chief, Safety and Compliance and on duty FST member of the incident when a member is taken to hospital.

District Chiefs shall:
•    Follow up with any member who is taken to the hospital
•    Report any lost time injuries to the Fire Strategic Team (FST) and on duty FST member

2.1    Time Loss Injury
If an injury has the potential to cause a loss of time at work, the injured member shall immediately go to a nearby hospital for assessment and treatment. The member shall request a written medical prognosis and immediately submit that prognosis to their Manager and insurance provider.  If a member is unable to report for their next scheduled shift the responsible manager shall notify the Division Chief, Safety and Compliance upon notification via email at fsdiv@halifax.ca. 

2.2    Minor or First Aid Injury
If a supervisor feels that an injury resulting from an incident warrants assessment at a hospital, that supervisor shall direct the member to immediately go to a nearby hospital for assessment and treatment. Any member directed to obtain medical care shall do so immediately.


3    INVESTIGATION PROCESS
All incidents or near misses shall be investigated and recorded using the “Environment, Health and Safety Management (EHSM)” system.

The on-duty Platoon/Division Captain shall:
•    Attend the incident scene and act as the Investigation Lead.
•    Start the investigation process.
•    Gather evidence such as witness statements, photographs, and any malfunctioning equipment or devices.
•    Prepare notes of the incident scene.

In cases where the incident is minor in nature, the on-duty Platoon/Division Captain may authorize the Supervisor to gather evidence and take pictures at the scene.

The Investigation Lead will: 
•    Ensure all evidence is gathered and protected.
•    Use approved investigation methodology to identify causes and to recommend preventative measures.
•    Assign and complete relevant investigation steps in EHSM.
•    Assign a “Lessons Learned” step in EHSM to the Manager normally responsible for the workgroup on which the incident occurred.

Manager will:
•    Review the evidence and investigation analysis provided by the Investigation Lead.
•    Determine preventative measures that will reduce risk of future incidents.
•    Complete the “Lessons Learned” step in EHSM by describing the preventative measures they have taken.
•    Take corrective actions to prevent future incidents in their workplaces. 

Division Chief, Safety and Compliance:
•    Review all incident files and make recommendations as appropriate.
•    Assume lead of any investigation as they deem fit or as required.


RELATED POLICIES/ OPERATING GUIDELINES:
•    HRM “Workplace Incident / Near Miss Incident Investigation and Reporting Procedure”
•    P-025 Response to Incidents Involving HRFE Vehicles
•    P-304 Assessment of Vehicle Operations
•    P-604 Safe operation of HRFE vehicles

POLICY REVIEW:

This policy will be reviewed when/if there are changes/amendments made to the standard method for reporting and investigating all incidents and near misses involving members, equipment, apparatus or properties under control of HRFE.