Injury & Illness Reporting
Introduction
Purpose
Indiana University Environmental Health and Safety (IUEHS) has developed this Program to ensure that Indiana University Environmental Health and Safety is informed about employee injuries and illnesses for the purpose of incident investigation and prevention and to establish a mechanism for compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule for reporting work-related fatalities and severe injuries/illnesses (29 CFR 1904.39).
Scope
This Program applies to all work-related injuries or illnesses as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 29 CFR 1904.5. This Program does not address emergency procedures or response, nor does it replace or supersede requirements of other IUEHS policies or programs, applicable government agencies, and/or other Indiana University departments or entities (e.g. Indiana University Human Resources (UHR), the Indiana University Office of Insurance, Loss Control & Claims (INLOCC), etc.).
Authority and responsibility
- University Environmental Health and Safety (IUEHS) is responsible for:
- Revising and updating the Program as necessary;
- Reporting work-related fatalities and severe injuries/illnesses as required by OSHA;
- Serving as the liaison to OSHA for work-related fatalities and severe injuries/illnesses;
- Investigating injuries and/or illnesses as necessary; and
- Reporting any recommended corrective actions to the applicable supervisor or department when deficiencies are identified by IUEHS.
- University Human Resources (UHR) is responsible for:
- Supplying an electronic copy of the completed occupational injury illness form to the respective IUEHS campus representative.
- Indiana University Policy Department (IUPD) is responsible for:
- Reporting work-related fatalities and severe injuries/illnesses as required by OSHA.
- Departments are responsible for:
- Ensuring supervisors are aware of the requirements specified within this Program;
- Enforcing the requirements specified within this Program;
- Ensuring that IUPD and the respective IUEHS campus representative are notified immediately after learning of work-related fatalities or severe injuries/illnesses as defined in this Program; and
- Supporting corrective action(s) to eliminate hazards and/or prevent reoccurrence of work-related incidents.
- Supervisors are responsible for:
- Ensuring employees are aware of the requirements specified within this Program;
- Notifying IUPD and the respective IUEHS campus representative immediately after learning of work-related fatalities or severe injuries/illnesses as defined in this Program;
- Following all applicable UHR Injury On-the-Job Policy for reporting work-related injuries and illnesses;
- Cooperating with IUEHS and other applicable government agencies and/or other Indiana University departments or entities during incident investigations; and
- Taking corrective action(s) to prevent reoccurrence of the incident by mitigating known or anticipated hazards.
- Employees are responsible for:
- Reporting work-related injuries and illnesses to their supervisor in accordance with the applicable UHR Injury On-the-Job Policy;
- Complying with all applicable requirements of this Program; and
- Cooperating with their supervisor, IUEHS, and other applicable government agencies and/or other Indiana University departments or entities during incident investigations.
All work-related injuries/illnesses
All work-related injuries and illnesses as defined by the OSHA in 29 CFR 1904.5, shall be reported in accordance with the applicable UHR Injury On-the-Job Policy. This includes all work-related incidents that involve potential exposure to human tissue, blood, or bodily fluid (e.g. clinical needlesticks).
IUEHS will perform a review of the completed occupational injury illness form and make a determination whether a more thorough investigation of the incident is necessary. The supervisor is responsible for taking immediate corrective action(s) to prevent reoccurrence of the incident by mitigating known or anticipated hazards. If deemed necessary, IUEHS may recommend additional corrective action(s) after a secondary investigation is conducted by IUEHS.
Work-related fatalities and severe injuries/illnesses
All work-related fatalities and severe injuries/illnesses shall be reported to IUPD and IUEHS for the respective campus upon notification of the incident. Severe injuries and illnesses include amputations (i.e. including the tip of the finger), loss of an eye, and/or injuries or illnesses that involve overnight (i.e. inpatient) admittance to a hospital.
Upon notification, IUEHS and IUPD shall notify OSHA of the fatality, injury, or illness in accordance with 29 CFR 1904.39. After the initial report to OSHA is complete, IUEHS shall serve as the official liaison to OSHA for the incident.
Other potential work-related exposures
Other potentially harmful work-related exposures (e.g. skin contact, ingestion, inhalation, etc.) to hazardous substances (e.g. radiologicals, chemicals, biologicals, etc.) shall be reported to IUEHS for the respective campus immediately. If the exposure causes injury or illness, refer to the section of this program entitled “All work-related injuries/illnesses”.
Training and recordkeeping
Supervisors shall inform their employees of the requirements of this Program; however, documented training is not required for this Program. Refer to the applicable Injury On-the-Job Policy for any other applicable training and recordkeeping requirements.