Accidents and dangerous occurrences

All staff are required to report incidents, dangerous occurrences and 'near-miss situations' that they are involved in to their immediate supervisor or Head of Department.

The immediate supervisor or Head of Department will investigate the causes of the incident and complete the University Incident Report Form or the University Dangerous Occurrence Form. Copies of the completed form should be forwarded to the Safety Officer and the Buildings Department as soon as possible. The purpose of an investigation is to establish all the facts relating to the incident, to draw conclusions from the facts and make recommendations to prevent reoccurrence. Each incident will be looked at from the point of view of place, plant, procedures and people, to see where the safety system has failed and to improve controls.

An accident can be described as any unplanned event that results in: injury; or ill-health; or damage to or loss of plant, materials, etc. All accidents are 'incidents'. However, the definition of an incident is wider in that it includes dangerous occurrences and 'near misses'.