Question

Although all personal injuries, near misses or cases of job-related diseases in the workplace are classed as incidents, the purpose of reporting an accident as opposed to an incident is quite different. The former is to inspect a bodily injury, while the latter serves as a means to probe its actual cause. The Accident Report* form is filled out by the employee who experienced the accident, whereas the Incident Report form is completed by the duty manager inspecting the case. Both the forms call on the employee to record their personal details, injury specifics and any necessary medical assistance, as well as events leading up to the accident. However, the duty manager is solely obligated to record witness details and to anticipate any preventive means or future proceedings. Depending on the likelihood of a recurrence, due to a prevalent job structure, systems of work or procedural liabilities, the duty manager should also instruct on further investigations to follow. The Accident and Incident Report forms are used as vital reporting tools to scrutinise and prevent similar occurrences in the future. They are considered to be vital precautionary measures that support the development of adequate safety procedures. Management are bound by legislation to ensure the safety of workers. *Reported major injuries: Specified serious injuries to workers, including most fractures, amputations and other injuries leading to resuscitation or 24-hour admittance to hospital. *Reported over-3-day injuries: Other (non-major) injuries to workers that lead to absence from work, or inability to do their usual job, for over three days. After reading the text and the table figures, why do you think the numbers of reported injuries decline annually?

Answer 1

The numbers of reported injuries decline annually likely due to the implementation of better safety procedures and initiatives in the workplace.

As the Accident and Incident Report forms are used as vital reporting tools to scrutinise and prevent similar occurrences in the future, management are more aware of the potential dangers in the workplace and are better able to take action to reduce the risk of injuries.

Additionally, the development of adequate safety procedures and the enforcement of these procedures increases the safety of workers and decreases the likelihood of injuries. Therefore, this likely contributes to the annual decrease in reported injuries.