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6 © 2011, Safe Workplace Promotion Services Ontario, publicly known as Workplace Safety & Prevention Services. 1 877 494 WSPS (9777) | 905 614 1400 | www.wsps.ca Starting Your Health and Safety Program The investigator should gather relevant information through inspections and discussions with personnel involved. A clear description of exactly what happened and of the circumstances leading up to the accident should then be written. In the initial stage of the investigation, the questions asked will usually identify the immediate causes of the accident, namely, those substandard practices and/or conditions that resulted in or contributed to the accident. These questions may include: Was the work authorized? Did a machine failure occur? Was the machinery involved properly guarded? Were the people involved adequately trained? Was there adequate lighting? The immediate causes, however, are symptoms of a deeper problem. Determine the basic causes of the accident by asking the question "Why did the substandard practices or conditions exist? The "basic causes" will invariably stem from a lack of management control. A thorough investigation will reveal the defects in the management system that allowed the accident to happen, that is, the not so obvious causes. appendix 4 Injury and Illness Records There are a number of injury and illness records that employers are required to keep. Analyses of these will help to spotlight weaknesses in your overall system or program and to indicate changes that are necessary for a safer, healthier and more efficient operation. Regulations under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act require you to record each and every personal injury "arising out of and in the course of employment" that your employees may suffer (First Aid Requirements Regulation 1101 s.5). Record all first-aid cases. When the injury is serious enough that the employee must visit a doctor, you must complete and forward Form 7 (accident report) to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. The recording and reporting of certain accidents is also required (OHSA s.51 and 52). Analyses of these various records will help pinpoint the need for revised procedures, equipment modifications, protective equipment, etc., in order to reduce accidents and injuries. Any improvements in workplace health and safety will, in the long run, result in improved morale and efficient production. Consider keeping a monthly summary of all personal injuries. Your first aid reports will provide information about minor cuts and bruises that occur in all departments and which should be included in your summary. Form 7 Analyses A detailed monthly analysis of all your accident reports (Form 7) will indicate high-risk departments or perhaps departments where training is needed. Distribute the results to your appropriate line managers to enable them to study the problem areas and take corrective action. A simple system such as this can be of great value. Keep in mind, however, that it will only provide a count of the number of injuries and illnesses. Incorporate information into the dollar cost and/or days lost into the monthly analysis. This additional information will help to strengthen accountability for health and safety performance and accident costs. As each succeeding month's analysis is completed, compile a year-to-date total of injuries and illnesses by department and by type. This will allow trends and problem areas to be identified. A records system provides a yardstick for progress. It will tell you where your company is today, which areas need improvement, and ultimately, how successful your efforts have been.

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