Every injury on duty should be investigated to find and eliminate the root cause, thereby ensuring that the injury does not happen again. To properly investigate an incident, accident, or injury on duty, it’s essential to follow the nine steps of the incident investigation process.
In this article, we’ll answer important questions around injuries on duty and explain how to carry out an investigation step by step.
What is an injury on duty (IOD)?
An injury on duty is any injury, illness, or death sustained by an employee while carrying out their work activities or while at work. IODs can happen as a direct result of an employee carrying out their duties (for example, cutting off a thumb while using a saw in a workshop), take place as a result of the general work environment (slipping on a wet floor), be a result of unsafe acts or horseplay (accidently falling from height while fooling around), or develop over time (hearing loss due to prolonged noise exposure).
Are employers legally required to investigate an injury on duty?
Yes, according to Section 9 of the General Administrative Regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, employers have a legal duty to investigate all reportable incidents and injuries on duty. The regulation further states that the incident must be investigated either by the employer, a person appointed by the employer, a Health and Safety Representative, or a member of the Health and Safety Committee.
What is a reportable injury on duty?
A reportable injury on duty is one that the employer is legally required to report to an inspector of the Department of Employment and Labour (DoEL). Section 24 of the OHS Act outlines which incidents and injuries must be reported.
Which injuries on duty need to be reported?
Section 24 of the OHS Act specifies which incidents and injuries on duty must be reported to an inspector of the DoEL.
Reportable workplace incidents and injuries include:
- A person being killed
- A person becoming unconscious
- A person becoming permanently disabled
- A person being injured to a point where they would not be able to work for more than 14 days
- Any major incident
- Any incident where the health and safety of an employee was endangered by a chemical spill, uncontrolled release of a substance under pressure, or machinery or part thereof that ran out of control or sent parts flying or falling
Do non-reportable injuries on duty need to be investigated?
Yes, even minor, non-reportable injuries should be internally reported and investigated. The aim of incident investigation is to discover and eliminate the root cause of the incident or injury, thereby ensuring that it never happens again. As such, investigating all incidents and injuries – including near-misses – is a vital aspect of creating a safe, prepared, and healthy working environment.
Who should investigate an injury on duty?
Ideally, the incident investigation team should include the following team members:
- Work Supervisor of the area in which the injury took place
- Health and Safety Representative
- Health and Safety Officer/Practitioner (internal or external)
- Outside experts and specialists (if necessary)
How to investigate an injury on duty
The main aim of investigating an injury on duty is two-fold: firstly, to identify the root cause of the injury, and secondly, to implement effective risk control measures to ensure that the incident will not happen again. Another important aspect of incident investigation is formulating a report for both the employer/Health & Safety Committee and the DoEL.
The incident investigation process has nine steps:
- Immobilise the scene
- Prepare for the investigation
- Collect evidence
- Analyse the evidence
- Identify the root cause
- Implement control measures
- Formulate the report
- Communicate the report to the employer and DoEL
- Follow up
Step 1: Immobilise the scene
First aiders and/or the emergency services should be called to care for the injured employee immediately. The investigation team, management staff, and next of kin of the casualty should be notified. In the case of a serious injury, the DoEL should also be contacted. Take steps to secure the scene of the injury on duty to preserve evidence.
Step 2: Prepare for the investigation
The incident investigation should begin as soon as possible. Determine the scope of the investigation by identifying the investigation techniques that will be used, the sequence of events, the data to be analysed, individuals involved, and expected outcomes.
Step 3: Collect evidence
Conduct interviews with witnesses, collect physical evidence from the scene, take photographs and video recordings of the scene and any equipment or machinery involved, and make sketches of the area. Historical documentation including Health and Safety Representative checklists, Health and Safety Committee meeting minutes, previous incident reports, and operating manuals of equipment involved can also provide useful information.
Step 4: Analyse the evidence
Analyse all the evidence to determine why the injury occurred. Do not try to apportion blame, rather keep an open mind and consider all possible causes.
Step 5: Identify the root cause
Your investigation should identify both the direct and indirect (or root) causes of the injury:
- Direct causes usually include unsafe acts and conditions that led to the incident or injury taking place (for example, failure to wear appropriate PPE).
- Root causes can be classified as management failures or defects in the health and safety management system (for example, lack of supervision or lack of training).
Step 6: Implement control measures
Potential control measures can be divided into the following four actions:
- Terminate (end the hazard)
- Transfer (remove the hazard to another environment)
- Treat (change the form of the hazard)
- Tolerate (leave the hazard in its existing state because it has been dealt with in another way)
Step 7: Formulate the report
A detailed report indicating the recommended corrective actions is critical to preventing future injuries and incidents from taking place. Annexure 1 is the recommended injury on duty form supplied by the General Administrative Regulations of the OHS Act. See our blog ‘How To Write a Workplace Incident Report [With Examples]’ for a breakdown of what to include in an incident report and an example of the Annexure 1 form.
Step 8: Communicate the report
The incident report should be discussed at the next Health and Safety Committee meeting and forwarded on to the employer. A copy of the incident report and Annexure 1 form should be kept on file and be available if requested by the DoEL.
Step 9: Follow upThe Health and Safety Committee should follow up to ensure that the recommended corrective measures have been implemented and are effective. It may be necessary to measure, evaluate, and correct where necessary.
FAQ
What is the COID Act?
The aim of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COID) Act 130 of 1993 is to provide compensation in the case of disablement or death caused by occupational injuries or diseases. The COID Act also prevents employees covered by the Act from suing their employers for damages in terms of common law.
What is the Compensation Fund?
Anyone who employs one or more workers must register with the Compensation Fund and pay annual fees. See our previous post, ‘Injury on Duty: A Guide for Businesses’, for a step-by-step explanation of how to file a claim to the Compensation Fund (often referred to as the Workmen’s Compensation Fund).
What does an Incident Investigation course include?Our one-day Incident Investigation course offers in-depth training into incident causation, unsafe acts and conditions, the incident investigation process, and important sections of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The course equips delegates with the knowledge and skills needed to thoroughly investigate injuries on duty, determine the root cause, complete the necessary documentation, and suggest appropriate corrective actions. Find out more about incident investigation training or book your spot here.
