Best Practices to Proactively Manage Workplace Incidents

Experiencing workplace incidents and its consequences is simply unpleasant. No one likes to face adverse events since they reflect that there is something wrong with the way we are handling things currently. This is where we need to be proactive.

So, dig deeper into the incidents, learn from your mistakes, and improve your quality processes to prevent the similar incidents in the future.

The way you manage incidents also reflects your organization’s commitment to culture of quality and continuous improvements. So, make a holistic approach to manage incident-related risks ahead. You should also involve your workforce to participate in safety management initiatives. It instills more confidence toward work culture.

Before changing your approach to workplace safety incidents, you should know a few things about incident management. This blog will provide you with all the necessary insights. Read on to learn more.

So, what is an Incident Management Process?

Incidents are unexpected disruptions to services. It disrupts normal operations, negatively impacting end users’ productivity and health. Incidents may occur due to missed ill-functioning equipment, noncompliance with standard procedures, inappropriate training, and much more.

An organization’s incident management processes govern how it recovers from unplanned service interruptions.

Why Incident Management Process is Important?

Defining an incident management process that allows incidents to be resolved faster and at a lower cost is critical. You can maximize team efficiency if you have a straightforward incident management process that follows best practices. An incident management process can provide the following benefits:

1. A shorter MTTR and faster resolution of incidents.
2. A reduction in costs and a positive impact on revenue.
3. Enhancing communication within and outside the incident management team.
4. An ongoing process of improvement and learning.
5. An improved customer experiences.

Reporting Workplace Incidents: Why Is It Important?

Several incidents at work require employers to report them by law. These circumstances are categorized as ‘notifiable incidents. Of course, preventing incidents from occurring in the first place is ideal, but they do happen regardless of how well the controls are in place. Reporting them in time help work health and safety regulators identify the causes of the incidents and prevent them from happening again.

It is required by the Work Health and Safety law that:

• Notifiable incidents must be reported to regulators as soon as they are discovered
• Upon request from a regulator, a written notice is provided within 48 hours
• It is a policy to keep the incident site clean until an inspector visits unless otherwise directed.

Employers are liable for penalties if they fail to report a notifiable incident.

Quick Read: Workplace Productivity Depends on Employee’s Training and Development

Reporting Workplace Safety Incidents: What to Include?

You must include the following details in your incident report:

1. What exactly happened?
2. When did the incident occurred?
3. Where did the incident occurred?
4. Who were impacted by the incident? (Make sure to include all the details and the relationship with your business or organization)
5. What all injuries the incident led to, and the initial treatment impacted person received?
6. What action plans were implemented?
7. Who is taking care of entire incident management process?

Managing Workplace Incidents: A Quick Look at the Process Workflow

Recording incidents

Identifying and reporting incidents is the first step in incident management. The end users themselves can do this, or an agent can. To speed up recovery, your team should use a form template to capture all incident information. End users must also have easy access to appropriate channels for reporting problems.

Definition and Classification of Incidents

Organize incidents into appropriate categories and sub-categories so that the right person and team can be easily identified. Save time by customizing incident forms with the correct fields and using automated rules for identifying, prioritizing, and assigning tickets. Accurate classification of incidents will result in faster report generation.

Assessing the priority of an incident

Choosing the proper priority for tickets influences SLA policy and getting critical business issues resolved on time. Establish a realistic Service Level Agreement (SLA) to meet customer demands.

The investigation and analysis process

IT team members conduct an initial analysis of an incident and send an appropriate resolution to the end user. Upon not finding a resolution, they escalate the incident to the tier II & tier III teams for further investigation. Identifying, analyzing, and containing an incident requires several components. The incident is also associated with the relevant CI to speed up the diagnosis.

Resolving and concluding incidents

Quality teams strive to resolve incidents as soon as possible, regardless of how they come about. To determine and close these tickets efficiently, communication is essential. Through the self-service portal, the user can complete the resolved tickets himself or themself automatically.

Managing Workplace Incidents: Best-Practices to Prevent Them

Serious workplace incidents can lead to catastrophic injuries, or even death. It is also possible for a workplace incident to cause:

• Expenses related to medical treatment
• Productivity Loss of Affected Workers
• Forms and documents related to workers’ compensation
• OSHA inspections
• Reduced morale

Below are some tips for preventing workplace incidents and ensuring the safety of employees.

Always put safety first

Your company should always put safety first. Everyone at the workplace should understand that safety is a priority, from top management to the newest employee. Employee handbooks should include all safety protocols and procedures, and they should be posted throughout the workplace when appropriate.

It is important for companies to ensure that their employees sign documentation indicating their understanding of the company’s safety standards and their commitment to follow them at all times.

An effective training programs

Continuing education and training are also important to keep the workplace safe, as well as providing safety information and protocols in employee handbooks for new hires. All employees should receive training on all aspects of their employment, including how to operate all equipment and machinery properly.

Work with qualified individuals

When it comes to hiring employees, employers must take the time to select qualified candidates. An overall understanding of building safety can be greatly enhanced by obtaining safety-related certifications. It is important to carefully investigate an applicant’s certification and work history before hiring them if they boast they have a particular certification.

The conduct of pre-placement physicals can also verify that workers meet the qualifications for certain positions. Both new employees and other workers who would rely on that new employee can benefit from the screening process, which ensures that each worker is matched to tasks that are appropriate for their level of ability.

Make sure you hire enough people

Incidents often occur because employees are overworked and understaffed. Employee fatigue and stress can cause workplace incidents if companies fail to meet adequate staffing levels. Hiring part-time or seasonal employees can help reduce stress during busy periods.

Ensure the proper use of safety gear in the organization

To ensure safety and prevent accidents, every employee should always be provided with personal protective equipment (PPE). It is essential that every employee receives training on the PPE they will need for specific jobs, and it is also imperative that PPE is regularly maintained and tested to determine its efficiency and reliability.

Maintain equipment on a regular basis

The failure of equipment, vehicles, or machinery is often the cause of work accidents. Equipment and machinery used by employees should always be properly and appropriately maintained by employers.

It is imperative to repair or replace damaged or faulty machinery or equipment as soon as possible. Document all maintenance records and alert employees to faulty or defective equipment.

Inspect safety procedures

A regular, consistent hazard identification and assessment should also accompany routine maintenance of machinery and equipment. During these safety inspections, employees should feel free to speak out about any possible hazards at work. It is also important for employers to ensure that all existing safeguards at their company are effective and relevant.

Workers who meet or exceed safety standards can even receive rewards for their efforts.

Make sure the environment is safe

Work with your workers to maintain a safe work environment on a daily basis.

• You Should Maintain Your Company’s Grounds
• Maintain Equipment Regularly
• Provide all employees with a wellness and safety plan
• Maintain a clean pathway by removing debris
• Clean Up Spills Immediately
• Build An Organizational Culture of Safety

Working in a safe environment is just smart business.

Identify vulnerabilities

You should investigate near-misses or minor accidents at your workplace (or any past serious accidents) carefully if they occur. Create new safety strategies for the future to address these issues, if any preventable mistakes can be made.

Related Article: Regulatory Reporting of Adverse Events: Things You Should Know

Encourage feedback from employees

There is a fear that employees will be fired or retaliated against if they speak out about safety issues at their employers. To keep the workplace safe for employees and their coworkers, use a suggestion box or offer incentives to encourage employees to come up with innovative solutions.

Fortunately, you can organize all the prevention measures in a closed-loop workflow using a next-generation incident management software like Qualityze. Request a demo to see for yourself how Qualityze can streamline all your incident related processes while ensuring compliance.

To learn more about Qualityze Incident Management Software, please contact our customer success team at info@qualityze.com or call us at 1-877-207-8616, and we will be right there for you at the earliest.