Hazard Reporting and Recording Guidance

INTRODUCTION

Health and safety in the workplace is the responsibility of everyone. For health and safety to be successfully managed each person must be involved in developing and maintaining a positive health and safety culture, this includes the identification of hazards and problems and informing managers and supervisors so that steps can be taken to avoid accidents and incidents.

HAZARD REPORTING

The following circumstances must be reported immediately:

Fire

• If you discover a fire

General

• If you have an accident, injury or illness which affects your ability to carry out your work
• If you see an accident or become aware of an injury sustained by a non-employee, visitor etc.
• If you see any potential accident, incident or dangerous occurrence
• If any guards or safety devices are ineffective, defective or have been removed
• If your protective clothing or equipment is inadequate, ineffective, damaged or missing
• If a fault occurs to any machinery, plant or equipment which could affect its safe operation
• If you have not been properly trained, or provided with adequate information on how to operate machinery, plant or equipment safely.

Hazardous Substances

• If you are not provided with suitable hazard information for a substance
• If you are not aware of the correct way of using and handling a substance
• If there is a spillage of a hazardous substance

HAZARD RECORDING

Part of the procedure for reporting hazards includes a system for all employees to record the hazards found in the workplace after communicating them to their immediate supervisor/manager.

The Recording Procedure

All hazards should be reported to the immediate manager/supervisor without delay, and that person will decide what action to take and the priority it will receive.

The employee reporting the hazard should then make an entry on the Hazard Record Sheet including the particulars of the hazard, the date, who it was reported to and their own name. The Hazard Record Sheet will be posted in the workplace.

After the manager has investigated the reported hazard, they will fill in the last section of the Hazard Record Sheet detailing the remedial action taken or explaining why no action has been taken. If that hazard could affect others, the manager has a duty to inform those other persons of the hazard.

Senior management should monitor the reports and action taken on a regular basis.

See also:

Hazard Reporting Policy.

Hazard Reporting Procedure.