• Section 1 - Background and Purpose
• Section 2 - Scope
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Part A - Responsibilities
• Managers and Leaders
• Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Team will:
• All Staff, Students and Contractors
• Part B - Hazard Identification, Actioning and Reporting
• Part C - Incident Response and Reporting
• Part D - Escalation of Notification of incidents
• Part E - Notifiable Incident
• Section 5 - Definitions

Section 1 - Background and Purpose

(1) Protecting the health and safety of people requires that hazards and incidents are reported by the whole University community. 

(2) Systematic reporting will ensure a timely organisational response to reduce and manage risk, to maintain a safe and productive University environment.

(3) The purpose of this Procedure is to inform staff, students, contractors and visitors of the obligations and their involvement to report hazards and incidents. This information is included in the general staff induction for Health and Safety.

Section 2 - Scope

(4) This Procedure applies to:

1. Staff
2. Students
3. Contractors
4. Visitors

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(5) Refer to the Health and safety Policy.

Section 4 - Procedures

Part A - Responsibilities

Managers and Leaders

(6) Managers and leaders are responsible for:

1. Support any person who in good faith stops work because they have identified a hazard, which involves an immediate threat to the health and safety of people.
2. Encourage staff, students and contractors to report all hazards and incidents 

Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Team will:

1. Provide oversight and monitor this procedure. 
2. Contact Worksafe or the equivalent authority when a notifiable incident occurs.
3. Utilise hazard and incident data to identify issues. 
4. Provide advice and recommend improvements to strengthen risk controls. 
5. Communicate the established data trends and insights to the University community, via HSE channels.

All Staff, Students and Contractors

1. Identify, rectify if safely possible, and report hazards.
2. Stop work or activity if there is an immediate danger to health and safety.
3. Report all incidents.
4. Assist injured persons to receive the appropriate medical attention.

Part B - Hazard Identification, Actioning and Reporting

(7) A hazard is a source of potential harm and that can give rise to injury, illness or material damage to plant, property or the environment. Hazards can be identified through:

1. Task planning 
2. Direct observation
3. Previous incidents/learning 
4. Inspections and audits
5. External information such as
6. communities of shared practice 
7. industry advisory bodies 
8. statutory authorities

(8) Where a hazard is identified, there should be an attempt to immediately correct it, if able and safe to do so.

(9) If the hazard cannot be corrected, then the hazard/surrounding area should be made safe. This may involve:

1. Temporarily erecting a barricade, or
2. Affixing an out of service tag, or 
3. Notifying staff, students, contractors in the area of the hazard.

(10) Hazards will be reported in the University’s Incident and Hazard Reporting system located on the University intranet.

(11) Hazards will also be reported to any of the following people or groups for correction:

Part C - Incident Response and Reporting

(12) An incident is an event where an injury, illness, property damage or a near miss has occurred.

(13) Where an incident occurs, those first to the scene will undertake the following:

1. Make an assessment of the situation, ensuring the area is safe.
2. Render immediate assistance to injured person/s.
3. Contact security for assistance and support.
4. If able, make the incident area as safe and secure as possible. 
5. Contact the supervisor and the HSE Team.

(14) Incidents will be reported in the University’s Incident and Hazard Reporting system located at multiple points on the University intranet.

Part D - Escalation of Notification of incidents

(15) Incidents involving the potential or occurrence of an injury, illness or material damage, will follow the escalation of notification within the University structure and escalated to the next level if contact cannot be made.

1. Significant incidents: fatality, severe injury, multiple injuries and casualties, major asset damage
2. Serious incidents: serious injury, multiple casualties, asset damage
3. Moderate incidents: injuries requiring medical attention, minor asset damage

Part E - Notifiable Incident

(16) The HSE team will identify incidents that are notifiable to Worksafe or an equivalent authority.

(17) Where an incident is notifiable, the incident scene will be preserved for investigation by the authority. The scene may be disturbed only to protect the health and safety of people or to take essential action to make the site safe and prevent a further incident.

Section 5 - Definitions

(18) For the purpose of this Procedure:

1. Escalation: An increase in seriousness.
2. Hazard: A source of potential harm to people or a situation that can cause injury, illness and /or material loss to plant, property or the environment.
3. Hazard identification: Is the process of identifying situations or events that could give rise to injury, illness or material damage to plant or property or the environment.
4. Incident: An event where an injury, illness, property damage or near miss has occurred.
5. Near miss: Any event which under slightly different circumstances such as location or timing would have resulted in injury, illness or property damage.
6. Notifiable incident: A serious incident involving death or life threatening injuries that requires immediate notification to Worksafe or the equivalent authority. 
7. Risk: A function of the probability of an adverse event occurring and the potential consequence of that event.