RESOLUTION 2006-37
(Adopting Accident, Occurrence and Labor & Industries Reporting and Management Procedures)
WHEREAS, Skamania County Board of Commissioners considers safety and the successful resolution of safety and liability issues an important responsibility; and
WHEREAS, the prompt and appropriate reporting and management of accidents involving elected officials, employees and volunteers and occurrences involving other individuals is essential to resolving safety and liability issues; and
WHEREAS, the Board wants to ensure elected officials, employees and volunteers injured or contracting work-related illness on the job receive appropriate assistance from the Washington Department of Labor and Industries; and
WHEREAS, the Board finds that it is beneficial to Skamania County elected officials, employees, volunteers and the public to establish a policy setting standards for reporting and management;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Commissioners hereby adopts the attached policy entitled “Accident, Occurrence and Labor & Industries Reporting and Management Procedures” consisting of three pages and marked as Attachment A, Resolution 2006-26.
PASSED IN REGULAR SESSION this ________ day of October 2006.
ATTEST: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
_________________________________
Chairman
_____________________________ _________________________________
Clerk of the Board Commissioner
APPROVED AS TO FORM ONLY: _________________________________
Commissioner
_____________________________
Prosecuting Attorney For___________
Against________
Abstain________
Absent_________
RESOLUTION 2006 – 26, Attachment “A”
SKAMANIA |
Number: Subject: Accident, Occurrence and Labor & Industries Reporting and Management Procedures Approval Document: Resolution No. 2006 - 26 Scope of Procedures: All County elected officials, employees, and volunteers Information Contact: Administrative Services Director/Risk Manager Effective Date: Approved by: _______________________________________ Chairman, Board of Commissioners |
1. DEFINITIONS:
Accident: An action involving County employee/volunteer(s) in which one or more of them is injured or damage is done to property, equipment or vehicles.
County employee/volunteer:
Non-County Individual: A person who is not a County employee/volunteer, including, but not limited to, persons conducting business with the County, participants in County programs and services, participants in non-County programs and services on or in County property, and persons using County facilities for personal enjoyment, events and activities.
Occurrence: An action involving non-County individuals, property, equipment or vehicles in which someone is injured or damages occur on County property and/or damage may have occurred as a result of County actions.
Risk Management: County Risk Manager and Safety Officer, employees of the Commissioners’ Office.
2. REPORTING PROCEDURES WHEN AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS
A. County employee/volunteer involved in an accident notifies his/her supervisor immediately of the accident.
B. Supervisor immediately notifies Risk Management of the accident. If the supervisor is unavailable, the employee will notify Risk Management.
C. County employee/volunteer involved completes the employee/volunteer statement of the Skamania County Accident Report Form, signs the report, and submits the report to his/her supervisor. (Form available as an Excel document in the Common library at common\forms\Accident Report Form). If the County employee/volunteer involved in the accident cannot complete the form, the supervisor will, to the best of their ability, determine what happened and complete the form.
D. The Supervisor reviews the Accident Report and completes required section(s). The Supervisor submits the Accident Report to the Department Head or Elected Official.
E. The Department Head or Elected Official reviews the Employee and Supervisor Statement and initials the Accident Report Form (Pages 1 and 2). The Department Head or Elected Official submits the completed form to Risk Management within 48 hours of the time of the accident.
F. If injured and seen by a physician or other medical practitioner, the injured County employee/volunteer must have a physician complete the Occupational Injury Data Sheet Doctor’s Report (Page 3 of the Accident Report Form). The employee/volunteer submits this form to Risk Management.
G. Additionally, the injured County employee/volunteer must complete a Labor and Industries Report (L & I) Form, available at the medical facility. (See Section 9 for procedures for L & I Claims).
3. REPORTING PROCEDURES WHEN AN OCCURRENCE HAPPENS
A. County employee/volunteer or his/her supervisor witnessing the occurrence or obtaining information about an occurrence immediately notifies Risk Management of the occurrence.
B. County employee/volunteer completes the Employee Statement of the Skamania County Occurrence Report Form, signs the form and submits it to his/her supervisor. (Form available as an Excel document in the Common library at common\forms\Occurrence Report Form).
C. The County employee/volunteer’s supervisor reviews the Occurrence Report, completes the Supervisor Statement, signs it, and submits it to the Department Head or Elected Official.
D. The Department Head or Elected Official reviews the Occurrence Report Form, initials it and submits it to Risk Management within 48 hours of the time of the occurrence or obtaining the information.
4. RISK MANAGER REVIEWS REPORT TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE ACTION
A. Risk Manager reviews the report to determine if the accident or occurrence created any potential liability issues for the County and/or if an accident needs Safety Committee Review.
B. For those accidents requiring Safety Committee Review, the Risk Manager sends the Accident Report to Safety Committee Secretary to place on the Safety Committee’s next agenda.
5. RISK MANAGER APPLIES CRITERIA FOR DETERMINING APPROPRIATE ACTION.
A. The Safety Committee must review the following Accident Reports:
1. Any accident involving injury of a County employee/volunteer.
2. Any accident involving damage to equipment or vehicles that did not involve an intentional use of force by law enforcement personnel.
B. If there is potential County liability in an accident, the Risk Manager may delay sending the Accident Report to the safety committee until the liability issue is resolved.
C. The Safety Committee will not review the following:
1. Occurrences or accidents beyond those listed in 5.A.
2. Events involving intentional use of force by law enforcement. However, Department Heads or Elected Officials will report any damage or potential County liability to Risk Management as a result of intentional use of force. The Department Head or Elected Official shall be responsible for determining if the action was appropriate and within established policies and, if warranted, determining any appropriate disciplinary actions.
D. Risk Manager, or designee, and Prosecuting Attorney together assess County liability and actions plans resulting from any accident.
6. RISK MANAGER REPORTS SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACTIONS TO SAFETY COMMITTEE
At each Safety Committee meeting, the Risk Manager provides a written report on safety actions the County took in response to occurrences and accidents.
7. SAFETY COMMITTEE REVIEW
A. Safety Committee Reviews Accent Reports submitted to the Committee by Risk Management.
B. Safety Committee makes recommendations regarding:
1. Preventability
2. Corrective safety actions.
C. Safety Committee Chairman or designee submits reports to the Board of Commissioners for action.
8. BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SAFETY REPORT REVIEW PROCEDURES
Board reviews recommendations from Safety Committee and takes action as follows:
A. Approves the Safety Committee recommendations.
B. Modifies the recommendation and approves as modified.
C. Sends the recommendation back to the Safety Committee for further action and review.
9. PROCEDURES FOR LABOR
A. If a County employee/volunteer sees a doctor or other medical practitioner for a work-related injury or illness, the County employee/volunteer obtains an L & I form from the medical facility visited.
B. The County employee/volunteer completes the Worker Information section of the form and leaves the form with the medical facility for completion of the Doctor Information section. The medical facility should submit the completed form to Risk Management. If a department inadvertently receives the form, it immediately forwards the form to Risk Management without taking any action to complete the form.
C. When Risk Management receives the form from the medical facility or department, Risk Management completes the Employer Information section of the L & I Report, in consultation with the Department Head or Elected Official, and submits the completed form to L & I.
D. Risk Management monitors and resolves claims and issues related to the employer with L & I. As needed, Risk Management negotiates employer-related claim issues with L & I. As appropriate, Risk Management will discuss claims with the Department Head or Elected Official.
E. Employee/volunteer must keep Risk Management and his/her department informed of estimated time off because of the injury or illness. Employee must present periodic progress reports to Risk Management from the doctor or other medical practitioner regarding the anticipated time off and/or continuation of unavailability to work.
F. All L & I medical reports and information received related to a claim will be retained by Risk Management and not in the departments or offices.
Commiss\Policy and Procedures\Accident and Occurrence Report Procedures