For when an event has occurred or a hazard identified where nobody was injured but somebody could be if the issue is not addressed. This article explains how to log the report using the Near Miss/Dangerous Occurrence form.
- In the left vertical navigation menu, click 'Helpline'.
- Click the 'Add Case' tab.
- Click the 'Near Miss/Dangerous Occurrence' option located in the 'Health & Safety' section.
An explanation of the fields required to raise the case are listed in the 'Raising the case' section. Below that, the 'Updating the case' section contains further information for logging case details throughout the investigation.
Raising the case
Location: This is automatically populated for users who have access to a single location. For users with access to multiple locations, either type the location name or click 'Show List' and choose the location from the list.
Department: Which area of the business the case relates to, for example, Kitchen, Library. This is an optional field.
Your internal reference: Use for any internal reference system. This is an optional field.
Describe what happened: Log a brief description of the near miss or the identified hazard being reported. Once the case is saved, more specific information should be recorded in the specific fields provided.
Date and Time of incident: Click the calendar icon to choose a date from the calendar or click the date field to type the date the incident occurred. Add the time using the up and down arrows on the hours (HH) and minutes (MM) fields.
How were you notified of the incident? How was the complaint received into the business? (drop-down option)
Type of incident: Select 'Near Miss' if an event occurred but the person(s) involved were not harmed. Select 'Dangerous Occurrence' if something has been identified which could cause injury in the future.
Why did the near miss/dangerous occurrence happen?: Explain the circumstances which occurred or could occur of the matter is not resolved.
Has the accident/incident been reported under RIDDOR? If "Yes", a further text field is provided to document the RIDDOR incident number.
Updating a case
Once a case has been raised, further information should be added as the matter is investigated through to conclusion. The case is now available via the 'My Cases' tab.
The case can be identified using the:
- 'Location' column to identify which location the case was logged at.
- 'Date' column to identify the date the case was raised.
- The 'Type' column to identify the type of case raised, ie, 'Near Miss/Dangerous Occurrence' or 'Accident'.
- Once the correct case is identified, click the relevant Reference number to open the record.
- Click the 'Edit' buttons to expand the sections.
- Specific details can now be recorded in the relevant fields.
- When all updates have been made, click the 'Save Changes' button for that section.
- Click the 'View' button to view the information in any section.
- The fields relating to each section are listed below.
Report questionnaire
This section is a useful guide to follow up actions and log 3rd party communications such as police or ambulance services. Some questions provide a text box to log further details if they are answered "Yes". Only the questions requiring further explanation are listed here.
Have you completed the accident book?: Answer "No" if there is no paper accident book on site.
Were the emergency services involved?: This is usually in relation to physical or verbal attacks. If answer is yes, field opens to record crime reference number.
Was the accident/incident captured on CCTV?: CCTV images should be stored safely as they may be required later. CCTV footage cannot be uploaded to the case due to file sizes often generated.
Have you contacted your insurance company about the accident?: Many insurance companies have a requirement to be given notice of any accidents so they can prepare for a possible claim in advance.
Have you contacted your enforcing authority about the accident?: This might be appropriate if you feel / are advised a claim or similar may ensue. Having the local authority investigate may support your defence. It should be decided on a case-by-case basis.
What have you done to remove any immediate hazard or reduce the risk?: This may involve taking equipment out of use, moving furniture to eliminate a hazard, putting up warning signage etc.
Details of any equipment/machinery involved
Use this section to log details of any equipment or machinery which may have been involved in causing the injury. Only the first question is mandatory to say whether machinery was involved.
Actions Taken
Use this section to log any follow up activities which have taken place as a result of your own internal investigation.
If any of these questions are answered “Yes”, a text field is opened to record the details.
With the exception of the final question, if you have answered “No” to all of these questions, you are confirming that all processes were applied correctly, and your procedures and processes are robust. The final question is to provide justification in circumstances where no changes have been made.
Incident Witnesses
If witnesses were present, answer "Yes" to open a text field and record their details.
Action Plan
From your investigation, you can create an action plan, e.g. retrain part-time waiting staff. You can enter as many action points as are needed to prevent repeat incidents. To add a new Action, click the "+ Add Action" button.
The Shield Safety team can also create action plans for you which will appear in this section.
Reports can be extracted by Admin users to see where action plans have exceeded their deadlines.
Notes
Shield Safety use the Notes section to communicate with you about the case. They may ask for documents, photographs, extra information or clarifications. Please respond to these as quickly as possible by “Adding a Note”.
If you are asked to add a photo etc, please put a note here to say “picture added” or something similar.
Users may receive RiskProof alerts to inform them that Shield Safety have added a note to the case. This is subject to User Role Alert settings.
You can also add your own notes to Shield Safety via this method.
Photos and Attachments
If you are requested to provide documents etc either via the Notes or Action Plan section, this is where you upload them.
Simply click the link and select the relevant file. It is important that file names clearly identify the subject of the image e.g. “Image of tear in stairwell carpet”