Risk Management - How to Report an Injury
There are two types of accidents that occur on campus:
Occupational: accidents that occur to employees (including student employees)
Non-occupational: accidents that occur to visitors or students who aren't working
Occupational (workers' comp)
If you are injured as a result of your job, you must report this injury to your supervisor and Human Resources immediately (x1406). Even if it is a minor cut/scrape, call HR right away. It is extremely important for you to contact HR as soon as the injury occurs - we are measured on these statistics. If the injury is serious and needs immediate medical attention, go directly to one of our panel physicians, and report the injury to Human Resources after seeing a doctor. Call Campus Security at ext 1111 if it is an emergency.A panel physician is a doctor that is on the College's list of providers - you must treat with a physician on this list for workers' comp injuries. If you go to a doctor who is not on our panel, your bills will not be paid. The list of panel physicians is posted on the employee bulletin boards in Human Resources, Dining Services, and Facilities Management.
If your injury requires further care, you may see any specialist that the panel physician refers you to. It is important to note that the panel physician must refer you to a specialist - you cannot go to any specialist that you wish to go to - your bills will not be paid if you don't go to a specialist that the panel physician referred you to.
If you have any questions regarding workers' compensation, please contact Human Resources.
Non-occupational
If an accident occurs to a visitor or student who is not working and you happen to witness this accident, there are a few steps you should follow.
- Call Campus Security immediately (extension 0 or extension 1111 if it's an emergency)
- An officer will come to the accident site and complete and Incident Report which will then be used for follow-up
- It is imperative that you call Campus Security immediately for non-occupational incidents so that they can investigate the incident. They must do this right away so that evidence is preserved and the surrounding circumstances are documented.
- Campus Security must be informed of all non-occupational incidents - no matter how minor you feel they are - so that they can complete an Incident Report and document the incident.
- You should not make judgment calls regarding the severity of the incident or dismiss it as minor because if an injury results from the incident, you do not want to be held liable for not contacting Campus Security to assess the situation.
- The Incident Report is very helpful if we are ever taken to court by someone who was injured on campus; therefore, it must be done right after the incident occurs.
- Keep your mouth shut!
- It is crucial that you do not comment on the circumstances or conditions surrounding the incident because you can be held liable for your comments.
- For example, if someone slips in a hallway with water on the floor, you do not want to say that the water has been there for weeks and maintenance has not yet fixed the leaking toilet. You might not have witnessed the incident and that may not have been the cause of the slip - you don't want to say anything that could incriminate the College.
JUST REMEMBER…call Campus Security immediately for any incident that occurs to a visitor or student who isn't working at the time of the incident. Let the officer handle the investigation, and don't offer your opinion on the cause of the incident in front of the injured party.
