Investigation and Reporting of Work-Related Injuries and Incidents

Policy Statement

The City of Toronto is committed to legislative compliance, protection of the health and safety of its employees and prevention of work-related injuries. The Occupational Health and Safety Act, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, and regulations made under these Acts establish requirements with respect to injury investigation and reporting. This policy, which applies to all City divisions, assigns responsibilities to ensure that work-related injuries and incidents are adequately investigated and reported and that corrective actions are undertaken to prevent similar injuries and incidents in the future.

[Note: This policy applies to all incidents that result in time lost from work or medical aid, property damage, fire or environmental release, as well as incidents (including near misses) that had the potential to result in any of the above. The Occupational Health and Safety Act establishes specific additional investigation and reporting requirements for “critical injuries”. Divisions are advised to consult the Act and corporate “Critical Injury Investigation and Reporting” policy when responding to critical injuries.

Definitions

Incident

An event or combination of work-related events that result in time lost from work, medical aid/health care, property damage, fire ot environmental release, as well as event(s) (including near misses) that had the potential to result in any of the above.

Injury:

Any physical or functional abnormality or loss which results from a workplace event or occupational disease/illness. Such injuries may result in lost time and/or a requirement for medical aid or first aid.

Critical injury:

An injury of a serious nature that:

  • places life in jeopardy;
  • produces unconsciousness;
  • results in substantial loss of blood;
  • involves the fracture of a leg or arm but not a finger or toe;
  • involves the amputation of a leg, arm, hand or foot but not a finger or toe;
  • consists of burns to a major portion of the body; or
  • causes the loss of sight in an eye.

Lost Time:

Any absence from work (except the date of the incident) as a result of a work-related injury.

If a non-critical work-related injury results in lost time, written notice of the occurrence must be given to the joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative and the union within four days of the occurrence. The City, as employer, is also required to report work-related lost time injuries/illnesses to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board within three (3) days of learning about the injury.

Medical Aid (no lost time beyond date of incident):

Professional services provided by a health care practitioner, including services provided by or at hospitals and health facilities such as walk-in clinics, physiotherapy clinics.

If a non-critical work-related injury requires medical attention; written notice of the occurrence must be given to the joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative and the union within four days of the occurrence. The City, as employer, is also required to report injuries/illnesses requiring medical attention to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board within three (3) days of learning about the injury.

First Aid Only:

Health services provided by employees of the City of Toronto [e.g. A worker sustained a minor injury and the only treatment provided was first aid at the workplace, such as a band aid applied to a small cut , ice applied to bump].

Near Miss/Incident Only

A work-related incident without personal injury or property damage, but with the potential for personal injury or property damage [e.g. verbal threats by client or co-worker, worker slipped on a wet floor without injury – no first aid treatment].

Property Damage

An incident that results only in damage to City facilities, equipment, tools or vehicles without injury to an employee.

Reportable Injuries:

All injuries, whether lost time is sustained or not, must be reported on the Supervisor’s Report of Injury/Incident. An injury becomes reportable to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board when:

  • an employee advises his/her immediate supervisor that a workplace injury has occurred and that medical attention has been, or will be, obtained and/or
  • an employee advises his/her immediate supervisor there is lost time beyond the day of injury

Workplace injuries and incidents, whether reportable to the WSIB or MOL or not, will be reported to joint health and safety committees or occupational health and safety representatives and to the appropriate union office.

Supervisor:

A person who has charge of a workplace or authority over a worker. [Note: A person need not have the job title supervisor to be a supervisor under the Occupational Health and Safety Act].

Responsibilities

In order to achieve the objectives of this policy, City divisions will:

  1. ensure that all supervisors are competent, as defined by the Occupational Health and Safety Act,
  2. develop division-specific procedures for investigation of work-related injuries and incidents,
  3. develop procedures for completion and transmission of the City of Toronto Supervisor’s Report of Injury/Incident and Worker’s Report of Injury/Illness which meet corporate guidelines while addressing unique divisional requirements,
  4. schedule training in incident investigation and reporting, as needed, for supervisory staff,
  5. ensure that all pertinent information about injuries and incidents is provided on Supervisors’ Reports of Injury/Incident,
  6. establish a process for distributing copies of Supervisor’s Reports of Injury/incident to Human Resources’ disability management and occupational health and safety staff and Notice Of Injury/Illness To The Joint Health & Safety Committee And Bargaining Units to joint health and safety committees, health and safety representatives and unions. [With respect to incidents only, reports must be forwarded to joint health and safety committees, health and safety representatives and the union offices within 1 month of the incident {Note: These time lines may be superseded by agreed language in terms of reference for the Structure and Function of Joint Health and Safety Committees. Should the volume of reported incidents make incident reporting within 1 month unachievable, consultation with the joint health and safety committees and/or health and safety representatives and union will be initiated to develop an appropriate reporting time line}. Discussion with the joint health and safety committee/health and safety representative in advance of reporting is required in the event of a significant incident which places employees at risk or gave employees the perception that they were at risk],
  7. establish a process for review of supervisors’ reports and prompt implementation of appropriate steps (which are outside the control of immediate supervisors) to prevent similar future injuries/incidents, and
  8. establish a process for regular review of all incidents to determine any further investigation needs.

Supervisors of injured employees will:

  1. assure medical assistance, as needed, is provided to the injured worker (e.g. first aid, transport to medical facility, 9-1-1)
  2. provide a copy of the Worker’s Report of Injury/Illness (WSIB Form 6) and a return-to-work package to the injured employee and encourage return of the completed form 6 to the supervisor and the WSIB,
  3. immediately investigate all incidents to the extent needed to determine cause and actions needed to prevent a recurrence and to complete all sections of the Supervisor’s Report of Injury/Incident. Such investigations are to include assessing the scene and interviewing of witnesses. (Training on incident investigation is available),
  4. request the assistance of the designated worker member of the joint health and safety committee/health and safety representative in the investigation of critical injuries and other serious injuries/incidents
  5. forward the Supervisor’s Report of Injury/Incident to those assigned responsibility for completing Form 7s,
  6. promptly initiate and/or implement corrective actions within their control to prevent similar injuries/incidents or direct to other parties for action if outside their control, and
  7. promptly share necessary information regarding critical injuries and significant incidents with HR – Occupational Health and Safety, workers and joint health and safety committees/occupational health and safety representatives, so that actions can be taken to prevent future similar injuries/ incidents.

Workers will:

  1. obtain medical treatment (e.g. medical aid, first aid, 9-1-1), if required,
  2. immediately report work-related injuries or incidents to their supervisors, and
  3. complete the Worker’s Report of Injury/Illness (WSIB Form 6) if the injury or illness is reportable to the WSIB and provide a copy to their supervisor and the WSIB.

Human Resources Disability Management Consultants will:

  1. report to the Occupational Health and safety Consultant immediately when they learn of a critical injury,
  2. authorize forwarding of completed Form 7s to the WSIB,
  3. act as liaison between the division and the WSIB, and
  4. maintain employee WSIB files.

Human Resources Occupational Health and Safety Consultants will:

  1. request additional information of supervisory staff if a Supervisor’s Report of Injury/Incident is inadequately completed,
  2. assist when occupational health and safety expertise is needed in completing corrective actions identified by the supervisor in the report,
  3. provide assistance and training in incident investigation and reporting, as needed, and
  4. assist service areas, as needed, in meeting reporting requirements (i.e. to WSIB, MOL, JHSCs, Unions).
  5. establish corporate guidelines for incident investigation and reporting,
  6. establish corporate supervisory training standards and monitor implementation,
  7. review injury/incident trends to assist in identification and initiation of appropriate prevention efforts.

Joint Health and Safety Committees will:

  1. when the committee determines it to be necessary, a designated worker member will investigate critical injuries and other serious incidents,
  2. review incident reports and make recommendations for corrective actions to management, and
  3. protect the privacy of employees with respect to injury/incident information in their possession.

Union Health and Safety Representatives will:

  1. support the implementation of this policy by discussing injury trends, where known, with divisions, and
  2. protect the privacy of employees with respect to injury/incident information in their possession.

Authority

Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (S.O. 1997, Chapter 16)

Occupational Health and Safety Act (R.S.O. 1990, Chapter O.1)

Endorsed by

Occupational Health & Safety Co-ordinating Committee, (OHSCC), February 1, 2008

Approved by

City Manager, April 14, 2008

Date Approved

April 14, 2008

Revised by OHSCC

February 28, 2012

Related information

Worker’s Report of Injury/Illness