I've had an accident, what report do I submit?
When an accident occurs there may be up to 3 reports that are required. Each of these reports request similar information, however, they each serve a different purpose.
The Employers First Report of Injury is a crucial report. All injuries involving employees, full- or part-time, must be reported immediately or within 24 hours to the District Safety Department or to the designated campus representative in order to generate the Employers First Report of Injury. This document is required by law and submitted to the Texas Workers Compensation Commission. Ensuring that all employee injuries are reported to one of these offices is important in order to provide employees with benefits i.e., proper medical attention and possible lost wages. The supervisor and the injured employee are responsible for ensuring that injury or accident information is received by the Safety Department within 30 days of an injury or accident.
The Safety/Incident Report form is a tool that helps identify physical hazards throughout the campuses. If an injury occurs to a student, employee or visitor, or an immediate or potential hazard is identified, the Safety/Incident Report form should be submitted as soon as possible. The Campus Safety Chairperson and his/her committee review this form in order to assist in the recognition and correction of hazards.
If an injury occurs and the Police Department is contacted, the investigating officer is required to submit a Police Report. This report is an inter-departmental device solely used for police purposes.
In summary, if you are an employee, injured on the job and the campus police are notified, three separate reports should be filed:
- First Report of Injury generated by the Safety Department with information provided by the supervisor and/or injured employee.
- Safety/Incident Report generated by the witness or injured employee
- Supervisors' Investigation Report is generated by the supervisor of the injured employee.