MODULE 6 LESSON: Reporting Requirements for the Government

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Government Construction Projects

Every government Construction Project will require Mishap Reporting and Investigation. A mishap is any unplanned, undesired event that occurs during the course of work being performed. The term “mishap” includes accidents, incidents and near misses.

All mishaps occurring incidentally to an operation, project, or facility for which this course is applicable must be reported, investigated, and analyzed in a very specific way and in accordance with ER 385-1-99. We’ve included ER 385-1-99 in the downloadable course materials.

When a mishap occurs, employees are responsible for reporting ALL mishaps immediately to their employer or supervisor, whether it’s the Prime Contractor or a Subcontractor.

Once the mishap has been reported, either the employer or supervisor is responsible for reporting a recordable mishap to the GDA within 24-hours after notification from the affected employee. There are also times when immediate notification is required, and we’ll talk about that in a bit.

A Supervisor cannot decline to accept a report of a mishap from a subordinate

In addition to the reporting requirements, the employer is required to record:

1. Property damage (exceeding $5,000 is recordable);
2. Days Away Injuries
3. Days Away Illnesses
4. Restricted/Transfer Injuries

Boards of Investigation and Immediate Notification

Any accident that has, or appears to have, any of the following consequences shall be immediately reported to the GDA.

1. Fatal injury or illness
2. A permanent totally disabling injury or illness
3. Permanent partial disabling injury or illness
4. One or more persons hospitalized as inpatients as a result of a single occurrence;
5. $500,000 or greater accidental property damage;
6. If three or more individuals become ill or have a medical condition suspected to be related to a site condition, or hazardous or toxic agent on the site;
7. If a USACE aircraft is destroyed or missing;
8. And Contractors are responsible for notifying OSHA in accordance with 29 CFR 1904.39 within 8-hours when their employee(s) is fatally injured, or 1 or more persons are hospitalized as inpatients as a result of a single occurrence.

These accidents will be investigated in depth to identify all causes and to recommend hazard control measures.

The GDA will immediately notify the Safety and Occupational Health Officer (SOHO) when any of these occurs and then follow-up with official accident reports as prescribed by regulation.

In addition to the above, any mishap occurring in any of the following high hazard areas must be immediately reported to the GDA. These mishaps will be investigated in depth to identify all causes and to recommend hazard control measures.

The GDA will immediately notify the local SOHO when any one of the following occur and then  follow up with official reports as prescribed by regulation.

Headquarters USACE Safety Office (HQUSACE-SO) must also be notified immediately (within 24-hours) and provided follow-up investigative findings within 10-days of occurrence. These mishaps are:

1. Electrical – which includes Arc Flash, electrical shock, and so on
2. Uncontrolled Release of Hazardous Energy which includes both electrical and non-electrical
3. Load Handling Equipment or Rigging requires the Contracting Officer to be notified as soon as practical, but no more than four hours after any accident meeting the definition of Recordable Injuries or Illnesses or High Visibility Accidents, property damage equal to or greater than $2,000, or any LHE or rigging mishaps.
4. Falls-from-Height at any level other than the same surface, and
5. Underwater Diving

Reporting and investigation of the above mishaps are considered a leading indicator, which helps with preventative measures down the road. So, this gathered information is used for data collection, data trending and correction of hazards or program deficiencies before they result in an accident.

This data isn’t used for any other reason than for the betterment of all.

Mishap Definitions

Recordable Mishap: One of 3 types of mishaps; meets the definition of an Army accident that involves a government employee, Contractor, or member of the public that rises to the severity level that they are used to calculate accident experience modification rates.

Incident: a mishap that adversely affects a mission and results in property damage and personal injury below the recordable threshold, which we identified earlier in this course.

An example of a recordable injury is:

A worker falls off a scaffold and gets only a minor cut to his hand with no lost time and no property damage. Or,

A  crane swings around to move a load and the load scrapes a parked vehicle, incurring minor damage to the vehicle that’s under $5,000.

Except for rescue and emergency measures, the mishap scene must not be disturbed until it has been released by the investigating official.

The Contractor is responsible for obtaining appropriate medical and emergency assistance and for notifying fire, law enforcement, and regulatory agencies. The Contractor shall assist and cooperate fully with the GDA conducting the Government investigation(s) of any mishap.

Records of all first aid treatments shall be maintained and submitted to the GDA upon request. These records must include, at minimum: The employee’s name, job title, date and type of mishap , causes and corrective actions taken (such as AHA review, employee training, etc.)

Once the investigation is complete, the data will be reviewed and analyzed by the SSHO and/or the SOHO for corrective action as appropriate. Stay Safe and now you’ll move on to another short quiz and the final exam.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]