Risk Management - Injury & Incident Reporting - Escalate Using the Extension Phone Tree

The Extension Phone Tree is an escalation tool that should be used to notify Extension leadership of a high-risk incidents/injuries prior to submitting the appropriate report to risk management.

Background

  • Extension employees who engage in Extension programs, events, or activities have the important responsibility to protect their participants, volunteers, and third parties from harm.
  • In the event of an injury or incident during a program, event, or activity, employees should respond in a proactive manner and follow the Extension Injury/Incident Response & Reporting Workflow. 
  • An Extension employee should use their professional judgement to determine if the injury/incident should be categorized as "High" or "Low" Risk (See High-Risk and Low-Risk examples). 
  • If the injury/incident is categorized as "High-Risk" it should be escalated using the Extension Phone Tree as part of the High-Risk Incident Response Workflow.
  • Extension Supervisors are responsible for escalating high-risk injuries/incidents up the administrative and programmatic chains.

Extension Phone Tree

Overview

  • Extension phone trees are manual call trees that escalate high-risk injuries/incidents up Extension's supervisory chain. 
  • Which phone tree you use will depend on what type of employee you are and who you report to. There are four categories below:
    • County-Based Educators & Coordinators
    • 4-H Volunteers
    • FoodWIse Educators & Teaching Coordinators
    • Other Non-County-Based Employees
  • In the case of a high-risk injury/incident, the phone tree is initiated by an employee calling their supervisor.
    • Extension county-based faculty should escalate to their Area Extension Director.
  • In the event of no answer, leave a message and call the next leadership employee(s) in the phone tree. Continue calling until you are able to reach someone.
    • If you've called everyone in the phone tree with no response and you're still concerned about making sure that people know, send out an email to those you called.

County-Based Educators/Coordinators Phone Tree

County based educators and coordinators should initiate the phone tree by calling their Area Extension Director

4-H Volunteer Phone Tree

Download the 4-H Volunteer Non-Employee Injury/Incident Reporting Cover Sheet

4-H Volunteer Phone Tree

FoodWIse Phone Tree

Nutrition Educators or Coordinators should contact their administrator or coordinator to initiate the phone tree.

Other Non-County Employees Phone Tree

All other employees who are escalating up the phone tree should begin by contacting their program manager

Find Supervisor's Emergency Number

Risk Management - Injury & Incident Reporting - Find your Supervisor's Emergency Phone Number

Get Help

Questions? Contact hr@extension.wisc.edu. 


Keywords:
Phone-Tree,Extension,Supervisor,High-Risk,Injury/Incident,Escalation 
Doc ID:
95981
Owned by:
Nathaniel S. in Extension Handbook
Created:
2019-11-19
Updated:
2022-03-17
Sites:
Extension Handbook