Risk Management - Injury & Incident Reporting - Injuries & Incidents

An important responsibility of any Extension employee who engages in Extension Programs, Events, or Activities is to protect volunteers, participants, and third parties from harm. In the event of an accident, injury, or other incident, it is important to respond in a proactive manner. High-Risk injuries & incidents need to be reported to UW-Madison Risk Management within 24-48 hours, depending on the type and urgency of the situation. Employees can find the steps for reporting high-risk injuries and incidents below.

Overview

When to Report Injuries & Incidents

High-Risk Injuries/Incidents (Always Report)

With regards to the injury/incident - is the answer "Yes" for any of these questions?

  1. Did the injury/incident occur during an extension program, event, or activity? 
  2. If the injury/incident happened in a "gray area" - could someone reasonably presume that it was related to an Extension program, event, or activity?
  3. Could the injury/incident be construed to be Extension's responsibility?
  4. If the injury/incident ended up in the news, could it be damaging to Extension and UW-Madison's reputation?
If the answer is "Yes" it should be considered a high-risk injury/incident and should be documented/reported immediately to Risk Management.

Low-Risk Incidents (Typically Do Not Report)

Low-risk incidents should not require reporting. If you feel that the incident/injury require reporting, please document/report immediately to Risk Management.

Report High-Risk Injuries & Incidents

1) Quickly Intervene to Prevent or Minimize Harm

Safely and quickly intervene to prevent or minimize harm. 

2) Contact Relevant Emergency Authorities (If Necessary)

If injuries are involved seek necessary medical assistance, and call 911 first.

3) Document Relevant Details of Incident

  • Who: Affected program participant, volunteer, third party, witnesses.
  • What: A detailed account of what happened, including actions taken by staff and others.
  • Where: Did the incident take place on UW property or in the community. Did relevant environmental factors cause or contribute to the incident?
  • When: Time and date.
  • Why: Any objective information that contributes to an understanding of the incident's cause or origin.

4) Call your Supervisor

Call your supervisor to initiate the relevant Extension phone tree. If you are unable to reach your supervisor, leave a message and call the next leadership employee(s) in the relevant phone tree. Continue calling and leaving messages until you are able to reach someone. 

Provide them with a brief description of the incident and the relevant details of the injury/incident.

Please see these articles for details relevant to this portion of the process:

5) Submit Report to UW-Madison Risk Management within 24-48 Hours

Submit the relevant injury/incident/accident report to Risk Management within the required time frame.

6) Submit Reports to Other Authorities or Offices

Document and submit any other required/necessary reports to other authorities or offices (e.g. if the county has their own injury/incident reporting process).

7) Prevent Future Re-Occurrence

Assess the situation and make adjustments to prevent future re-occurrence.

Recorded Divisional Trainings

All Employee Injury/Incident Reporting - Watch Training Here

Supervisor Injury/Incident Reporting - Watch Training Here

Get Help

Questions? Please email hr@extension.wisc.edu. 


Keywords:
Volunteers,Participants,Third,Parties,Accident,Reporting 
Doc ID:
95838
Owned by:
Nathaniel S. in Extension Handbook
Created:
2019-11-14
Updated:
2021-12-21
Sites:
Extension Handbook