Reporting Injuries and Illnesses

• This policy has been established to ensure:

  1. that all injuries and illnesses that occur on campus or off campus while attending or participating in a university sponsored activity are reported to the Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS);

  2. that all individuals experiencing an injury or illness as a result of an accident or incident receive timely and responsive medical attention; and,

  3. that, where applicable, claims for compensation for medical expenses are investigated and processed according to regulatory requirements.

• This policy is applicable to all university employees, students, volunteers, and visitors.

For the purpose of this policy, the following definitions will apply:

1. Accident. The occurrence of an event that results in injury and/or illness to an individual.

2. Incident. The occurrence of an event that could have but did not cause injury or illness to the individual(s) involved.

3. University employee. Faculty, staff, or student employee who receives compensation from the university for his/her employment and who is covered under Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation.

4. Occupational injury and/or illness. An injury and/or sudden illness which occurs to a university employee during the course of his/her work for the university, regardless of the location.

5. Non-occupational injury and/or illness. An injury and/or sudden illness which occurs to a university student, volunteer, or visitor while he/she is on campus or off campus attending or participating in a university sponsored activity including but not limited to intramural and recreational sports and activities sponsored by registered student organizations. This category also would be assigned to university employees under the following conditions:

   1. The employee is in a non-work status and becomes injured or ill while attending or participating in a university sponsored activity.
   2. The employee is injured or becomes ill while conducting non-work related activities, such as jogging, weight lifting, racquetball, basketball, and swimming, while in an official work status.

6. Reportable injury. All injuries (occupational and non-occupational) which occur at any university facility or which occur at any university sponsored activity, regardless of location. All such occurrences shall be reported to the Department of Environmental Health and Safety.

7. Reportable illness. All illnesses (occupational and non-occupational) which occur at any university facility or which occur at any university sponsored activity, regardless of location. All such occurrences shall be reported to the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, provided the illness occurred as a result of exposure to environmental factors in the workplace or at the location of a university sponsored activity. Environmental factors are normally considered to be biological, chemical, and/or physical agents with exposure occurring by way of inhalation, skin or mucous membrane absorption, ingestion, injection, or by direct contact. Illness may result from either an acute or chronic exposure to environmental factors. Acute exposure is one that results in immediate or soon-to-follow symptoms of an illness which occur from an intentional or accidental exposure to a hazardous and/or toxic substance. Chronic exposure is associated with continuous or repeated exposure to substances, presumably throughout a working lifetime.

   Conditions such as headache, nausea, general malaise, or the occurrence of a communicable disease (cold, influenza, measles, mononucleosis, etc.) not associated with environmental factors in the workplace are not classified as reportable illnesses and should not be reported.

8. Days Away From Work. The number of calendar days the employee was unable to work as a result of an occupational injury or illness, regardless of whether or not the employee was scheduled to work on those days. Weekend days, holidays, vacation days or other days off are included in the total number of days recorded.

9. Restricted Work or Job Transfer. A restricted workday occurs when an employee who has experienced an occupational injury or illness returns to work, but in the capacity of limited or restricted duty or involves the transfer to another job without restrictions. Supervisors are required to report the number of days of restricted duty or the number of days on another job experienced by his/her employees to Environmental Health and Safety, as outlined in paragraph 13275.3 d).

1. Non-injury/illness incident

   Any incident which could have but did not result in injury or illness to an employee or non-employee while on campus or while attending or participating in any university sponsored activity will be reported to the Department of Environmental Health and Safety. Reporting such conditions provides for an investigation of the circumstances surrounding the incident and initiation of remedial action to prevent injury or illness in the future. In the workplace, reporting the incident is the responsibility of the immediate supervisor of the activity or a Police officer should that officer witness an incident or respond to the location of an incident. Incidents involving motor vehicles where there are no injuries are not to be reported to EHS; rather, these incidents should be reported to the Police Department. Exception: Incidents where an employee is cited for unsafe vehicle operation or where there is an indication that driver refresher training is needed, an incident report form will be submitted to the Department of Environmental Health and Safety. Reports of non-injury/illness can be made either in writing or by telephone to EHS. Reports should be made promptly following the incident to allow for timely investigation.

2. Non-occupational injury/illness

   All non-occupational injuries and illnesses shall be reported to the Department of Environmental Health and Safety on the university's Non-Occupational Injury/Illness Report form, which can be obtained at the EHS office or on the EHS Forms webpage. The injured or ill individual should complete and sign the form whenever possible. Should the extent of injury or illness preclude this action, the form shall be completed by a representative from Student Health Services, a Campus Police officer, or the individual responsible for the activity, if he/she is in attendance. Otherwise, a witness to the incident should complete and sign the Non-Occupational Injury/Illness Report form. The witness can be anyone who was present at the time of the incident.

   1. Dayton Campus

      Any incident involving a student, visitor, volunteer, or off-duty employee while on the Dayton Campus shall be reported to the Police Department Communications Center by any of the following means, as soon as possible: using the emergency telephones located throughout the campus, by dialing 911, or by dialing campus extension 2111. The responding Campus Police officer shall complete a Non-Occupational Injury/Illness Report form, if conditions warrant.

   2. University locations other than the Dayton Campus

      Any incident involving a student, visitor, volunteer, or off-duty employee while at any university facility shall be reported to the individual in charge of that facility, i.e., dean, director, chair, manager, etc. The individual in charge is responsible for completing an Incident Report form, if conditions warrant.

   3. Copies of the Non-Occupational Injury/Illness Report form shall be distributed to:

      1. Office of General Counsel.
      2. Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services (if the non-occupational incident involved a student).

3. Occupational injury/illness

   All occupational injuries/illnesses shall be reported to the Department of Environmental Health and Safety on the university's Occupational Injury/Illness Report form, which can be obtained at the EHS office or on the EHS Forms webpage

   . The immediate supervisor of an injured or ill employee shall complete the Occupational Injury/Illness Report form. Supervisors must ensure that the form is completed in its entirety. Incomplete submittals will be returned to the supervisor of the individual who completed the form.

   1. The employee's immediate supervisor shall complete and forward the report form to the Department of Environmental Health and Safety as soon as possible, but no later than three workdays following the incident. Exception: Immediate notification must be made to EHS for incidents that result in a fatality or the hospitalization of three or more employees. In this case, the university is required by law to make a report within eight (8) hours of the incident to the superintendent of the Division of Labor and Worker Safety.

   2. Copies of the completed Occupational Injury/Illness Report shall be distributed to:

      1. Office of General Counsel.
      2. Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Services (if the occupational incident involved a student employee).

4. Reporting lost, restricted and job transfer days

   Supervisors are required to report, for each occupational injury or illness, the total number of days away from work, restricted duty days and/or days the employee was transferred to another job without restrictions. The day of the injury or diagnosis of illness does not count toward lost or restricted work time. Because the criteria for reporting occupational illnesses to Regulatory Authority is different from the criteria for reporting occupational injuries, the Department of Environmental Health and Safety will determine the number of lost and/or restricted workdays experienced as a result of an occupational illness. A report must be made to EHS within two workdays following the employee's return to work. For those cases involving extended lost and/or restricted workdays, a report is to be made weekly to EHS. The report can be made in writing or by telephone.

Guidelines for obtaining medical assistance for injuries or illnesses are contained in University Policy 13230 (Emergency Care for Injuries and Illnesses).