POLICY: It is the policy of Spoon River College that all incidents involving personal injury or illness and near misses be reported via an Incident Report Form. The Human Resources Director, President, Chief Operation and Safety Officer (COSO), and Dean of Student Services receive said report.
SCOPE:
This policy applies to all Spoon River College employees and students during work, class, or during any activity involving the College.
DETAILS:
Incident Investigation: The Human Resources Office must be notified immediately regarding any injury or illness on campus. Upon notification, the Human Resources Office will respond to the incident and, where appropriate, conduct a preliminary investigation. If applicable the Human Resources Office will complete a First Report of Injury Form.
Follow-up Investigation: A follow-up investigation may include the Human Resources Director, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the COSO, the Dean of Student Services, and, where appropriate, an employee’s supervisor or designee. Where appropriate and whenever possible, photographs may be obtained to document the accident scene and any other relevant evidence.
The Human Resources Office provides information for those incidents that may involve tort or liability claims to the CFO.
Employee Negligence: If an injury or illness is caused by an employee’s disregard of established work procedures/policies, the Human Resources Office will notify the employee’s immediate supervisor. The supervisor may initiate disciplinary action as warranted by the incident.
Communicable Illnesses: The College will follow the reporting procedures of the applicable regulatory agency(ies) in the event that a reportable communicable illness is present at any of the College sites.
PROCEDURE(S):
Employees are required to report injuries and/or illnesses, no matter how minor, via the incident report immediately, but no later than forty-eight (48) hours after the incident via an Incident Report Form. Any employee witnessing an incident involving a student should also use the incident report form to document the occurrence. When possible, employees should contact the Human Resources Office before seeking medical assistance.
The Human Resources Office completes a First Report of Injury and submits to workers compensation insurance (if applicable).
The workers compensation insurance claim adjuster may contact the injured party to further investigate the injury/illness.
The injured party is referred to the preferred medical provider (if applicable). NOTE: While the College prefers employees seek medical attention from the preferred medical provider, the employee may select a provider for medical attention.
The Human Resources Office regularly communicates with the affected employee regarding the injury/illness. Employees are required to regularly update the Human Resources Office with regard to current condition, including return to work status (if applicable). When applicable, the Dean of Student Services or designee follow-up with the effective student regarding the injury/illness.
A physician’s statement that includes the date of medical treatment and information regarding the employee’s ability to return to work (with or without work restrictions) must be submitted to the Human Resources Office within 48 hours of medical treatment. See the return to work procedure for additional information.
Return to work: When an employee is restricted from returning to work as prescribed by a physician, the College encourages return to work regardless of light or modified (restricted) duty using the following procedure (see exceptions above):
Upon receipt of a physician statement, Human Resources Office sends a letter to the physician and affected employee regarding return to work.
Based upon physician recommendation for light or modified duty, the College may return employee to work using one of the methods below:
Return employee to the same job, if medically advisable;
Return employee to alternative work in same department while accommodating light or modified duty. This may include job or work site modifications or change in duties;
Return employee to alternative work in a different department while accommodating light or modified duty. This may include job or work site modifications or change in duties.