Accidents vs. Incidents in Workplace Safety

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration defines an incident as an unplanned, undesired event that adversely affects completion of a task. One example of an incident may be a worker losing control of a forklift, whether or not it injures someone or causes damage.

All unexpected workplace events can be considered incidents, including accidents and near misses. A near miss is an incident in which a worker narrowly avoids harm or injury. An example of a near miss may be a worker escaping injury from an out-of-control forklift by only a few inches.

Even though near misses do not involve harm or damage, investigating them is considered a best practice to identify and correct the causes of workplace hazards. Effective recordkeeping protects your business and your personnel.

OSHA defines an accident as an unplanned event that results in personal injury or property damage. Accidents occur unintentionally and usually indicate a loss of control in the workplace. An example of an accident could be a worker losing control of a forklift, leading to property damage or the injury of another employee.

In general, OSHA favors the term “incident” to “accident,” because “accident” can imply that an event occurred randomly and could not have been prevented. OSHA holds the position that all worksite fatalities, injuries and illnesses are preventable and so uses the term “incident” for reporting and investigations.

Following workplace accidents, OSHA recommends that investigations identify and correct root causes of hazards. Investigations are not meant to punish or place blame. The goal should be to improve health and safety practices and to prevent damages or injuries from happening in the future.

OSHA requires employers with more than 10 employees to abide by recordkeeping requirements (with exceptions for certain low-risk industries). The records help employers, workers and OSHA evaluate workplace safety, understand industry hazards and implement worker protections.

OSHA requires numerous types of incidents to be recorded, with the most serious types to be reported to OSHA within 24 hours. Not all recordable incidents must be reported. Recordable incidents include the following:

• Injuries or illnesses requiring medical treatment beyond first aid
• Injuries resulting in days away from work, restricted work, transfer to another job or loss of consciousness
• Diagnoses of cancer or chronic, irreversible disease
• Injuries resulting in punctured eardrums or cracked bones or teeth
• Fatalities

OSHA has special recording requirements for hearing loss, tuberculosis and needlesticks or sharps injuries. For recordkeeping, OSHA defines a workplace illness as any disorder due to an event in the work environment, such as an exposure to a toxic material.

OSHA requires records to be maintained at the job site for at least five years. Copies of the records must be provided to current and former employees or their representatives on request. Each February through April, employers must post a summary of injuries and illnesses recorded the previous years, with these requirements:

• Establishments with 20-249 employees must annually submit OSHA Form 300A (“Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses”).
• Establishments with more than 250 employees must annually submit OSHA Form 300 (“Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses”), Form 301 (“Injury and Illness Incident Report”) and Form 300A.

In addition to being recorded, incidents that must be reported to OSHA include fatal or extremely serious injuries or illnesses. Reportable incidents have the following requirements:

• Any work-related fatality must be reported within eight hours
• Any work-related amputation, eye loss or in-patient hospitalization must be reported within 24 hours

To make a report to OSHA, employers should use the osha.gov website, call the nearest OSHA office or call the 24-hour hotline 1-800-321-6742 (OSHA). When making an OSHA report, provide the following information:

• Business name
• Names of employees affected
• Location and time of the incident
• Brief description of the incident
• Contact person and phone number

Employers do not have to report the following:

• Incidents that resulted from a motor vehicle accident on a public street or highway, except in a construction work zone
• Incidents that occurred on a commercial or public transportation system, such as a bus
• Incidents that involved hospitalization only for diagnostic testing or observation

OSHA requires incident investigations under specific circumstances.

• Employers covered by the OSHA Process Safety Management standard must investigate incidents that resulted in, or could reasonably have resulted in, catastrophic releases of highly hazardous chemicals.
• Owners or operators of facilities regulated under the EPA’s Risk Management Program must conduct incident investigations.

OSHA and the EPA encourage employers to conduct a root cause analysis after accidents or near misses at the workplace. An employee losing control of a forklift could be considered the immediate cause of an incident, but the root cause may be improper training or poorly-maintained equipment.

A root cause analysis can uncover the underlying or systemic causes of an incident, not just the immediate causes. Finding and fixing an immediate cause may remove a symptom of a problem, but not the problem itself.

A root cause analysis should answer the following questions:

• What happened?
• How did it happen?
• Why did it happen?
• What needs to be corrected?

Successful accident investigations and root cause analyses can save employers unnecessary costs in the following areas:

• Business interruptions
• Emergency responses & clean-ups
• Increased regulation
• Audits & inspections
• OSHA or EPA fines
• Litigation expenses

Employers can use root cause analysis to create stronger health and safety programs, which can help attract and retain staff as well as reduce hazards.

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