PVCC Safety Manual - Section 4

4.1      Accident Reporting Policy

A.     Any serious or close call incident involving personal injury to an employee shall be reported to the employee’s supervisor and the human resources department immediately and be followed up by submission of a Maxient Incident Report (see Appendix B) within two working days. Photographs should be taken in all cases to be attached to the Maxient report. All witness information should be included. PVCC Department of Public Safety & Campus Police can assist with photographs if requested.

  1. The human resource manager and the employee’s supervisor shall work together to investigate each reported injury and shall be responsible for certifying that injuries claimed as work-related actually occurred at work.
     
  2. Damage to buildings, equipment, or property shall be reported to the facilities manager.

B.     Employees shall not be required to take sick leave for appointments with physicians for treatment and/or examination of compensable injuries provided it is for an approved claim.

  1. Initial treatment shall be provided by one of three medical providers approved by Workers’ Compensation.
     
  2. Unless an imminent danger exists to an employee due to a medical emergency, any employee who leaves work during working hours because of an injury must have the approval of the human resources manager or designee.

C.     Any accident involving a student should be reported to the Department of Public Safety. In the event of an emergency, 911 should be called first, followed by the Department of Public Safety. A Maxient Incident Report (Appendix B) should be completed within two working days.

4.2      Accident Investigation Policy

A.     The primary purpose of an accident investigation is to prevent future workplace injuries.  This document provides a basis for studying and recording the reasons an accident occurred, identifying existing or potential job hazards (both safety and health), and determining the best course of action to take to reduce or eliminate these hazards.

B.     The human resources manager is responsible for ensuring that accidents involving employees are properly investigated.

  1. Accident investigations shall be started promptly.
     
  2. The Incident Report form shall be used to gather data to determine the causes of accidents and to identify appropriate corrective actions.

C.     When new employees are hired, the human resources office shall inform them during new employee orientation about the accident investigation procedures and their role and responsibilities according to this policy.

4.3      Workers’ Compensation Management Program

A.     All accidents, injuries, and/or claims of accidental injury shall be investigated if the accident/injury is claimed to have occurred on campus and shall be reported to the human resources department to ensure that workers’ compensation benefits are provided if appropriate.

B.     Injured employees shall comply with the following:

  1. Report the incident immediately to his or her supervisor.
     
  2. Complete the Incident Report within two working days of the incident and submit it through the Maxient system.
     
  3. Select a physician from the approved panel of physicians if medical treatment is necessary and inform human resources of the choice. The approved panel of physician list is available from human resources.
     
  4. Forward any medical bills, physician reports, and/or lost time notes to human resources. If the employee is a Virginia Sickness and Disability Plan (VSDP) participant and is going to be out of work, the employee shall contact UNUM at 1-800-652-5602 within 24 hours.
     
  5. Maintain contact with the supervisor and the human resources office regarding the amount of time lost and expected return to work date.
     
  6. Obtain written authorization to return to full or restricted duty from the physician and present authorization to the human resources department.

C.     The injured employee’s supervisor shall comply with the following:

  1. Notify the human resources department of the incident immediately.
     
  2. Assist the injured employee in completing and submitting the Incident Report. In the event that the employee is unable to complete the report, the supervisor shall complete as much of the report as possible.
     
  3. Send the original of the completed form to the human resources office within two working days and notify the human resources office if the employee will miss time from work due to the accident or injury.

D.     The human resources manager shall comply with the following:

  1. Work with the employee’s supervisor to investigate the incident to include, without limitation, the following:

    a. Interview with the injured employee.

    b. Interviews with all witnesses named by the injured employee.

    c. Evaluation of the area where the incident occurred to determine possible cause(s) and contributing factors.
     
  2. Notify the treating physician that the injured employee will be seeking treatment as a workers’ compensation claim and that all bills, physicians’ notes, and orders shall be forwarded to PVCC.
     
  3. Complete the Employers’ First Report of Accident and forward it to the third-party administrator, Managed Care Innovations (MCI), within ten (10) days of the incident.
     
  4. Arrange with the employee’s manager for a modified duty assignment if it is determined by the treating physician to be necessary.
     
  5. Maintain a workers’ compensation file separate from the employee’s personnel file and submit the paperwork to MCI in a timely fashion to ensure the employee’s access to all benefits to which he or she is entitled.
     
  6. Utilize the web-based G2WebLink to effectively manage workers’ compensation claims and payments.
     
  7. Assist supervisors and/or employees with every facet of the worker’s compensation process.
     
  8. Submit the Fiscal Year Report of Workplace Safety & Health Updates to the Office of Workers’ Compensation by October 1 of each year.

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