HSE Officer – Understanding Recordable Events TDI Brooks International Rev April 2014

HSE Officer Mission The HSE Officer is responsible for a number of duties, all of which are geared toward the prevention of accidents, illnesses, injuries and harm to the environment.

Who is the HSE Officer? There is a designated HSE Officer on board each vessel at all times. There may be a dedicated person assigned to a project specifically as the HSE Officer. The Party Chiefs may sometimes fulfill a dual role of PC and project HSE Officer. In the absence of a technical party, the HSE Officer is the Chief Mate.

HSE Reporting Structure

The project HSE Officer must coordinate HSE activities with the Party Chief to ensure compliance with the project specific Health and Safety Plan.

Medics The HSE Officer must work with the Medic to prevent first aid injuries from turning into recordable events. Review recordable criteria with the medic prior to start of the project.

What is a Recordable? 29 CFR (a) Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or … recordable, if it results in any of the following: death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness… …(and) if it involves a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional…

What is a Recordable? 29 CFR (a) These events are serious enough to –cause an employee to lose consciousness, – miss days of work, –render him or her incapable of performing their regular job duties, –require medical treatment or – result in a significant diagnosed injury or illness.

So what is a Reportable? 29 CFR (a) (a)Basic requirement. Within eight (8) hours after the death of any employee from a work-related incident or the in-patient hospitalization of three or more employees as a result of a work-related incident, you must orally report the fatality/multiple hospitalization by telephone or in person to… (OSHA). **Senior Management is responsible for any reporting.

First Aid Most medical professionals are not trained in occupational medicine. They don’t realize that treatments they routinely prescribe can turn a first aid case into a recordable event. The HSE Officer needs to know the difference and prevent this from happening.

OSHA Definitions for First Aid Tetanus immunization Non-prescription medicine at non- prescription strength Cleaning, flushing or soaking wounds on the surface of the skin Wound coverings using gauze pads or Band-Aids Wound closures using Steri-Strips or butterfly bandages

OSHA Definitions for First Aid Hot or cold therapy Non-rigid support such as elastic bandages or triangle bandages Using rigid supports (neck brace, splint) strictly for transporting an accident victim Drilling a fingernail or toenail to relieve pressure or draining fluid from a blister Eye patches

OSHA Definitions for First Aid Finger guards Massages Drinking fluids to relieve heat stress Removing foreign bodies or material from the eyes using irrigation, cotton swabs or tweezers Not on this list = medical treatment Medical treatment = recordable

First Aid or Recordable? Small cut on finger. Washed with soap and water, applied over the counter antibiotic cream and covered with a band aid.

First Aid or Recordable? Small cut on finger. Washed with soap and water, applied over the counter antibiotic cream and covered with a band aid. First aid. Why? Rinsed surface of skin Non-prescription medicine at non- prescription strength Band-Aid wound cover

First Aid or Recordable? Small cut on finger. Washed with soap and water, applied prescription antibiotic cream and covered with a band aid.

First Aid or Recordable? Small cut on finger. Washed with soap and water, applied prescription antibiotic cream and covered with a band aid. Recordable. Why? Prescription medicine

First Aid or Recordable? Laceration on arm. Washed with soap and water, applied Steri-Strips to close the wound. Took regular strength Tylenol tablets.

First Aid or Recordable? Laceration on arm. Washed with soap and water, applied Steri-Strips to close the wound. Took regular strength Tylenol tablets. First aid. Why? Rinsed surface of skin Steri-Strips used to close wound Non-Prescription medicine at non- prescription strength

First Aid or Recordable? Laceration on arm. Washed with soap and water, applied staples to close the wound. Ibuprofen injection at the site of wound.

First Aid or Recordable? Laceration on arm. Washed with soap and water, applied staples to close the wound. Ibuprofen injection at the site of wound. Recordable. Why? Staples, stitches or surgical glue used to close wound Injected medication

An employee fell and suspected he may have fractured his arm. He was taken to the emergency room and given an x-ray. Doctor diagnosed it as a sprain and gave the employee a sling to keep the arm level and reduce swelling. First Aid or Recordable?

First aid. Why? Sling is not rigid, supports but allows movement X-ray is not a treatment Non-Prescription medicine at non- prescription strength Medical evaluation by Dr. is not a treatment

Second scenario: Doctor diagnosed it as a sprain and gave the employee a sling to keep the arm level and reduce swelling. He also told the employee to take Aleve pain reliever at prescription strength. First Aid or Recordable?

Second scenario: He also told the employee to take Aleve pain reliever at prescription strength= Recordable First Aid or Recordable?

Third scenario: He also told the employee to take Aleve pain reliever at regular strength= First Aid First Aid or Recordable?

Why is a recordable such a big deal? The safety and well being of our employees is our primary concern. A recordable event indicates that we failed to meet that objective. Clients evaluate our performance based on our recordable statistics. Poor statistics can result in lost business opportunities.

Does that mean I shouldn’t report injuries at all? We want you to report ALL injuries or illnesses, small or large by completing the Employee Incident Report form. We use these reports to figure out how to prevent future injuries and improve our safety processes. The report protects the employee by providing key information for follow up should the injury get worse.

Communication is the Key Whenever practical, the Medic should consult with the HSE Officer before giving any treatment other than first aid. Use a non-recordable treatment if appropriate, but the employee’s welfare is always the priority.

More Details in SOP-GEN-2014C