1.  Sample Training PowerPoint

2.  Overview of workers’ compensation accident investigation process  Value of investigation following an accident (whether compensable or not)  Elements of Accident Investigations

3.  Increase your knowledge of the workers’ compensation accident investigation process  Identify methods of investigation  Determine the causes of accidents  Identify tools used in the investigation process  Fine tune your accident investigation skills

4. Why: To notify the employer that the employee had an injury at work so that the incident can be investigated.

5.  (Insert your agency’s reporting policy and key process steps)  Immediate written notice required  Enables prompt investigation of facts  Allows employer to provide necessary medical attention  If the employer does not investigate, may not be able to prove the facts.

6.  Injured worker should immediately notify his/her supervisor  The supervisor should investigate or notify whoever is responsible for agency investigation immediately!  Submit claim within 24 hrs.

7.  Injury arises from a risk not shared by the general public  There is a causal connection between the injury and the employment  Employee exposed to a particular danger  The risk is peculiar to the employment

8. On-Site Investigator’s Role In Workers’ Compensation Claims

9.  Needed to assist claims staff  Determine cause  Document scene  Document what people said and saw  Prevent future accidents

10.  Document information you hear  Document the scene through photographs, sketches, written descriptions, video recordings  Document evidence of non-work injury  Investigate facts that contradict injured workers’ version  Investigate personnel or disciplinary problems that impact the claim situation

11. Insert information here on your agency’s policy  Do you have internal forms? Where does the investigator get the forms?  Who does the documentation go to for forwarding to the claims staff?  What timeframes are in place for completing the investigation?  Any timeframes for follow-up for correction of hazards?

12.  Gather contact information on witnesses & supervisors  Obtain witness and supervisor names, phone numbers, best time to contact  Provide this information to agency personnel to forward to WSI claims staff

13.  Why are photographs so important ?  Support facts  Document scene  Become the “eyes” for people not in the field  May be required if litigated

14. Document:  Who is the source  Was there any possible transmission of disease  Contact with cuts, scrapes  Contact with eyes, nose, mouth

15. Insert your agency’s policy on how to handle exposure incidents here.

16.  Claims staff receives information from agency  Will investigate the Who, What, Where, When and How questions  May call with additional questions or to obtain the injured worker’s or witness’s statement  Claims staff determines compensability

18.  Any unplanned event that results in personal injury or in property damage.  Not intended  Not reasonably anticipated

19.  It is the reason for an action or condition; something that brings about an effect or result. (Webster’s dictionary)

20.  The failure of people, equipment, supplies or surroundings to behave or react as expected causes most accidents.  Accident investigations determine how and why these failures occur.  Conduct with prevention in mind – NOT to place blame!

21.  Assist workers’ comp claims process  To be the “eyes and ears” in the field  To gather facts on-site  To preserve evidence that may be lost over time  To determine cause of the accident  To identify ways to prevent accidents from recurring

22.  Make sure the injured worker is taken care of first  Secure the scene to preserve the integrity of the scene  Gather all necessary equipment to begin investigation

23.  Do:  Go to the accident site  Investigate and document the cause  Document supervisor and witnesses  Preserve the evidence  Don’t:  Speculate on coverage  Conduct formal interviews  Give advice

24.  Agency investigator should:  Survey, secure and document the site  Identify the cause  Look for contributory hazards  Report conclusions and recommendations

25.  INVESTIGATE IMMEDIATELY!  Don’t assume anything  Obtain all possible facts  Preserve the evidence  Take photographs of the site  Take measurements and diagram if necessary

26.  Gather the facts  What did the injured worker say happened?  What did witnesses see?  What did the injured worker tell witnesses?  Talk to the supervisor

27.  What did the injured worker tell you?  Where and when did the accident occur?  Were there any witnesses?  How was the employee injured?  Was training provided for this task?  Were the safety rules followed?

28.  Was the employee doing an assigned task?  Had the employee been trained on the task?  Had the employee ever done this task before?  How often is this task performed?

29.  Before you preserve it, let’s define it:  Evidence is data, which helps to prove the event  Next, decide what evidence is important  Immediate photographs are critical  The site could change the next day and evidence would be lost

30.  Sites of accidents, including:  Defects  Hazards  Unusual Conditions  Conditions that differ from what the employee describes  Areas or furniture in need of maintenance  Housekeeping issues

31.  Liquid substances or objects on a floor  Worn treads  Slippery floor (heavy wax)  Loose rungs on a ladder  Frayed or torn carpet  Type of shoes  Anything being carried  Anything out of the ordinary

32.  Sunny and clear?  Rainy?  Foggy?  Icy?  Temperature  Cold  Hot

33.  Clear, unobstructed walkways  Passageways and aisles free of protruding nails, loose boards  Debris  Unwanted Clutter  Boxes in aisles  Obstacles/barriers

34.  May include the following elements:  Stairs  Ladders (portable, extension, etc.)  Machinery, i.e. power saws  Any room, i.e. training, sleeping quarters  Walls  Furniture, such as tables or chairs  Vehicles  Sidewalk cracks (take measurements)

35. “I was working at my desk and all of a sudden I noticed pain in my left wrist…”

36. “I’ve fallen (and I can’t get up…)”

38.  Struck by/ strike against  Material Handling  Slips, Trips, Falls

39.  Remember:  Think “out of the box”  Trust your instincts  Use common sense