Reporting Incidents and Accidents

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Policy and Procedure

While none of us want accidents to happen, they do occur and Risk Management needs to be notified promptly so we can act on behalf of the university, as needed. Environmental Health and Safety must be notified in order to assess safety and prevention concerns, both current and future.

An incident is any unusual occurrence; an employee, student, or visitor accident (with or without injury); a disturbance that could disrupt campus operations; a violation of policy; or a mishap due to equipment failure.

How to Report an Incident or Accident

It is the responsibility of every employee to report accidents and/or misses to their supervisor when they occur. If an employee, student, or visitor is injured, immediately report all details to your supervisor. In the event of a medical emergency, always dial 9-1-1 from any on-campus telephone. If using a cell phone to report an on-campus emergency, dial 619-594-1991. This will connect you directly with the University Campus Police Dispatcher who can send a police officer and if needed, emergency medical personnel. Call Risk Management at 619-594-4664 to report the details of the incident. See Workers’ Compensation, Work-related Injuries, for more information.

Supervisor’s Responsibilities

Supervisors shall notify Office of Risk Management within 24 hours of the incident. If the incident/accident results in injury/illness to an SDSU employee, please refer to Workers’ Compensation, Work-related Injuries, the Supervisor’s Responsibilities. For accident investigation purposes, and in accordance with the campus Injury and Illness Prevention Program, supervisors need to report all accidents to Environmental Health and Safety, at ext. 4-6778, in addition to notifying Risk Management and Human Resources. Environmental Health & Safety also has a form that is to be utilized to document the investigation of an accident, injury, or near miss incident. See Accident, Injury and Illness Investigation Form.

Remember: if in doubt as to whether or not the situation is an emergency, treat it as an emergency.

How to Report an Employee, Work-related Illness/Injury

All employee-related incidents must be reported within 24 hours to Human Resources. Information and procedures regarding how to report an employee work-related illness/injury are provided on the Workers’ Compensation web site.

Reporting Vehicle Accidents

All vehicle accidents occurring while on university/state business, must be reported within 48 hours, regardless of whether the vehicle is a university/state, rental, or private vehicle. The report needs to be made on the State of California’s Report of Vehicle Accident Form (STD. 270) and be immediately submitted to:

Office of Risk Management
Administration
Division of Business and Financial Affairs
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Drive
San Diego, CA 92182-1625

Phone: 619-594-4664 FAX: 619-594-2841
E-mail: <rrussell@mail.sdsu.edu>

Employees must not make any admission as to who was at fault, nor make any attempt to settle claims or otherwise establish liability with the other parties to the accident nor to insurance companies representing the other parties involved.

An employee who is involved in a vehicular accident must not discuss the accident with anyone except:

Investigating Traffic Officers
Employee’s Supervisor/Manager
Authorized SDSU Officers
SDSU’s Risk Manager, Rhonda Russell
State’s Insurance Adjusters

If driving a university/state vehicle at the time of an accident, the employee should refer to the Accident Identification Form (STD. 269), located in their state vehicle’s glove compartment for instructions and information. This card provides a convenient place to write down pertinent information while still at the accident scene.

If driving a private vehicle at the time of an accident, the employee should refer to their private insurance carrier’s instructions for reporting and/or claiming an accident.

Subsequent to any accident involving a state vehicle, all communications and forms, including Summons and Complaint, must be forwarded to Risk Management.

The immediate supervisor/manager who authorized or permitted the employee to use the vehicle will ensure that the employee completes the State of California’s Report of Vehicle Accident Form (STD. 270) or should complete the form on the employee’s behalf, should the employee be unable to do so. The supervisor will also inform Human Resources, when the employee is unable to do so. The immediate supervisor/manager who authorized the employee to drive on state business must also prepare the State Driver Accident Review - Supervisor’s Review Form (STD. 274), and forward it to Risk Management within five days from the date of the accident.

Injuries Resulting from Motor Vehicle Accident

Should an accident result in bodily injury to anyone other than the state employee, the accident must be immediately reported to the State of California’s Office of Risk and Insurance Management (ORIM) by telephone or an advance faxed copy of the Accident Report Form (STD. 270) . On weekends, call 916-376-5295 to leave a voice mail. This notification is required in addition to notifying Risk Management at 619-594-4664.

Risk Management