Safety and Health Services

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Accident and incident reporting

Illustration showing the definition of an accident, incident or undesired occurrence
Illustration showing the definition of an accident, incident or undesired occurrence

Report an accident or incident

Use the online reporting system to report accidents, incidents and near misses related to safety and health.

You need to be on the University network to use this system. If you are working off-site, log into the University VPN.

How is an accident or incident defined?

Different types of adverse events can happen. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines them into categories:

  • An accident is an event that results in injury or ill health,
  • An incident could be a near miss or an undesired circumstance:
    • a near miss is an event that, while not causing harm, has the potential to cause injury or ill health,
    • an undesired circumstance is a set of conditions or circumstances that have the potential to cause injury or ill health,
  • A dangerous occurrence is one of a number of specific, reportable adverse events, as defined in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).

Please do not use the accident/near miss reporting system to highlight maintenance issues where there is no near miss or accident, these should be reported to the Maintenance Helpdesk.

For clarification,

  • Near Misses are unsafe events or situations that could have resulted in an injury, illness or damage but did not due to chance, corrective actions, or intervention e.g., an individual trips on damaged flooring tile but does not sustain an injury.  
  • A maintenance fault is a defect in equipment, fixtures or fittings that could lead to an unsafe condition if it is not rectified e.g., a damaged flooring tile that could present a trip hazard, a water leak.  

Other injuries and accidents

If your building is situated close to the Accident & Emergency department of the Bristol Royal Infirmary (Upper Maudlin St), use these facilities unless the injury is very minor.

Eye injuries

For eye strike injuries, if your building is situated close to the Bristol Eye Hospital (Lower Maudlin St), use these facilities unless the injury is very minor.

Cuts

  • Control the bleeding by applying pressure over the wound with a pad of paper tissue or towel roll.
  • Do not attempt to remove any broken glass, etc.

Burns

  • Douse the burn with copious amounts of cold water, such as under a running tap.
  • Do not attempt to remove anything that is stuck to the burn.

Electrocution

  • Switch off power at wall or at emergency red stop button if safe to do so.
  • Then immediately call for help via Security Services by dialing 112233 from an internal phone or 0117 3311223 from a mobile.

Chemical spills

Before starting work with chemicals, always familiarise yourself with your nearest available emergency shower or sink.

Special treatments are available for the treatment of phenol, hydrofluoric acid burns and cyanide poisoning - if you are planning to use any of these you MUST seek approval and guidance before starting any work.

Only ever clean up a spill if you feel it is safe to do so, otherwise evacuate the area and seek further advice from your supervisor or the University of Bristol Chemical Safety Adviser, Claire Wienburg.

  • On skin: Wash off with copious amounts of water using emergency showers.
  • In eyes: If available, use an eye-wash bottle with the eyelids held open. Alternatively, use an emergency eye wash station or emergency shower, or use the nearest cold tap.
  • Inhaled: If possible, move to fresh air.
  • Swallowed: Do not induce vomiting. Identify the chemical.

If someone is injured:

  • Seek medical attention immediately.
  • Notify the local safety adviser and, if medical treatment is required, contact Safety and Health Services by dialing 59403 from an internal phone or 0117 45 59403 from a mobile.
  • If the emergency services need to be contacted, they will ask the nature of the spill & request the UN number rather than the CAS number of the chemical. This can be found in the 'Transport Information' section of any Safety Data Sheet (SDS).

Cleaning up:

  • If you are clearing up, ensure that the environment is made safe around a spill.
  • Ensure clean-up material is compatible with the chemical involved in the spill and that appropriate disposal routes are identified and used.

Laser strikes

  • Switch off the power if safe to do so.
  • Seek medical attention from the Eye Hospital during normal working hours or A&E at the Bristol Royal Infirmary.
  • If possible, note the details of the laser and provide this to the health professionals.

Needlestick injuries

Needlestick injuries are any incidents where you may be subdermally exposed to contaminated material, via needles, cuts, human bites or scratches. If this happens:

You must be connected to the University network to report an incident, for example by using a University of Bristol computer on campus.

Similar steps should be taken for blood or bodily fluid splashes to the mouth, eyes or contact with broken skin.

First aid boxes

First aid boxes contain items recommended by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), such as bandages, wound dressings, sterile eye pads, safety pins and plasters.

No medicines like aspirins, paracetamol, ointments or other medication are kept in the first aid box.

First aid personnel are trained only in the administration of first aid, not to administer drugs or medicines.

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