Instructions for Injury and Illness
Reporting and Investigation
This month Environmental Health Safety and Emergency Management highlights how to report and investigate workplace injuries and illnesses.
Medical Treatment:
- If you suffer a serious injury, immediately seek medical attention.
- If necessary, contact 911.
- Answer all of the dispatcher’s questions.
- Calling 911 from a cell phone in Massachusetts will first bring you to the State Police Dispatch; the call will then be transferred to the most appropriate First Responder.
- Be sure to give your exact location.
- If you receive medical treatment for a workplace related incident DO NOT give your personal health insurance information.
- Inform the hospital or other medical facility that you suffered a workplace injury and that you are a Harvard University employee.
Injury and Illness Reporting:
- Harvard University employees must complete an Accident Report Form within 24 hours of a work related injury or illness.
- ALL work related injuries and illnesses must be reported.
- Accident Report Forms can be obtained from:
- Human Resources
- Your Supervisor
- The EHSEM Injury and Illness Reporting and Investigation Webpage
- Return Accident Report Forms to supervisor to complete and sign.
- Completed Accident Report Forms are then submitted to Human Resources by the Supervisor.
- Injuries and illnesses that involve a fatality or three or more employees injured from the same incident must be immediately reported to the UOS Operations Center (5-5560).
Investigation:
- Injury investigations must be completed on scene immediately following the report of an injury.
- Low Priority (Scrapes, minor burns etc): Conducted by Area Supervisor/Manager
- Medium Priority (Strains, sprains etc): Conducted by Area Supervisor/Manager
- High Priority (Broken bones, lacerations, severe burns etc): Conducted by Environmental Health Safety and Emergency Management and the Area Supervisor/Manager.
- Injury and Illness Investigation Forms can be obtained from:
- Human Resources
- Supervisor/Manager
- The EHSEM Injury and Illness Reporting and Investigation Webpage
- Completed Injury and Illness Investigation Forms must be returned to Human Resources with the Accident Report Form.
