Washington & Lee University

 Incident Checklist

February 2007

 

1.         ASSURE SAFETY OF ALL AT SCENE AND ARRANGE FOR FIRST AID OR MEDICAL PERSONNEL AS REQUESTED/NEEDED.

 

2.         NOTIFY APPROPRIATE UNIVERSITY OFFICIALS.

            Director of Environmental Health and Safety (Paul Burns, (O)x8175, (C)460-6209, (H) 540-962-1703, pburns@wlu.edu)

Notify IMMEDIATELY for serious faculty/staff/student worker incidents. Primary contact for all incidents on the job and environmental/safety concerns.

            Department of Public Safety x8999 (or Director Mike Young, (O)x8427, (C)460-3726, (Pager) 464-2505, mlyoung@wlu.edu)

Notify IMMEDIATELY for  other serious incidents. Primary contact for other than on the job incidents.

           

            Other University Officials to be informed (case by case, to be determined by Primary Contact Officials above):

            Director/Asst. Director of Facilities Management (Scott Beebe, x8491, sbeebe@wlu.edu; Randolph Hare, x8496, rhare@wlu.edu)

            Vice President for Administration (Joe Grasso, x8203, jgrasso@wlu.edu)

            Office of General Counsel (Leanne Shank, x8941, lshank@wlu.edu)

            Office of the Treasurer (S. McAllister, x8942, smcallis@wlu.edu; Stephanie Arbanas, x8121, sarbanas@wlu.edu)

            Director of Human Resources (only for work-related incidents) (Steve McClure, x8922, smcclure@wlu.edu)

           

3.         PRESERVE EVIDENCE AT THE SCENE (unless Director of Environmental Health and Safety or Department of Public Safety assumes responsibility for doing so).  Some or all of the following may be required:

·        PHOTOS IN UNTOUCHED STATE

·        MEASUREMENTS

·        MARK LOCATION OF INCIDENT IF NEED TO MOVE ITEMS

·        WEAR GLOVES IF NEEDED SO AS NOT TO TAINT/REMOVE EVIDENCE

·        PRESERVE ITEMS OF EVIDENCE

 

4.         LOCATE AND GET SIGNED STATEMENTS FROM ALL WITNESSES AND INDIVIDUALS WITH KNOWLEDGE AND GET RELEVANT DOCUMENTS (unless Director of Environmental Health and Safety or Department of Public Safety assumes responsibility for doing so).

                  *WHO                                     *WHAT

      *WHEN                                  *WHERE

      *WHY                                     *HOW

 

5.         FOR ALL INCIDENTS, COMPLETE INCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT AND SEND TO DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY, Heating/Cooling Plant.              http://counsel.wlu.edu/policy/W&Lincidentinvestigationreport.htm

  

6.         FOR FACULTY/STAFF/STUDENT WORKER INCIDENTS ON THE JOB, ALSO COMPLETE EMPLOYER’S ACCIDENT REPORT AND SEND TO DIRECTOR OF ENV. HEALTH & SAFETY WITHIN 24 HOURS.

            http://counsel.wlu.edu/policy/Employer'sAccidentReport.pdf

      

7.         DO NOT MAKE PUBLIC STATEMENTS: REFER ALL INQUIRIES TO VP FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS (Tim Kolly, x8459, tkolly@wlu.edu)

 

8.         INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES

·        Listen patiently to what the person says and do not interrupt.

·        Avoid negative questions, such as "Why didn't you?," as these tend to make people defensive.

·        Keep questions clear and simple.

·        Do not ask leading questions.  Ask the individual to describe the incident in his or her own words.

·        Ask the same question several different ways to clarify a response.  Rephrase information and repeat it.  This helps you to judge the person's credibility.

·        Commit individual to a story-chronology.

·        Get specifics on what happened, nature and location of any injury or damage.

 

9.         ASSESSING CREDIBILITY

·        Credibility assessment is vital to defensibility of thorough investigation.

·        Consider demeanor (body language) of interviewee

·        Consider logic/consistency of story

·        Consider whether other evidence corroborates story

·        Consider other circumstantial evidence re: interviewee (history, motivation)