Accidents and emergencies

in medico-preventive
institutions. Investigation
and registration of
Accidents and Occupational
Diseases.
Maria barragan
The investigation and registration of accidents and emergencies in healthcare
establishments (hospitals) are conducted according to the resolution of the Cabinet of
Ministers of Ukraine No. 1232 as of 30.11.2011 Some Aspects of Investigation and Recording
of Accidents, Occupational Diseases, and Emergencies at Work.
Investigation and registration of accidents that have occurred with pupils, students,
clinical residents, graduates, and doctoral students during the educational process or
during
practice are conducted by agreement with the Ministry of Science and Education of
Ukraine,
relevant trade union, and the Executive Directorate of the Social Insurance Fund
concerning
accidents at work and occupational diseases.
Investigation and recording of accidents that occur with workers on their way to or from
work on foot or by transport (public or their own) are conducted in accordance with the
Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 270 as of 22.03.2001 On Approval of
Investigation and Recording of Non-Production Accidents.
The investigation of accidents at work is the basis for further compensation for the loss of
disability by victims and the assessment of the effectiveness of used measures and means of
occupational safety. In addition, during the investigation, there are clear grounds for obtaining
objective information on negative production factors and risks in one or another field of
economic production, improvement of the legislative framework for labour protection, as well
as the development of specific measures as additions to the relevant rules, instructions,
briefings, etc. with their further practical use.
Investigation of accidents is carried out in case of sudden deterioration of worker’s
health, in case of sustaining an injury, trauma, acute occupational diseases (poisoning), heart
stroke, bums, electric shock, ionizing radiation, in case of sustaining injuries because of an
accident, in case of fire that led to the loss of employee’s performance for at least one day or to
the need to transfer to another (easier) work, as well as in case of death in this establishment.
Injury is any physical damage to body tissues caused by an accident or by exposure to
environmental stressors (external force). Major trauma is any injury that has the potential to
cause prolonged disability or death.
Acute occupational diseases and acute occupational poisoning include diseases and
poisoning caused by exposure to hazardous and harmful substances not longer than during
the
same work shift.
Acute occupational diseases are caused by exposure to chemicals, ionizing and nonionizing
radiation, significant physical exertion and strain of organs and systems of the human
body. Infectious, parasitic, and allergic diseases are also referred to them.
The victim, the worker who discovered the victim or the witness of the accident must
immediately report the authorities about every accident and take measures to provide the
necessary assistance to the victim.
If a victim appeals for help to a healthcare establishment with a reference to an accident
but without a referral, the institution must send urgent messages in the form given in
Appendix
1 to the place of victim’s work, to the executive management of social insurance concerning
industrial accidents and occupational diseases.
After receiving messages, the management orders to form a commission in order to
investigate the accident; the commission must consist of not less than three persons and has
to
organize the investigation.
The commission includes a director (specialist) or his/her official representative who
carries out functions of a healthcare expert (chairman), a head of the unit where the accident
occurred, a representative of the Fund, a trade union representative or an agent of trade
union
safety if the victim is not a union member. Instead, it can not include the head of work,
which is
directly responsible for the state of health at the workplace, where an accident occurred.
The commission must within three days inspect the place of accident, obtain the
explanation of the victim, interview witnesses, determine compliance with working conditions
and safety requirements of labour protection legislation, determine the circumstances and
causes of the accident, establish the persons who had violated the law concerning health and
safety, develop measures to prevent similar accidents.
According to the investigation the commission compiles an act according to the form H-5
in three copies (Appendix 2), and an act of an accident associated with work according to the
form H-1 in six copies (Appendix 3). If the commission establishes that the accident was not
associated with work, the act is compiled in the form H-5. The acts are approved by the
management.
The conditions of the accident, which is determined as being associated with work
(according to what the H-1 act is compiled), are:
1. Execution by the victims of labour (official) duties according to the rules of the company,
including business trips.
2. Staying at one’s workplace, on the premises or elsewhere where the victim performs
his/her labour (official) duties or tasks in the period of time from employee’s arrival to work
until his/her departure, which is recorded according to the work rules of the enterprise,
including during work and overtime.
3. Starting up and putting in order the means of production, protection equipment, and
clothing at the end of the working day; activities concerning personal hygiene, movement on
the premises before starting work and after its completion.
4. Performance of tasks according to the order of the employer after working hours, during
holidays, weekends, holidays and days off.
5. Getting to or from work using a vehicle owned by the company or other vehicles provided
by the employer under a contract.
6. The use of one’s own vehicle in company’s interests in case of company’s permission or
written instructions of the employer or work supervisor.
7. Acting in the interests of the enterprise for which the victim works, actions that do not
belong to his/her labour (official) duties, including prevention of accidents or rescuing people
and/or property.
8. Elimination of results of accidents, emergencies of natural or man- triggered character on
the territories and vehicles used by the company.
9. Provision of charitable assistance to other businesses, institutions, organizations in case
of corresponding decision of the employer.
10. Staying of the victim in a vehicle or on a parking lot, including the time when it is the
victim’s turn to have rest, if the accident is connected with implementation of the victim’s
labour (official) duties or impact of dangerous or harmful production factors or the
environment.
11. Movement of the victim to a service object (between objects) according to an approved
route or to any other object in case of employer’s delegation.
12. Movement of the victim to the place of work according to a specified task, including a
vehicle of any type and form of ownership.
13. Declaration of the victim as being dead because of his/her disappearance associated with
an accident that took place when the victim was performing his/her labour (official) duties.
14. The victim being injured or murdered by another person while performing his/her labour
(official) duties or acting in the interests of the enterprise, regardless of the criminal case,
except for cases when personal productive relationships of the victim and the other person
are
confirmed by competent authorities.
15. Getting injured as a result of deterioration of the victim’s health, which occurred under
the influence of dangerous factors of production environment in the course of performing
his/her labour (official) duties, which is confirmed by a medical report.
16. Sudden deterioration of the victim’s health or his/her death during performance of
labour (official) duties as a result of exposure to hazardous or harmful factors and/or factors
of
severity or intensity of the labour process, which is confirmed by a medical report, or such
cases when the victim had not had an obligatory medical examination in accordance with the
law, and the work that was performed by the victim had been contraindicated according to
the
medical report.