How to accurately determine whether an incident is an emergency incident, a medical treatment incident, or a time-loss incident?

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How to accurately determine whether an incident is an emergency incident, a medical treatment incident, or a time-loss incident? Dear EHS colleagues, in the process of managing EHS incidents, you must have wondered how injuries reported by employees should be classified in a more reasonable manner in order to meet the expectations of management; moreover, the incidence rates of various types of incidents may be directly linked to KPIs. To answer the question above, it is necessary to check whether our EHS system provides very clear definitions for emergency incidents, medical treatment incidents, and time-loss incidents. If not, hurry up and revise the accident management system! (This article is long; you can follow, save it, or share it to avoid losing track of it!) ) Injuries or illnesses unrelated to work: The first step is to determine which injuries or illnesses are not related to work, in order to clarify the main tasks of EHS. The following are considered injuries or illnesses unrelated to work, as per OSHA Standard 1904.5. Those interested can visit the OSHA website to read the original text. (1) When injured or sick, employees appear in the work environment as members of the public rather than as employees. (II) The injury or illness involves signs or symptoms that occur at work, but are entirely caused by work-related events or exposures that take place outside the work environment. (III) The injury or illness is entirely caused by voluntary participation in health programs or medical, fitness, or recreational activities (such as blood donation, medical check-ups, flu vaccination, participation in sports classes, squash, or baseball). (IV) The injury or illness is entirely the result of the employee preparing food or beverages for personal consumption (whether purchased at the employer’s premises or brought in). For example, if an employee is injured by choking on a sandwich within the employer’s premises, the incident will not be considered work-related. Note: If an employee becomes ill due to consuming food contaminated with workplace pollutants (such as lead), or if food provided by the employer causes food poisoning, this situation will be considered work-related. (5) The injury or illness is entirely caused by the employee engaging in personal tasks (unrelated to their work) at the institution outside of the designated working hours. (VI) The injury or illness is entirely due to poor personal hygiene, self-medication for non-work-related illnesses, or intentional action. (7) The injury or illness was caused by a motor vehicle accident, occurring at the company parking lot or company pathways during an employee’s commute to and from work. (VIII) The disease is a common cold or influenza. (Note: If an employee contracts infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, brucellosis, hepatitis A, or plague at work, this is considered to be related to work.) (IX) The disease is a mental disorder. Unless an employee voluntarily provides the employer with advice from a doctor or other licensed healthcare professional with appropriate training and experience (such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or psychiatric nurse practitioner) indicating that the employee suffers from a work-related mental illness, such mental illness shall not be considered to be work-related. The frequency of injuries resulting from traffic accidents on the way to and from work among company employees is actually quite high; it should be considered an injury that is not related to work. This does not conflict with the reporting and recognition of work-related injuries in the domestic context; the two are not the same concept. Judgment of first aid incidents: There are thirteen provisions regarding the judgment of first aid incidents, and these thirteen constitute a complete list for such judgments; all types of first aid situations are covered within them. The following situations are considered first-aid incidents, according to the provisions of OSHA 1904.7. (1) Use of over-the-counter medications at non-prescribed doses (for both prescription and over-the-counter medications, it is recommended by physicians or other licensed healthcare professionals that the use of over-the-counter medications at prescribed doses be regarded as drug therapy for record-keeping purposes). (II) Tetanus vaccination (other immunizations, such as hepatitis B vaccine or rabies vaccine, are considered drug treatments). (III) Clean, rinse, or soak wounds on the skin surface. (IV) Use of wound coverings such as bandages, adhesive band-aids, gauze pads, etc., or butterfly bandages or Steri-SstripsTM silicone strips (other wound closure devices such as sutures and staples are considered medical devices). (5) Use of heat therapy or cold therapy. (VI) Use of any non-rigid support methods, such as elastic bandages, wraps, non-rigid straps, etc. (Devices with rigid support mechanisms or other systems designed to fix body parts are considered medical devices for record-keeping purposes). (7) Use of temporary fixation devices (such as splints, straps, neck collars, back boards, etc.) when transporting accident victims. (8) Picking at fingernails or toenails to relieve stress, or to drain fluid from blisters. (IX) Use an eye mask. (10) Use only irrigation or cotton swabs to remove foreign objects from the eyes. (11) Remove debris or foreign objects from areas outside the eye using irrigation, forceps, cotton swabs, or other simple methods. (12) Use hand guards. (13) Using massage (physical therapy or chiropractic care is considered medical treatment for record-keeping) or drinking water to alleviate heat stress. The second point is that getting pricked or scratched may require a tetanus vaccine, but it is considered an emergency treatment. Other vaccinations, such as the hepatitis B vaccine or rabies vaccine, are considered medical treatment errors. Determination of medical treatment accidents (Medical Treatment) Medical treatment accidents are determined through the process of elimination. The following description is taken from the provisions of OSHA 1904.7. Medical treatment accidents refer to the management and care of patients in order to combat diseases or conditions. Medical treatment does not include: visits to doctors or other licensed healthcare professionals for diagnostic procedures solely for observation or consultation purposes, such as X-rays and blood tests, including the use of prescription drugs intended only for diagnostic purposes (such as eye drops used for pupil dilation). Additionally, in handling medical incidents, it is also necessary to refer to the exclusions listed in the criteria for determining emergency incidents that are considered medical accidents. Determination of Lost Time Injuries (LTI): An injury or illness related to work that results in an employee being unable to work for more than the day of the injury or illness is considered a lost time injury. The following two situations are still considered lost-time accidents. (1) If the doctor advises the employee to stay at home, but the employee still comes to work. (II) If an employee is injured or falls ill on Friday and returns to work on Monday, and if a doctor determines that the employee should not work over the weekend or should only perform limited work, it is considered lost working time. Foreign-funded enterprises generally tend to refer to OSHA standards. This article merely shares the information I’ve learned. If a company has its own well-developed standards for accident classification, please feel free to leave a comment and share those best practices!