Return to Policies page
Navigation
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    Critical Incident, Accident and Injury Procedure

    1. Preamble

    This Procedure outlines the Institute's procedures to effectively manage critical incidents, accidents and injuries.

    A critical incident can be defined as any event that has a stressful impact sufficient enough to overwhelm the usually effective coping skills of an individual. Critical incidents are abrupt, powerful events that fall outside the range of ordinary human experiences. Any incident has the potential to start as or escalate into a critical incident. Incident types include, but are not limited to:

    1. Crisis events such as fire, explosion, chemical spill, gas leak, pandemic, natural disaster, international critical incident, power outage, violent attack, fatality or serious injury.
    2. Issues or events (internal or external) which may develop into crisis situations, such as health or mental health concerns, fraud or mismanagement.
    3. Adverse cybersecurity event and/or significant data breach.
    4. Activities that may attract adverse attention from government, regulators, interest groups, the public or media.

    2. Procedures

    2.1. Reporting obligations - immediate

    2.1.1. In the event of a critical incident:

    2.1.1.1. If you have immediate concerns for a person’s safety and/or if an ambulance or other emergency services are required, call Triple Zero immediately (000).

    2.1.1.2. As soon as possible after taking any immediate actions to preserve life and minimise harm (such as calling 000):

    1. If you are a staff member, the critical incident must be reported to your line manager If you cannot speak with your line manager please contact their manager. If no one appears available please contact the Chief Executive Officer, ph. 0409 562 311.
    2. If you are located at an outside Agency (e.g. Clinic, School) you must also let them know as soon as practicable that an incident has occurred.
    3. If you are a student on placement, you also need to advise your Cairnmillar placement coordinator. In the event that you cannot contact your Cairnmillar coordinator you need to inform another member of the Faculty. If they are not available, you need to contact the Chief Executive Officer.

    2.1.1.3. An incident/injury/hazard form must be completed and submitted within 24 hours of the incident by either the person managing the incident, or the person impacted by the incident.

    2.2. Additional assistance

    2.2.1. Psychological First Aid, other interventions, or referral may be required, and this can be arranged for you by Cairnmillar or within your external Agency.

    2.3. Roles and responsibilities

    2.3.1 The person you first contact (e.g. line manager, placement coordinator, OH&S Committee Chair, or Chief Executive Officer) will assume leadership of the incident and triage the urgency of the threat. Hereafter that person is referred to as the Critical Incident Management Leader.

    2.3.2. Where appropriate the Critical Incident Management Leader will consult:

    1. Advice issued by government agencies including the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.
    2. Travel warnings issued through Smartraveller.
    3. Advice from international agencies such as the World Health Organisation.
    4. The Business Units of the Institute to determine the impact of the critical incident to the Institute’s community and activities.

    2.3.3. The Critical Incident Management Leader will:

    1. Seek legal advice where applicable, about any statutory obligations or external reporting obligations arising from a critical incident.
    2. Ensure that stakeholders and regulatory bodies, including but not limited to, the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency, WorkSafe Victoria and the Institute's insurer are notified in a timely manner and provided with appropriate information.

    2.3.4. Subject matter experts within the Institute will be enlisted by the Critical Incident Management Leader to:

    1. Assist with the response as required.
    2. Implement any operational guidelines relating to a specific incident type (e.g. international student incidents).

    2.4. Follow-up

    2.4.1. By following the procedures above, timely assistance can be provided. Critical Incident Debriefing (CID) will usually occur within 48 - 72 hours after the incident to provide emotional support for all parties involved if required.

    2.4.2. Moreover, the incident will be reported, and action(s) will be taken to prevent the incident where possible, from reoccurring and minimizing the negative impact.

    2.4.3. The OHS Committee Chair will inform the Compliance and Risk Committee to examine the incident and will apply any learnings to prevent or to intervene earlier with such events.

    2.4.4. The Compliance and Risk Committee will report any critical incidents to the Audit, Finance and Risk Subcommittee.

    2.4.5. Where the risk is critical and current (there is a critical reputational, legal or safety risk), as soon as possible the CEO will contact the Chair of the Cairnmillar Council and report what has occurred. The Chair and CEO in consultation will determine whether other members of the Council need to be informed or updated

    Print a copy