Document 6oDkQyJwQgwEJba4xBzLD8o4

ABD00005607 Vista Polymers A Division of Vista Chemical Company Highway 25 Post Office Box 91 Aberdeen Mississippi 39730 0091 Phone (601) 369 8111 ABERDEEN CHEMICAL PLANT SAFETY AND HEALTH MANUAL ABERDEEN, MISSISSIPPI SUBJECT Accident Investigation & Injury Reporting Procedure EFFECITVE DATE: June 1. 1992 The purpose of an accident investigation and injury reporting is to obtain knowledge and information which can be used to prevent similar accidents in the future Investigation can also identify unsafe situations and conditions which may be a direct or contributing cause of an accident Frequently, hazards are discovered which do not directly apply to the accident being investigated but which could cause an injury if not corrected II. SCOPE The Aberdeen Plant will maintain an accident inves tigation and injury reporting program which includes not only accidents resulting in injuries but also accidents which involve "near misses" and property damage. This includes situations where a minor injury has the potential to be more serious Also included are incidents which resulted in or could have resulted in a catastrophic release of hazardous chemicals III. RESPONSIBILITIES It is the responsibility of the employee or employees involved in an accident to report that occurrence to their supervisor immediately following the accident All injuries and potential injuries, "near misses" and property damage must be reported immediately Medical treatment and accident inves tigations should begin at that time 6/01/92 Replaces 9/01/90 VSP 2 Page 1 ABD00005608 III. RESPONSIBILITIES - Continued Department Heads are responsible for a Insuring that all injuries, near misses and property damage and release incidents are reported immediately b Initiating an accident investigation, as appropriate c Assigning responsibility for corrective action in involved areas d Reviewing investigation reports for inci dents outside their areas, determining application of recommendations and assigning responsibilities e Reporting status of the recommendations per taining to their areas to the Safety Director and the Investigation Committee members The Investigating Committee is responsible for con ducting the investigation, recording the facts, re viewing the completed report with the appropriate department head, presenting findings and recommen dations to the Plant Manager and submitting the com pleted and approved report to the Safety Director. The Safety Director is responsible for assisting in identification of significant incidents, assisting in investigation as required, keeping management and employees informed on the status of recommendations, and maintaining a file of reports and pertinent in formation regarding the incident IV. INVESTIGATION PROCEDURE The severity or potential severity of an accident will dictate the scope of the investigation An Investigation Committee will be assembled to ini tiate the accident investigation as follows. 6/01/92 Replaces 9/01/90 VSP 2 Page 2 ABD00005609 IV INVESTIGATION PROCEDURE - Continued 1 If an accident occurs which results in a recordable injury, a catastrophic release or significant near miss, the concerned Depart ment Head will appoint an investigation committee Normally, the committee will be composed of four members, but the size may be varied depending on the nature and com plexity of the incident Accidents which result in minor (first aid) injuries without significant potential will normally not be investigated. A representative of the Safety Department will serve as a member of all investigation committees. The Depart ment Head has the option of staffing the committee from within his own department or other departments in the plant. Individuals directly involved in the incident will be members of the committee. Final review of some investigating team members may be held at the Department Head level with prior approval of the Plant Manager, otherwise the final review will be by the Plant Manager following a presentation of the findings and recommendations 2 The following criteria should be used in selecting the investigation committee chairman a The chairman named should have served as a member of at least one / formal investigation committee prior to serving as a chairman b. Generally, the more severe the incident, the more experienced person required to act as chairman. c. The chairman may need to be familiar with the technology of an incident when the preliminary indicators show that technology is important to the cause and/or solution 6/01/92 Replaces 9/01/90 VSP 2 Page 3 ABD00005610 IV. INVESTIGATION PROCEDURE - Continued 3 The investigation should take place as soon as practical and will normally be started by the committee within forty-eight hours of the time of the incident The following guidelines should be used: a Visit scene of accident to investi gate physical facilities. Take photographs or make sketches and diagrams to record details of the physical environment b Interview witnesses and the injured employee if available. The Plant Nurse or Safety Department should be contacted to determine extent of in jury or disability. Additional con cerned personnel may be interviewed and should include the concerned line supervision c. The committee will tentatively agree on the cause of the accident and recommendations and the chairman will prepare a rough draft following the format in Attachment #1 4 Normally, within fourteen calendar days following the incident, the investigation findings and recommendations will be pre sented to and approved by the Plant Manager unless delegated to the Department Head The Safety Director may assist in this review The entire committee should par ticipate, if possible 5 The basic report will be published within ten working days following approval Copies will normally be distributed to all Depart ment Heads and the Safety bulletin board unless restricted by the Plant Manager 6/01/92 Replaces 9/01/90 VSP 2 Page 4 ABD00005611 IV. INVESTIGATION PROCEDURE - Continued 6. The following instructions are applicable to status reporting' a Each person assigned a responsi bility in the recommendation will report the status of that recommen dation to the Safety Director as the item is completed or on the esti mated completion date. b When items are all completed, the Safety Director will report to the Central Safety Committee confirming completion. V. FINAL REPORT All accident investigation reports will be prepared by the Committee Chairman. After the report has been completed, reviewed and signed, the Chairman should deliver the final report to the Safety Director who will distribute the report as appropri ate A sample of the report format is attached in Attachment #1. 6/01/92 Replaces 9/01/90 VSP 2 Page 5