Incident Reporting and Response Survey
McMaster University is committed to providing and maintaining healthy and safe working and learning environments for all our employees, students, volunteers and visitors. To continue to ensure this obligation is upheld, McMaster invites all faculty and staff to participate in an anonymous survey to help us gather information regarding their experiences with the workplace incident reporting process. All employees are encouraged to participate whether they have reported an incident in the past or not.
The purpose of the survey is to seek information regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of our current processes in reporting and responding to workplace incidents and to identify opportunities for improvement. While this phase of the survey focuses on the staff and faculty experience, the learnings will be applied to any future work in the area.
The “incidents” referred to in this survey differ from emergency response procedures (please reference additional Information below for more details). McMaster University defines an incident as “an unforeseen or unplanned occurrence, or an actual or perceived sequence of events which could result in or have resulted in unintended injury, death, and/or property or environmental damage.” An incident could include physical or psychological workplace injuries, workplace violence and harassment, emergencies like fires or floods, threats or hazards (wet floors, broken equipment). The current process requires the incident to be recorded using this form and responded to accordingly.
McMaster is conducting this review with the engagement of our consultants Emergency Management Group (EMG) and Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA). Please fill out the quick survey – Your responses to the questions will be kept confidential and individual answers will not be shared with the university. The survey will be open until September 12, 2023.
Additional Details on this Project
Under the sponsorship of Saher Fazilat, Vice-President (Operations and Finance) and as a part of McMaster’s commitment to providing a safe, healthy working and learning environment for all staff, researchers, and faculty, McMaster University issued an RFP for an incident reporting and response service review in late 2022. The service review is aimed at assessing the current state of reporting, identifying gaps and obtaining recommendations to improve the incident reporting process. The university awarded the contract to Emergency Management Group (EMG) and Higher Education Strategy Associates (HESA) in April 2023.
Details of the Service Review have been presented to the Central Joint Health and Safety committee. A planning committee is in place, with representation from health and safety, Human Resources, Security Services, Facility Services, Equity and Inclusion Office, Enterprise Risk and Housing and Conference Services. As part of its work, the planning committee, together with the external consultants, have developed a detailed engagement plan that includes tabletop exercises, focus groups and individual interviews with stakeholders from across the university. This survey is also part of the effort to engage the broader community and capture input.
Additional Information Resources
Please see our current Risk Management Manual 1000 which provides for details to our current processes for your review as needed.
The incidents referred to in this survey differ from emergency reporting procedures. If there is an emergency or an imminent safety concern on main campus with the exception of McMaster University Medical Centre (MUMC), please contact Campus Security using the “Red Rocket” emergency phones located across campus, by dialling 88 on any campus phone, through the McMaster Safety App or by calling 905-522-4135. Please see the Contact Us page on McMaster’s Security Services website for a full list of options. This call can be made in case of fire, chemical spill, injury, or threat of violence. Fire department, ambulance, police, or others are all dispatched centrally from Security Services. Security Services monitors the 88 line, along with all alarms on campus 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Faculty and staff located at off-campus locations are to follow emergency procedures designed for their building and location.
If you have any questions about the survey, please reach out to Amanda Baldwin, Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the Vice-President (Operations & Finance).