Incident Reporting

Introduction:
Happy Mates SupportCare Pty Ltd (HMSC) is committed to providing a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for participants, employees, volunteers, contractors, students, visitors, and all other persons accessing our services. We recognize that incidents, accidents, near misses, and dangerous occurrences can impact the health, safety, and well-being of participants and workers. Prompt reporting, appropriate investigation, and effective corrective action are essential to preventing future incidents and continuously improving the quality and safety of our services. This policy applies to all employees, contractors, volunteers, students, agency staff, visitors, and any other individuals engaged by or participating in services provided by Happy Mates SupportCare.

Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to: Promote a safe and healthy working environment for participants, employees, and visitors. Ensure all incidents, accidents, hazards, near misses, and dangerous occurrences are reported promptly. Provide a consistent process for managing and investigating incidents. Identify the root causes of incidents and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence. Meet all obligations under the NDIS Practice Standards, the NDIS Incident Management and Reportable Incidents Rules, the Work Health and Safety Act, and other applicable legislation. Support continuous improvement in the quality and safety of our services.

Definitions:
For this policy, "incident" means any event or circumstance that has caused, or has the potential to cause, injury or illness to a participant, employee, volunteer, contractor, or visitor; damage to equipment, vehicles, buildings, or other property; environmental harm; disruption to service delivery; financial loss; psychological harm; or reputational damage. Incidents include, but are not limited to, participant injuries, employee injuries, near misses, medication incidents, falls, vehicle accidents, behavioral incidents, fire or explosion, loss of utilities, equipment failure, environmental incidents, security breaches, hazards, property damage, and any reportable incident as defined by the NDIS Commission. A near miss is an event that did not result in injury or damage but had the potential to do so. A Dangerous Occurrence is an unplanned event that exposes people to a serious risk to their health or safety, even if no injury occurs.

Policy Statement:
Happy Mates SupportCare is committed to preventing workplace injuries and participant harm through effective risk management, early reporting, thorough investigation, and continuous improvement. We strive to achieve the highest standards of health, safety, and quality by encouraging a culture where incidents are reported openly, honestly, and without fear of blame. Every reported incident is regarded as an opportunity to improve our systems, practices, and participant outcomes.

Reporting Incidents:
All employees, volunteers, contractors, and other workers have a responsibility to report accidents, participant incidents, workplace injuries, near misses, hazards, dangerous occurrences, and property damage as soon as practicable after becoming aware of the incident. Serious incidents must be reported immediately to the operations manager or the most senior staff member available. Where urgent medical treatment is required, emergency services (000) must be contacted without delay.

Immediate Response:
Following an incident, staff must ensure the immediate safety of participants and others; provide appropriate first aid where required; contact emergency services where necessary; necessary;notify the participant's emergency contact, guardian, or nominee where appropriate; preserve the scene where required by legislation; report the incident to management immediately; and complete an Incident Report Form before the end of the shift or as soon as reasonably practicable.

Investigation:
Every reported incident will be reviewed and investigated according to its seriousness and level of risk. The purpose of the investigation is to establish the facts surrounding the incident, identify contributing factors and root causes, determine whether policies or procedures were followed, identify opportunities for improvement, implement corrective and preventative actions, and reduce the likelihood of similar incidents occurring in the future. Investigations will be conducted fairly, objectively, confidentially, and promptly.

Corrective and Preventive Actions:
Following an investigation, Happy Mates SupportCare will implement appropriate actions to minimize future risks. These actions may include updating policies or procedures, reviewing participant support plans, implementing additional risk controls, providing further staff training, repairing or replacing equipment, modifying work practices, or conducting additional monitoring or supervision. Corrective actions will be documented and monitored until completed.

Reportable Incidents:
Where an incident meets the definition of a Reportable Incident under the NDIS Incident Management and Reportable Incidents Rules, Happy Mates SupportCare will notify the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission within the required legislative timeframes. Examples of reportable incidents include the death of a participant; serious injury; abuse or neglect; unlawful sexual or physical contact; sexual misconduct; and The unauthorized use of restrictive practices. All reportable incidents will be managed in accordance with legislative requirements.

Responsibilities:
Management is responsible for ensuring incidents are appropriately managed and investigated; maintaining an effective incident management system; ensuring legislative reporting requirements are met; implementing corrective actions; reviewing incident trends; and promoting continuous quality improvement. Employees and Workers Employees, volunteers, contractors, and students are responsible for working safely; following organizational policies and procedures; reporting incidents, hazards, and near misses promptly; cooperating during investigations; and participating in corrective actions where required.

Confidentiality:
All incident reports and investigation records will be treated as confidential and managed in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and Happy Mates SupportCare's Privacy and Confidentiality Policy. Information will only be shared with authorized persons where necessary to manage the incident or comply with legal obligations.

Continuous Improvement:
Incident data will be regularly reviewed to identify trends, emerging risks, and opportunities for improvement. Happy Mates SupportCare is committed to using incident information to strengthen service quality, improve participant safety, support staff wellbeing, and ensure compliance with all relevant legislation and the NDIS Practice Standards. By encouraging open reporting and learning from incidents, we aim to foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout our organization.