Incident, accident, and hazard management is essential to keeping Agricultural Shows safe for everyone involved. This page provides guidance on how to respond when an incident occurs and outlines the correct reporting process, including completing the incident report form.
Guidelines
Depending on the nature of an incident or accident, you could consider following the general guidelines below:
1. Assess the situation: do you need to get a First Aid Officer / Ambulance / Police / Fire Brigade, etc.
2. If a First Aid officer deems it necessary, call an ambulance.
3. Are other members of the public still at risk? Should the area be secured / cordoned off / general public moved to a safer area? Should instructions be given over the PA system?
4. As soon as practical, please complete the Incident-Accident-Hazard Reporting Form (remember to also note down the weather conditions, anything unusual about the day, etc). The form should be completed no matter how minor or major the incident may seem to be.
5. Get contact details of the person(s) involved in the accident/incident.
6. Get contact details and written statements from any witnesses.
7. If the police or emergency services personnel are in attendance, get the names of the officers attending the scene.
8. If relevant take photographs of the incident or hazard.
9. Get copies of any waivers signed and keep them with the incident report.
10. Discuss all incidents reported at next Show Committee meeting and record any recommendations to prevent that incident occurring again. Action any repairs that need to be made.
11. Keep incident information on file for 3 years if the person(s) involved were over 18 years of age or, in the case of person(s) 18 years and under, until those people turn 21 years.
Note: Whilst you are welcome to express regret that the incident has happened and concern for the welfare of any persons involved, it is important not to admit liability or suggest that your insurers can in any way pay for any expenses arising out of the incident.
Reporting Procedures & Form
1. An Incident-Accident-Hazard Reporting Form should be completed for all incidents/accidents/hazards occurring at your show or associated with your Show Society. Fillable Form
2. All completed and signed Incident-Accident-Hazard Reports are to be filed at the Show Society and as well, forwarded to AgShows NSW for recording purposes. These incident forms will be shared with the Insurance Broker if deemed relevant.
In the event of an Incident or Accident:
3. The Incident Report should be named as the following:
Incident Report – [show society name], [name of injured person], [date of incident]
and emailed to AgShows NSW .
4. A day or so after the incident, a Show Society Executive should phone the injured person (or the person assisting the injured person) to ensure they are recovering from the incident. Communication, compassion and understanding go a long way to alleviating a situation, particularly if is heated or contentious. Following up on the wellbeing of the injured party is the only communication required by the Show Society in the first instance.
5. The reason the incident/accident/hazard occurred should be internally assessed by the Show Society as this information may be required by the insurer at a later date.
- Did appropriate risk management mitigation occur?
- Could the incident have been avoided?
- Was the injured person adequately looked after by the Show Society?
- Has timely follow up occurred?
- What changes to the risk management procedure and risk assessment can be made to reduce the likelihood of the incident occurring again