ERICA System Under Review

[brothermagrew]

ERICA and the whole system is being reviewed by the Royal Mail Group Head of Safety and as CWU members we can only hope that it's either improved, modified or replaced.

Accident investigation and reporting is a contentious issue and has been for some time and will continue to be. There's a lot of corruption of the system by
discounting accidents and calling them incidents. There's been big pressure put on from the top (RML MD) to turn in big cuts in RIDDORs and accident headline figures which has lead to staff being pressurised and threatened in various ways if they report too many accidents "blame the worker" style. As a result staff do not report accidents when they should do for fear of aggravation and conduct code. Others just can't be bothered or managers don't fill out the ERICA reports in many cases or talk staff out of it etc.

The only way to get real long term sustainable improvements in Accident numbers is to encourage staff to report everything in a blame-free culture with no Accident -v- Incident rubbish and introduce across the board joint accident investigations with proper route cause analysis and national info-share with a quickly communicated reactive remedial action process.

[Steviea34]

ERICA and the whole system is being reviewed by the Royal Mail Group Head of Safety and as CWU members we can only hope that it's either improved, modified or replaced.

Accident investigation and reporting is a contentious issue and has been for some time and will continue to be. There's a lot of corruption of the system by
discounting accidents and calling them incidents. There's been big pressure put on from the top (RML MD) to turn in big cuts in RIDDORs and accident headline figures which has lead to staff being pressurised and threatened in various ways if they report too many accidents "blame the worker" style. As a result staff do not report accidents when they should do for fear of aggravation and conduct code. Others just can't be bothered or managers don't fill out the ERICA reports in many cases or talk staff out of it etc.

The only way to get real long term sustainable improvements in Accident numbers is to encourage staff to report everything in a blame-free culture with no Accident -v- Incident rubbish and introduce across the board joint accident investigations with proper route cause analysis and national info-share with a quickly communicated reactive remedial action process.

Here's a thing - sometime people ARE responsible for their accidents - lets take an OMV accident for example, no injury, damage to vehicle,
Driver reversing, who is responsible? , bet they wont pay for the damage out of their wages , next time it could be a pedestrian.

[brothermagrew]

ERICA and the whole system is being reviewed by the Royal Mail Group Head of Safety and as CWU members we can only hope that it's either improved, modified or replaced.

Accident investigation and reporting is a contentious issue and has been for some time and will continue to be. There's a lot of corruption of the system by
discounting accidents and calling them incidents. There's been big pressure put on from the top (RML MD) to turn in big cuts in RIDDORs and accident headline figures which has lead to staff being pressurised and threatened in various ways if they report too many accidents "blame the worker" style. As a result staff do not report accidents when they should do for fear of aggravation and conduct code. Others just can't be bothered or managers don't fill out the ERICA reports in many cases or talk staff out of it etc.

The only way to get real long term sustainable improvements in Accident numbers is to encourage staff to report everything in a blame-free culture with no Accident -v- Incident rubbish and introduce across the board joint accident investigations with proper route cause analysis and national info-share with a quickly communicated reactive remedial action process.

Here's a thing - sometime people ARE responsible for their accidents - lets take an OMV accident for example, no injury, damage to vehicle,
Driver reversing, who is responsible? , bet they wont pay for the damage out of their wages , next time it could be a pedestrian.

A fair point on your behalf but in the words of the CWU National Health, Safety & Environment Officer had this to say (as part of a letter to RM):

I do not deny that in rare cases, if an individual has received suitable and sufficient Information, Instruction, Training and Supervision and where Safety Management is appropriately managed within the terms of HSE's HSG65 (Successful health and safety management.) - should that person deliberately, recklessly disregard health and safety to such an extent he or she endangers himself/herself and others to serious risk of injury then the Conduct Code may be appropriate as a last resort but in reality rarely do people set out to harm and injure themselves or others. In most cases accidents occur because of poor safety management, poor organisation of safety, a lack of Information, Instruction, Training and Supervision, poor work methods, lack of equipment and various productivity pressures creating a stressful, poor safety culture.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Things is that it is rare, though not unheard of that, a single incident in isolation is the cause of the accident. Most accidents, including a postie tripping are usually caused by a chain of events all leading to the accident. If just one link in that chain was broken then the accident is less likely to happen.

For example (and this is a fictious example to make a point not a political or anti boss post).

1. Jim is called by his wife and asked by her to pick the kids up from school 10 minutes after his usual finish time.
2. Jim being a "waysider" goes into work and find his duty has not been touched.
3. Tony, Jims Manager has had Bill, who normally preps the duty, call in sick and no one else knows the duty.
4. Jim goes to Tony and advises him he cannot go over his contracted finish time and why.
5. Tony explains that as it was a sick absences the section will have to absorb a duty and also that as this is an unexpected occurrence flexibility also applies and everyone will have to work 30 minutes extra today.
6. Jim, not being an RMC member is unaware that he does not have to flex as his unusual personal circumstances for today should be taken into account and that absorbing is only when time exists. He therefore grudgingly accepts the extra work.
7. Realising that he wont finish in time to collect the kids he decides to miss his break. Unfortunately he forgets to refresh his water bottle.
8. Out on the delivery Jim starts to feels the heat and goes to get a drink from his water bottle. Oops he has not filled it, and he has been running/walking faster than normal to try and get done.
9. 3/4 of the way round he starts to feel light headed but pushes on, he thinks he has no time to kock on a door and ask for a cold drink of water.
10. On a flight of stairs Jim becomes dizzy and falls down the steps cracking his head and breaking his arm.

If any one one of those incidents/occurrences in the chain had not happened the chances of the accident happening would have been diminished.

Therein lies RM inherent corporate H&S failing. They would tend to believe the accident was caused by Jim, and he has to shoulder some if not the majority of the blame, but RMs culture ignores all the other systemic problems that led to the accident.

[Thunderthighs]

Interesting read...

Got me a Stage 2 interview soon, Union Rep off, but Asst attending too.

As DWP/DSS Have documented this as an "accident"/AOD with the dog, are they wasting their/my time? ERICA'd as an AOD on the day too.
So, I assumed that the ERICA submitted by them holds some water, or is this not valid?

Or, have they grounds/power to ovethrow the DWP/DSS decision? And THEIR ERICA?
( Think Manager is "on my side" so to speak, but strings being pulled from above.
Evidence: Reg. Mang. Guy at MY HOUSE states..." Maybe the job isn't for you? " referring to my past history of dog attacks.
Like...this is ALL MY FAULT?! )

Any advice welcomed...

[Stormproof]

I got a Stage 3 for an AOD TT so don't take it as read that you'll get off.
The ERICA report cannot be found, there was no severe weather policy in the office at the time(Snow, Ice, -9c) ,no fact finding took place, I was wearing the dreaded Magnum footwear.DWP classed it as an Industrial Accident. I've had to constantly work through my injury otherwise I will get the sack. Got my MRI next week so will be interesting to see how bad my knee is doing full duties for 18 months after AOD...thank god for painkillers!

[Stormproof]

RM have finally found my missing Erica report, apparently they were looking for it under this years accidents when it happened last year I've sent a copy to my Area CWU Medical Secretary to pass on to the solicitor, so hopefully things will start progressing with my case now. A LM who happens to be a friend reckons RM don't stand a chance, hope hes right.

[brothermagrew]

Good news indeed then sister Stormproof but initially a shabby response from RM in the first place. It would appear that they didn't try hard enough to find it upon request, and like has been previously intimated all CWU Area H&S Reps are meant to receive copies of all ERICA Reports.

[Stormproof]

The Area H & S Rep has a copy now, it was still warm from the photocopier when I handed it over

[brothermagrew]

The Area H&S Rep should have had a copy of your AOD Erica Report sent to him or her (by the DOM) when it was first reported.

[healthandsafetyjim]

as a serving health and safety rep myself i find that the management at the r.d.c i am at are very reluctant to ever share, or even in some cases, reluctant to fill the erica system in when there has been an accident on my shift. this is a culture that should never happen but it is the kind of thing that happens because managers find them "difficult" to fill in. if they are that difficult to fill in then the system should be reviewed, but in my veiw it is management can't be arsed attitue that should be reviewed :mfo

[BELIAL]

as a serving health and safety rep myself i find that the management at the r.d.c i am at are very reluctant to ever share, or even in some cases, reluctant to fill the erica system in when there has been an accident on my shift. this is a culture that should never happen but it is the kind of thing that happens because managers find them "difficult" to fill in. if they are that difficult to fill in then the system should be reviewed, but in my veiw it is management can't be arsed attitue that should be reviewed :mfo

Took one of my managers 3hrs to pull the forms off the interweb. I asked ,in all innocence ,"how often do you do this?" (thinking it must be a rare occurrence ) ,"Oh about 3-4 times a week"