SwinRisk is Swinburne's online safety and risk management platform. It provides a central place to report incidents, hazards, near misses and unsafe situations, helping Swinburne investigate issues, take appropriate action and maintain a safe environment for staff, students, contractors, visitors and the wider Swinburne community.
Use the Incident Report Form to notify the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team and your line manager of an event that occurred:
- on a Swinburne campus
- while undertaking work for Swinburne
- while studying at an approved off-site location.
Report incidents, hazards and near misses as soon as possible after they occur.
Before you start
Before completing the Incident Report Form, make sure you have the following information where possible:
- what happened
- who was involved
- where it happened
- when it occurred
- whether anyone was injured or affected
- any immediate actions already taken.
Filling in your report
Choose the right report type
A hazard is anything that could cause physical or psychological harm, even if no incident has occurred.
Physical hazard
A physical hazard is any physical agent, environmental condition or workplace factor that could cause injury or illness, scuh as:
- chemical spill
- damaged flooring
- exposed electrical wiring
- unsafe equipment
- blocked emergency exit.
Psychosocial hazard
A psychosocial hazard is anything in the design, management or organisation of work, or workplace interactions, that may negatively affect psychological health, such as:
- unreasonable workload
- excessive work hours
- emotionally demanding work
- poor workplace relationships
- inadequate support.
An incident is an unplanned event that results in, or had the potential to result in, injury, illness or other harm.
Physical incident
A physical incident involves a physical hazard that causes, or could have caused, physical injury, such as:
- cuts or grazes
- bruising
- fractures
- lacerations
- puncture wounds
- ingestion or injection injuries.
Psychosocial incident
A psychosocial incident involves exposure to a psychosocial hazard that causes, or could cause, harm to a person's psychological health, such as:
- verbal abuse from a student or customer
- sexual harassment
- bullying
- ongoing workplace conflict
- exposure to traumatic events or content
- excessive workload causing work-related stress.
A near miss is an event that did not result in injury or damage but had the potential to cause serious harm, such as:
- object falling and almost hitting someone
- blocked emergency exit
- vehicle nearly hitting a pedestrian
- almost being cut by a sharp object
- hot plate left on
- nearly slipping on a wet floor
- operating machinery without adequate lighting
- items placed too close to an electric heater.
Recording near misses helps identify risks before someone is injured.
Reporting a sensitive incident or hazard
Some reports contain information that requires additional privacy and restricted handling.
A sensitive incident or hazard may include:
- sexual harm
- sexual harassment
- gender-based violence
- psychosocial harm
- mental health concerns
- trauma
- sensitive personal information
- concerns involving a manager, supervisor or senior staff member.
Sensitive reports are managed with appropriate confidentiality to help protect the privacy, safety and wellbeing of everyone involved.
After you submit your report
Once your Incident Report has been submitted, you'll receive:
- an email confirmation
- a summary of your report
- a unique incident reference number.
For non-sensitive reports, a system-generated notification is sent to your line manager (where applicable) so they can investigate and coordinate any required actions.
Need help?
If you're unsure which report type to choose or need assistance completing the Incident Report Form, refer to the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Incident Reporting Form Guidance or contact the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team.
For incidents or concerns involving students
Use the Safer Community Online Disclosure and Reporting Form to disclose or report concerns about a student's safety, wellbeing or behaviour. The form can be submitted anonymously or in a de-identified way. If you're unsure whether a concern should be reported, we encourage you to submit the form.
A member of the Safer Community team will review the information and, where contact details are provided, reach out to discuss available options and connect you with appropriate support and services.
Report it to SwinRisk
Seen an incident, hazard or near miss? Report it through SwinRisk as soon as possible to help keep the Swinburne community safe.