Serious Injury

Definition of a Serious Harm

Examples of serious harm injuries include:

    • amputation of a body part
    • burns requiring referral to a specialist registered medical practitioner or specialist outpatient clinic
    • loss of consciousness from lack of oxygen
    • loss of consciousness, or acute illness requiring treatment by a registered medical practitioner, from absorption, inhalation, or ingestion of any substance
    • any harm that causes the person harmed to be hospitalised for a period of 48 hours or more, commencing within seven days of the harm's occurrence
    • any of the following conditions that causes permanent loss of bodily function, or temporary severe loss of bodily function:
      • respiratory disease
      • noise-induced hearing loss
      • neurological disease
      • cancer
      • dermatological disease
      • communicable disease
      • musculoskeletal disease
      • illness caused by exposure to infected material
      • poisoning
      • vision impairment
      • chemical or hot metal burn of eye
      • penetrating wound of eye
      • bone fracture
      • laceration
      • crushing.

Managing Serious Injury

Note: Always follow the correct procedure for dealing with blood and other body fluids.

Comfort the patient but do not move them, or leave them unattended. Assess the scene to ensure your own safety and that of the first aiders. Keep calm.

Ask for help to:

    • Summon the trained first-aiders
    • Call an ambulance, if necessary. Do not hesitate to do this.
    • Prevent further injury if a hazard was involved, for example, direct traffic away.
    • Notify the principal
    • Secure the scene
    • Record names of witnesses
    • Keep unnecessary people away from the site.

If the injured person is a student, contact their caregivers as soon as possible.

Record and report as soon as appropriate

The chairperson of the board of trustees must be notified in the event of a death or serious harm injury. Depending on the seriousness of the accident, and its effect on the school community, the school may need to employ the Crisis Management Plan.