# Patent

## Title
Computer-implemented process of reporting injured worker information

## Abstract

Predefined lists of selected variables are created and interrelated to produce incident reports. The lists are created and modified through the use of formatted computer screens or input forms, and the reports are produced through the use of formatted computer outputs or output formats. The lists include accident-related information such as industry types, occupations, safety teams, attendance codes, types of injuries, body parts affected, types of incidents, site conditions, accident causes and safety reminders. The input forms often correspond directly to the types of lists, so that there is a form through which the list of industry types is created and/or modified, and another form through which the list of occupations is created. In addition, there are input forms that allow creation and/or modification of several lists at one time, particularly when each element in one list is directly associated with one element from another list. The output formats include agency-related formats such as an OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) No. 200 report, and statistical summaries used for managerial decision making. The statistical summaries may be textual or graphical, or a combination of textual and graphical.

## Background
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation and claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/684,217 entitled COMPUTER-IMPLEMENTED PROCESS OF REPORTING INJURED WORKER INFORMATION filed on Jul. 19, 1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,000, which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/001,281 entitled “INCIDENT REPORTING SYSTEM” filed on Jul. 19, 1995.


TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to the organization, coordination and presentation of data related to workplace incidents such as accidents resulting in worker injuries. For example, the invention includes a method of prompting a user for information about the workplace such as employee identification, accident and injury classification, and educational and precautionary actions to be taken. The invention also includes a method of prompting a user for information necessary to complete accident reports of the type required by federal, state and local agencies, and reports useful for making managerial decisions about the workplace. The recording and reporting of statistics about such incidents is both necessary to comply with governmental regulations, and useful to evaluate and improve workplace safety. The present invention provides a system for the administration and support of the industry process known as light duty/restricted duty/recurrence of injury recording, analysis and reporting.
BACKGROUND ART
In the past, a myriad of paper and paperless forms have been developed and used to aid in this process. For example, OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) form No. 200 is a fill-in-the-blanks form, with blanks for specific information about a given accident, such as the name of the injured, the type of injury, the severity of the injury and the extent of any resulting absence from work. While it is relatively simple for a user to complete the form, only the most experienced user is able to complete the form with any type of standardization. Furthermore, it is difficult to coordinate such standardization among disparate users, as is desirable in a large, multi-plant workplace. Computer databases have also been used to track employee information and accident statistics. However, no method has, prior to the present invention, interrelated predefined lists of the possible variables used in accident reporting to repeatably produce consistent accident reports, nor has any previously done so using a plurality of defined lists of such variables stored on a computer.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention includes predefined lists of selected variables, the methods of creating and interrelating such lists, and the methods of using such lists to produce incident reports. The lists are created and modified through the use of formatted computer screens, referred to herein as input forms, and the reports are produced through the use of formatted computer outputs, referred to herein as output formats. The lists include accident-related information such as industry types, occupations, safety teams, attendance codes, types of injuries, body parts affected, types of incidents, site conditions, accident causes and safety reminders. The input forms often correspond directly to the types of lists, so that there is a form through which the list of industry types is created and/or modified, and another form through which the list of occupations is created. In addition, there are input forms that allow creation and/or modification of several lists at one time, particularly when each element in one list is directly associated with one element from another list. The output formats include agency-related formats such as the OSHA 200 report discussed above, and statistical summaries used for managerial decision making. The statistical summaries may be textual or graphical, or a combination of textual and graphical.



BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1. is a conventional user workstation that may act as a hardware/firmware platform for the software of the present invention, including an accident reporting system and invented method and apparatus which forms a part thereof;
FIG. 2. is a control flow diagram of the software of the present invention;
FIG. 3. is an example of a form through which information is added to a list as part of the present invention;
FIG. 4. is an example of an OSHA 200 form produced by the present invention;
FIG. 5. is an example of a graphical accident analysis by nature of injury, produced by the present invention;
FIG. 6. is an example of a graphical accident analysis by type of accident, produced by the present invention;
FIG. 7. is an example of a graphical accident analysis by day of the week, produced by the present invention;
FIG. 8. is an example of a textual/graphical accident analysis showing the status of accident investigations, produced by the present invention;
FIG. 9. is an example of a textual report showing the vital statistics for employees, produced by the present invention;
FIG. 10. is an example of a textual accident analysis listing a synopsis of each accident by period, produced by the present invention; and
FIG. 11 is a data flow diagram of the present invention.
FIGS. 12–71 are illustrations from the operating instructions of a preferred embodiment of the invention.



DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring first to FIG. 1, a user workstation is shown generally at 10, including a general-purpose computer typically providing a digital processor 12 containing an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and various registers typically including register stacks, scratchpad memories and accumulators. Skilled persons also will appreciate that the workstation also typically will provide computer memory such as mass data storage 14, e.g. a hard or flex disk drive 14a, 14b, or both, as well as a quantity of read-and-write semiconductor memory (RAM) 16 (shown in outline as residing within workstation 10 and its housing 18) in which application programs reside for execution by processor 12. Finally, skilled persons will appreciate that the workstation also typically will provide one or more user interfaces or display mediums such as a video display terminal (VDT) 20, a keyboard 22 and an associated display cursor control system 24 including, for example, a mouse or joystick 24a, 24b, or both. In addition to disk drives 14a and b, RAM 16 and VDT 20, other computer output mediums might be included such as printers, communication networks or other storage devices. All such conventional hardware, firmware and software-executing-on-a-hardware/firmware platform architectures for the accident report system of the present invention are contemplated, and all are within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a highly simplified control flow diagram is shown of the software executed on user workstation(s) 10 of the present system. The software is preferably stored on mass data storage device 14, then loaded into RAM 16 by digital processor 12. The represented steps of displaying control panels, forms and reports are logical displays, generated by digital processor(s) 12 on one or more VDTs 20 at one or more user workstations 10. The user would then be able to review the information on VDTs 20 and modify the database(s) stored on mass storage device(s) 14. This is done through the use of input devices like keyboards 22 or display cursor control systems 24.
A step of system startup 26 includes a verification of database integrity by determining if any other users currently are attached to the database, and to verify that all required elements of the database are available. After startup 26, there is a check to determine if any recent incidents have occurred, at 28. If such an incident has occurred, then the incident form is accessed and displayed at 30. If there is no recent incident, or if review of such a recent incident is completed, control is then transferred to the main control panel 32, another logical display operated on by the user through keyboards 22 or display cursor control systems 24.
One option at control panel 32 is to check again to determine if there are any recent incidents by returning to step 28. A second option is to direct the operation of the program to selecting an input form, at 34. Once such an input form has been selected, it is displayed at 36. When the user is done reviewing the displayed form, another input form may be selected at 34. Alternatively, there is a return to the main control panel at 32.
A third option from the main control panel is to direct control to selecting a report format, at 38. A selected report format is displayed as indicated at 40, after which control is returned to selecting a report format at 38. As with selecting an input form at 34, control can now be returned to the main control panel at 32.
Cross-transfer of control is available from selecting an input format 32 directly to selecting a report format at 38, and vice versa, as shown.
A fourth transfer available from the main control panel at 32 is to import data at 42, from external databases, at 44. Similarly, control can be transferred from the main control panel at 32 to export data at 46, to external databases, at 48.
Each of the above steps usually requires access at 50 to the internal database(s) 52. This access is controlled to ensure system data integrity and confidentiality. Database 52 is preferably stored on mass storage devices 14 that are controlled and accessed through a single digital processor 12, with the step of controlling access being performed by this processor 12. Processor 12 may in turn be connected to other user work stations 10, for example through a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) or a modem.
For reference, database 52 could include a system database containing lists of entries or records that might be selected to describe any given incident, an incident database containing lists of records that describe specific incidents, or both. The system database might also be referred to as a company database, particularly when the database has been customized for a particular company. For example, database 52 might include information on the company address, parents or subsidiaries, employees or specific types of incidents expected in the company's operations.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a sample input form is shown, including a screen image 54. Within screen image 54 there are insert-from-list fields at 56, which when selected with cursor control system 24 present a defined list of selectable variables from the system database. Cursor control 24 can then be operated to select one of such variables and to enter the selected variable into field 56. Next, there are direct-entry fields 58, into which the user inserts the requested information, using, for example, keyboard 22. Fields 56 may also provide for such direct entry of information. Screen image 54 further includes one or more control buttons 60, the selection of which, using cursor control 24, transfers control from the displayed form to a different form, report or control panel. Exiting screen image 54 causes the added or modified information from fields 56 and 58 to be written to incident database 52b. 
An example of a completed OSHA 200 report is shown in FIG. 4. This report includes numerous rows 62 and columns 64 of information. The rows represent a record for a single incident, and the columns represent selected elements or entries from such records.
In FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, graphical reports are shown, with the graph being indicated generally at 66, a key being indicated at 68, and summary of the scope of the report being indicated at 70. In FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, textual reports are shown with text fields at 72 and with graphical status indicators at 74.
It will be appreciated that the overall database structure can be accomplished in many different forms. For example, each of the lists referred to in more detail below could be stored in a separate file in either mass data storage device 14 or RAM 16, or several or all of the lists could be accumulated into a single file in such devices. Furthermore, the files could be stored on a variety of different storage media, or even distributed about either a local area network or a wide area network. Thus, reference herein to a system database as opposed to an incident database could be reference to the same file/storage device 14/16, or an intertwined assemblage of files/storage devices 14/16, whether closely or loosely associated.
The use of “system” and “incident” identifiers for databases 52a and 52b is not as a description of a particular database structure, but as a description of the relationship of one type of list of records to another. The system database includes a plurality of defined lists of system records of selected variables and a plurality of defined report formats for producing selected incident reports. The selected variables define possible aspects of a given incident, such as the body part injured. By pre-defining the variables, completion of incident reports is standardized. For example, a human arm can also be referred to as an upper limb or an upper extremity, detailed to include the forearm, elbow and upper arm, or described using specific tissues or bones. If the list of body parts includes a record listing “ARM,” then the user need only select this record, and need not deliberate as to whether the proper description would be one of the above-discussed alternatives. The selecting of a specific record also includes the automatic step of extracting the selected record from the system database for manipulation and/or use in a different record.
The incident database includes one or more defined lists of incident records of data, each incident record describing one or more aspects of a specific incident. Using the present invention, each incident record would normally contain one or more elements that were extracted and/or manipulated from the system database, as discussed above. Thus, each incident record would be standardized, regardless of who entered the information into the incident record.
The use of the system database to complete a record in the incident database also allows for the efficient creation of a more complete record. For example, when an incident occurs, all that may be known is the name of the injured worker and a simple description of what happened. By accessing the system database using that worker's name alone, additional information can be inserted automatically into the incident record, such as the worker's address, social security number, insurer, manager or special medical issues. Furthermore, the selection of a specific type of incident from a predefined list may automatically insert into the incident record a list of suggested corrective actions, follow-up procedures or reporting requirements. In addition, such selection might automatically generate a message for communication to a predefined list of other affected workers about the accident, and about how to avoid further accidents.
A further aspect of the present invention is to provide a direct comparison of the incident for which the user is viewing or modifying the information in the incident database to previously recorded incident records. For example, when a manager is inputting the initial information about an incident caused by constricted space, if there are other incidents already recorded in which constricted space was a contributing cause, the number of these similar, earlier incidents would be displayed on the incident input form. This immediate feedback is helpful in highlighting and identifying possible corrective steps to prevent the occurrence of yet further accidents.
In the preferred embodiment, the system/incident database(s) include at least the following lists of records: LIST OF DATABASES, INPUT FORMS, INPUT FORM DESCRIPTIONS, REPORT FORMATS, REPORT FORMAT DESCRIPTIONS, PARENTS/SUBSIDIARIES, COMPANY INFORMATION, INDUSTRY TYPES, LOCATIONS, OCCUPATIONS, DEPARTMENTS, SAFETY TEAMS, HOLIDAYS, EMPLOYEES, ATTENDANCE, ABSENCE CODES, HOSPITALS, ACCIDENTS, NATURE OF INJURY, BODY PARTS, INCIDENT TYPE, CONDITIONS, CAUSES, FED/STATE AGENCIES, AGENCY RECORDINGS, AWARENESS CODES, TRAINING CLASSES, TRAINING INTERVALS, TRAINING ROSTERS, TRAINING TESTS, TEST RESULTS and SAFETY REMINDERS.
The preferred data record structure of some of the lists of the system database are demonstrated by tables 1–3.







TABLE 1







List of Fields For Import/Export Purposes-Company Setup










#
Field Name
Description
Data Type













1.
Company Name
Company Name
Text


2.
Address #1
Address 1 of Company
Text


3.
Address #2
Address 2 of Company
Text


4.
City
Company City
Text


5.
State
Company State
Text


6.
Zip
Company Zip
Text


7.
County
Company County
Text


8.
Phone
Company Phone
Text


9.
Fed ID Number
Employer's FEIN
Number


10.
Plant/Location #
Company's Plant and Location No.
Text


11.
Primary Contact
Primary Contact w/ Company
Text


12.
Secondary Contact
Second Company Contact
Text


13.
General Mgr or President
General Manager or President of Co.
Text


14.
General Nature of Business
General Nature of Business
Text


15.
Primary Hospital
Primary-Use Hospital for Co.
Text


16.
# Accidents To-Date
No. of Accidents To-Date
Number


17.
# Employees Enrolled To-Date
No. of Employees Enrolled To-Date
Number


18.
Avg Length of Employment
Average Length of Employment
Number


19.
State of Operation
State of Operation
Text


20.
Corp Type-Corporation
CB/Corporation Type of Corporation
Yes/No


21.
Corp Type-Partnership
CB/Partnership Type of Corporation
Yes/No


22.
Corp Type-Other
CB/Other Type of Corporation
Yes/No


23.
Ins Co
Insurance Co. Name
Text


24.
Ins Address1
Insurance Co. Address1
Text


25.
Ins Address2
Insurance Co. Address2
Text


26.
Ins City
Insurance Co. City
Text


27.
Ins State
Insurance Co. State
Text


28.
Ins Zip
Insurance Co. Zip
Text


29.
Ins Phono
Insurance Co. Phone
Text


30.
Ins Division1
Insurance Co. Division1
Text


31.
lns Division2
Insurance Co. Division2
Text


32.
Ins Division3
Insurance Co. Division3
Text


33.
Co Logo
Company's Logo
OLE Object





Note: The file you are importing must include all of the above listed columns in the order and data types. If your file does not originally have all of these fields (which it probably won't), you will need to make a “SPACER” column for each one that is missing and insert them in the correct position.


This “SPACER” function will be much easier if you are importing a spreadsheet file, than if you are importing an ASCII text file. Remember, even if your file is an ASCII text file, you can open that text file in Excel or Lotus and use the “Parse” function to separate the information into organized columns. Then import the completed files.













TABLE 2







List of Fields For Import/Export Purposes-Master Names










#
Field Name
Description
Data Type













1.
ID
Employee ID
Counter


2.
LAST
Employee's Last Name
Text


3.
FIRST
Employee's First Name
Text


4.
SSN
Employee's Social Security Number
Number


5.
Birthday
Employee's Date of Birth
Date/Time


6.
LOE
Employee's Length of Employment
Text


7.
ADJ
Employee's ADJ
Date/Time


8.
Address
Employee's Address
Text


9.
City
Employee's City
Text


10.
State
Employee's State
Text


11.
Zip
Employee's Zip
Number


12.
PHONE
Employee's Phone
Text


13.
DEPT
Employee's Department No.
Text


14.
Dept Name
Employee's Dept Name
Text


15.
Company
Company Name
Text


16.
Locale
Location of Company
Text


17.
HrlyRate
Employee Hourly Wage
Number


18.
Occupation
Employee's Occupation
Text


19.
TeamCode
Employee's Team Code
Text


20.
TeamName
Employee's Teamt Name
Text





Note: The file you are importing must include all of the above listed columns in the order and data types. If your file does not originally have all of these fields (which it probably won't), you will need to make a “SPACER” column for each one that is missing and insert them in the correct position.


This “SPACER” function will be much easier if you are importing a spreadsheet file, than if you are importing an ASCII text file. Remember, even if your file is an ASCII text file, you can open that text file in Excel or Lotus and use the “Parse” function to separate the information into organized columns. Then import the completed files.













TABLE 3







List of Fields For Import/Export Purposes-Injury Reminder










#
Field Name
Description
Data Type





1.
Accident Type
Type of Accident
Text


2.
Reminder
Reminder of Accident
Memo





Note: The file you are importing must include all of the above listed columns in the order and data types. If your file does not originally have all of these fields (which it probably won't), you will need to make a “SPACER” column for each one that is missing and insert them in the correct position.


This “SPACER” function will be much easier if you are importing a spreadsheet file, than if you are importing an ASCII text file. Remember, even if your file is an ASCII text file, you can open that text file in Excel or Lotus and use the “Parse” function to separate the information into organized columns. Then import the completed files.






The preferred data record structures of some of the lists of the incident database are demonstrated by tables 4–6.







TABLE 4







List of Fields For Import/Export Purposes-Accident-Form










#
Field Name
Description
Data Type













1.
ID
Accident ID
Counter


2.
Last
Employee Last Name
Text


3.
First
Employee First Name
Text


4.
Company
Company Name
Text


5.
Locale
Co. Plant Location
Text


6.
Department
Department Number
Text


7.
Dept Name
Department Name
Text


8.
Phone
Employee Phone Number
Text


9.
DOB
Employee Date of Birth
Text


10.
Sex Male
Check Box/Employee's Sex-Male
Yes/No


11.
Sex Female
Check Box/Employee's Sex-Female
Yes/No


12.
SSN
Employee Social Security Number
Text


13.
Address
Employee Address
Text


14.
City
Employee City
Text


15.
State
Employee State
Text


16.
Zip
Employee Zip
Number


17.
LOE
Employee Length of Employment
Text


18.
Hired
Date Employee Hired
Text


19.
Hospitalized
Check Box/Was Employee Hospitalized
Yes/No


20.
Hospital Name
Name of Hospital Emp. was taken to
Text


21.
Date of Injury
Date Injury Occurred
Date/Time


22.
Time of Injury
Time Injury Occurred
Date/Time


23.
Time in Dept
Time Employee's been in Dept
Text


24.
Name of Physician
Emp. Treating Physician
Text


25.
Body Part
Part of Employee Body that was Injured
Text


26.
Body Part-Left
Check Box/Left side of Emp. Body
Yes/No


27.
Body Part-Right
Check Box/Right side of Emp. Body
Yes/No


28.
Injured Previously
CB/Had Emp. Injured Body Part Before
Yes/No


29.
Nature of Injury
Nature of Employee's Injury
Text


30.
Cause
Cause of Employee's Injury
Text


31.
Condition
Condition that Contributed to Injury
Text


32.
Accident Type
What Type of Accident Caused Injury
Text


33.
Accident Description
Description of the Accident
Memo


34.
Corrective Action Taken
What Corrective Action Taken
Memo


35.
Date Corrective Action Taken
Date the Corrective Action was Taken
Date/Time


36.
Witness
Witness of the Accident
Text


37.
Date Company Knew
Date that Company First Knew of Acc.
Date/Time


38.
Street Address of Accident
Address Where Accident Occurred
Text


39.
Nature of Business
Nature of Business
Text


40.
County of Injury
County where Injury Occurred
Text


41.
Emp Worker Status-Yes
Check Box-
Yes/No


42.
Emp Worker Status-No
Check Box-
Yes/No


43.
Emp Occupation
Occupation of Employee
Text


44.
Length of Employment
Length of Time Emp. Worked for Co.
Date/Time


45.
Injured on Premises-Yes
CB/Was Emp Injured on Premises-Yes
Yes/No


46.
Injured on Premises-No
CB/Was Emp Injured on Premises-No
Yes/No


47.
Fatality
CB/Was Accident a Fatality
Yes/No


48.
Injured on Job-Yes
CB/Did Injury Occur on the Job-Yes
Yes/No


49.
Injured on Job-No
CB/Did Injury Occur on the Job-No
Yes/No


50.
Injured on Job-Unknown
CB/Injury Occur on the Job-Unknown
Yes/No


51.
Other Workers Injured
CB/Were Other Workers Injured
Yes/No


52.
Accident Result of Machine Failure
CB/Acc. a Result of Machine Failure
Yes/No


53.
Accident Caused by Someone Else
CB/Acc. Caused by Someone Else
Yes/No


54.
Company Accident Description
Company's Description of Accident
Memo


55.
801 OSHA To Be Filed?
CB/Is 801 OSHA to be Filed
Yes/No


56.
Previous Injury Description
Description of Previous Injury
Text


57.
Shift Start
Beginning of Employee's Shift
Date/Time


58.
Shift End
End of Employee's Shift
Date/Time


59.
Date Worker Left
Date Employee Left Work
Date/Time


60.
Time Worker Left
Time Employee Left Work
Date/Time


61.
Date Worker Returned
Date Worker Returned From Disability
Date/Time


62.
Number Hrs Per Shift
Number Hrs Employee Works Per Shift
Number


63.
Days Worked-3 or less
CB/Emp. Reg. Works less then 3 days
Yes/No


64.
Days Worked-4
CB/Emp. Reg. Works 4 days
Yes/No


65.
Days Worked-5
CB/Emp. Reg. Works 5 days
Yes/No


66.
Days Worked-6
CB/Emp. Reg. Works 6 days
Yes/No


67.
Days Worked-7
CB/Emp. Reg. Works 7 days
Yes/No


68.
Days Off-Sat
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Sat
Yes/No


69.
Days Off-Sun
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Sun
Yes/No


70.
Days Off-Mon
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Mon
Yes/No


71.
Days Off-Tue
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Tue
Yes/No


72.
Days Off-Wed
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Wed
Yes/No


73.
Days Off-Thurs
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Thurs
Yes/No


74.
Days Off-Fri
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Fri
Yes/No


75.
Wage
Employee's Current Wage
Number


76.
Wage-Hr
CB/Emp. Wage Per Hour
Yes/No


77.
Wage-Wk
CB/Emp. Wage Per Week
Yes/No


78.
Wage-Day
CB/Emp. Wage Per Day
Yes/No


79.
Wage-Mo
CB/Emp. Wage Per Month
Yes/No


80.
Wage-Yr
CB/Emp. Wage Per Year
Yes/No


81.
DirectMedical
Direct Medical Costs to Company
Currency


82.
AdminCosts
Administration Costs to Company
Currency


83.
EmpCompCosts
Employer Contribution
Currency


84.
TotalCompCosts
Total Compensation Costs By Company
Currency


85.
EstLongTermCosts
Estimated Long Term Costs to Company
Currency


86.
TeamCode
Team Code
Text


87.
TeamName
Team Name
Text





Note: The file you are importing must include all of the above listed columns in the order and data types. If your file does not originally have all of these fields (which it probably won't), you will need to make a “SPACER” column for each one that is missing and insert them in the correct position.


This “SPACER” function will be much easier if you are importing a spreadsheet file, than if you are importing an ASCII text file. Remember, even if your file is an ASCII text file, you can open that text file in Excel or Lotus and use the “Parse” function to separate the information into organized columns. Then import the completed files.













TABLE 5







List of Fields For Import/Export Purposes-OSHA-AccExport










#
Field Name
Description
Data Type













1.
Last
Employee Last Name
Text


2.
First
Employee First Name
Text


3.
Name
Employee Name
Text


4.
ID
Accident ID
Counter


5.
Department
Department Number
Text


6.
Dept Name
Department Name
Text


7.
Phone
Employee Phone Number
Text


8.
DOB
Employee Date of Birth
Text


9.
Sex Male
Check Box/Employee's Sex-Male
Yes/No


10.
Sex Female
Check Box/Employee's Sex-Female
Yes/No


11.
SSN
Employee Social Security Number
Text


12.
Address
Employee Address
Text


13.
City
Employee City
Text


14.
State
Employee State
Text


15.
Zip
Employee Zip
Number


16.
LOE
Employee Length of Employment
Text


17.
Hired
Date Employee Hired
Text


18.
Hospitalized
Check Box/Was Employee Hospitalized
Yes/No


19.
Hospital Name
Name of Hospital Emp. was taken to
Text


20.
Date of Injury
Date Injury Occurred
Date/Time


21.
Month
Month
Text


22.
Time of Injury
Time Injury Occurred
Date/Time


23.
Time in Dept
Time Employee's been in Dept
Text


24.
Name of Physician
Emp. Treating Physician
Text


25.
Body Part
Part of Employee Body that was Injured
Text


26.
Body Part-Left
Check Box/Left side of Emp. Body
Yes/No


27.
Body Part-Right
Check Box/Right side of Emp. Body
Yes/No


28.
Injured Previously
CB/Had Emp. Injured Body Part Before
Yes/No


29.
Nature of Injury
Nature of Employee's Injury
Text


30.
Cause
Cause of Employee's Injury
Text


31.
Condition
Condition that Contributed to Injury
Text


32.
Accident Type
What Type of Accident Caused Injury
Text


33.
Accident Description
Description of the Accident
Memo


34.
Corrective Action Taken
What Corrective Action Taken
Memo


35.
Date Corrective Action Taken
Date the Corrective Action was Taken
Date/Time


36.
Witness
Witness of the Accident
Text


37.
Date Company Knew
Date that Company First Knew of Acc.
Date/Time


38.
Street Address of Accident
Address Where Accident Occurred
Text


39.
Nature of Business
Nature of Business
Text


40.
County of Injury
County where Injury Occurred
Text


41.
Emp Worker Status-Yes
Check Box-
Yes/No


42.
Emp Worker Status-No
Check Box-
Yes/No


43.
Emp Occupation
Occupation of Employee
Text


44.
Length of Employment
Length of Time Emp. Worked for Co.
Date/Time


45.
Injured on Premises-Yes
CB/Was Emp Injured on Premises-Yes
Yes/No


46.
Injured on Premises-No
CB/Was Emp Injured on Premises-No
Yes/No


47.
Fatality
CB/Was Accident a Fatality
Yes/No


48.
Injured on Job-Yes
CB/Did Injury Occur on the Job-Yes
Yes/No


49.
Injured on Job-No
CB/Did Injury Occur on the Job-No
Yes/No


50.
Injured on Job-Unknown
CB/Injury Occur on the Job-Unknown
Yes/No


51.
Other Workers Injured
CB/Were Other Workers Injured
Yes/No


52.
Accident Result of Machine Failure
CB/Acc. a Result of Machine Failure
Yes/No


53.
Accident Caused by Someone Else
CB/Acc. Caused by Someone Else
Yes/No


54.
Company Accident Description
Company's Description of Accident
Memo


55.
801 OSHA To Be Filed?
CB/Is 801 OSHA to be Filed
Yes/No


56.
Previous Injury Description
Description of Previous Injury
Text


57.
Shift Start
Beginning of Employee's Shift
Date/Time


58.
Shift End
End of Employees Shift
Date/Time


59.
Date Worker Left
Date Employee Left Work
Date/Time


60.
Time Worker Left
Time Employee Left Work
Date/Time


61.
Date Worker Returned
Date Worker Returned From Disability
Date/Time


62.
Number Hrs Per Shift
Number Hrs Employee Works Per Shift
Number


63.
Days Worked-3 or less
CB/Emp. Reg. Works less then 3 days
Yes/No


64.
Days Worked-4
CB/Emp. Reg. Works 4 days
Yes/No


65.
Days Worked-5
CB/Emp. Reg. Works 5 days
Yes/No


66.
Days Worked-6
CB/Emp. Reg. Works 6 days
Yes/No


67.
Days Worked-7
CB/Emp. Reg. Works 7 days
Yes/No


68.
Days Off-Sat
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Sat
Yes/No


69.
Days Off-Sun
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Sun
Yes/No


70.
Days Off-Mon
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Mon
Yes/No


71.
Days Off-Tue
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Tue
Yes/No


72.
Days Off-Wed
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Wed
Yes/No


73.
Days Off-Thurs
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Thurs
Yes/No


74.
Days Off-Fri
CB/Emp. Reg. Days Off-Fri
Yes/No


75.
Wage
Employee's Current Wage
Number


76.
Wage-Hr
CB/Emp. Wage Per Hour
Yes/No


77.
Wage-Wk
CB/Emp. Wage Per Week
Yes/No


78.
Wage-Day
CB/Emp. Wage Per Day
Yes/No


79.
Wage-Mo
CB/Emp. Wage Per Month
Yes/No


80.
Wage-Yr
CB/Emp. Wage Per Year
Yes/No


81.
DirectMedical
Direct Medical Costs to Company
Currency


82.
EmpCompCosts
Employer Contribution
Currency


83.
EstLongTermCosts
Estimated Long Term Costs to Company
Currency


84.
TotalCompCosts
Total Compensation Costs By Company
Currency


85.
AdminCosts
Administration Costs to Company
Currency


86.
Locale
Co. Plant Location
Text


87.
Company
Company Name
Text


88.
TeamCode
Team Code
Text


89.
TeamName
Team Name
Text





Note: The file you are importing must include all of the above listed columns in the order and data types. If your file does not originally have all of these fields (which it probably won't), you will need to make a “SPACER” column for each one that is missing and insert them in the correct position.


This “SPACER” function will be much easier if you are importing a spreadsheet file, than if you are importing an ASCII text file. Remember, even if your file is an ASCII text file, you can open that text file in Excel or Lotus and use the “Parse” function to separate the information into organized columns. Then import the completed files.













TABLE 6







List of Fields For Import/Export Purposes-SOS Form Data










#
Field Name
Description
Data Type













1.
ReportID
Report ID
Text


2.
IncidentID
Incident ID (Auto Counter)
Counter


3.
Last
Last Name
Text


4.
First
First Name
Text


5.
AffectedPerson
Affected Person
Text


6.
WeyerEmp
Is this an Employee?
Yes/No


7.
NonEmp
Is this a Non-Employee
Yes/No


8.
Company
Company Name
Text


9.
Locale
Plant/Location #
Text


10.
Department
Employee Department Code
Text


11.
Dept Name
Employee Department Name
Text


12.
MailStop
Employee Mail Stop
Text


13.
ReportType
Report Type
Text


14.
DOB
Date of Birth
Text


15.
Sex Male
Is the employee Male?
Yes/No


16.
Sex Female
Is the employee Female?
Yes/No


17.
SSN
Social Security Number
Text


18.
Address
Date Employee Hired
Text


19.
City
Check Box/Was Employee Hospitalized
Text


20.
State
Name of Hospital Emp. was taken to
Text


21.
Zip
Date Injury Occurred
Text


22.
LOE
Time Injury Occurred
Number


23.
Hired
Time Employee's been in Dept
Text


24.
DateOfIncident
Emp. Treating Physician
Date/Time


25.
Time of Incident
Part of Employee Body that was Injured
Date/Time


26.
Time in Dept
Check Box/Left side of Emp. Body
Date/Time


27.
Location
Check Box/Right side of Emp. Body
Text


28.
Nature of Injury
CB/Had Emp. Injured Body Part Before
Text


29.
IncidentType
Nature of Employee's Injury
Text


30.
IncidentCode
Cause of Employee's Injury
Text


31.
InjuryCode
Condition that Contributed to Injury
Text


32.
Cause
What Type of Accident Caused Injury
Text


33.
Condition
Description of the Accident
Text


34.
ConditionCode
What Corrective Action Taken
Text


35.
Accident Type
Date the Corrective Action was Taken
Text


36.
Accident Description
Witness of the Accident
Text


37.
CorrectiveActionTaken
Date that Company First Knew of Acc.
Memo


38.
Corrective ActionDescription
Address Where Accident Occurred
Yes/No


39.
DateCorrectiveActionTaken
Nature of Business
Memo


40.
Witness
County where Injury Occurred
Date/Time


41.
DateReceived
Check Box-
Date/Time


42.
DateReplied
Check Box-
Date/Time


43.
ProjectedCompleteDate
Occupation of Emplooyee
Date/Time


44.
DateCompleted
Length of Time Emp. Worked for Co.
Text


45.
AcknowledgedBy
CB/Was Emp Injured on Premises-Yes
Memo


46.
AcknowledgeNotes
CB/Was Emp Injured on Premises-No
Yes/No


47.
Response-Yes/Completed
CB/Was Accident a Fatality
Yes/No


48.
Response-Yes/TBI
CB/Did Injury Occur on the Job-Yes
Yes/No


49.
Response-Pending
CB/Did Injury Occur on the Job-No
Yes/No


50.
Response-No
CB/Injury Occur on the Job-Unknown
Yes/No


51.
Response-Other
CB/Were Other Workers Injured
Yes/No


52.
SupervisorInvolved
CB/Acc. a Result of Machine Failure
Text


53.
SupervisorName
CB/Acc. Caused by Someone Else
Yes/No


54.
FurtherActionNeeded
Company's Description of Accident
Memo


55.
FurtherActionSugg
CB/Is 801 OSHA to be Filed
Text


56.
InvestigationAssignedTo
Description of Previous Injury
Text


57.
IncidentLocation
Beginning of Employee's Shift
Text


58.
PreventativeAction
End of Employee's Shift
Text


59.
RecommendedActionDate
Date Employee Left Work
Date/Time


60.
ActualActionApproved
Time Employee Left Work
Memo


61.
CorrectiveActionAssigned
Date Worker Returned From Disability
Text


62.
WorkOrderNo
Number Hrs Employee Works Per Shift
Number









It will be appreciated that the physical data structure in storage device 14 or RAM 16 may take any suitable form, such as inline or multidimensional arrays, indexed arrays, or indexed tables.
To better explain the system and methods of the present invention, the operating instructions of a preferred embodiment of the invention are incorporated below: 































Given the above description of the present invention, it can be seen that it includes a data flow as shown in FIG. 11. Specifically, a system database creator/modifier 76 operates on system database 52a to create or modify system database 52a. Creator/modifier 76 includes an input form selector 78 that accesses database 52a and, through VDT 20 and keyboard 22/display cursor control system 24, allows the user to select an input form for display on VDT 20. Once such an input form is selected by selector 78, an input form formatter 80, operating in digital processor 12, formats the selected form for display on VDT 20. The selected is then displayed on VDT 20, and a system record editor 82, through keyboard 22 and display cursor control systems 24, allows a user to select specific records for viewing and editing through the selected form, and input new records using the selected form.
An incident database creator/modifier is shown at 84, again operating through digital processor 12. A system record extractor 86 extracts predefined records from system database 52a, after which a system information extractor 88, operating through VDT 20, keyboard 22 and/or display cursor control system 24, extracts predefined information from the selected records, and allows the user to specify specific information for extraction. An incident record selector 90 operates on incident database 52b, either before, while or after the system records and information are extracted at 86 and 88, to select a specific incident record for viewing or modification or creation. This viewing, modification or creation is performed by an incident record editor 92, operating through digital processor 12, RAM 16, VDT 20, keyboard 22 and/or display cursor control system 24. Once the selected incident records are edited, the information is rewritten to incident database 52b. 
A report generator is shown at 94, again operating through digital processor 12. Generator 94 includes a report format selector 96 that accesses system database 52a, and through VDT 20, keyboard 22 and/or display cursor control system 24, allows a user to select a defined report format. Once the report format is selected, a report formatter 98 accesses and extracts information specified in the selected format from database 52, including system database 52a and incident database 52b, and manipulates the information to create a completed report. The completed report is then produced through a computer output medium at 100, such as a printer.
From the forgoing identification of the components of the present invention, the following methods and systems are included within the scope of the invention.
A computer-implemented process of reporting safety information stored in computer memory is controlled by one or more user workstations 10. The process includes the step of creating a system database 52a stored in computer memory 14/16, database 52a including a plurality of defined lists of entries for selected variables and a plurality of defined formats for selected reports. The defined lists include information such as a defined list of employees and a defined list of types of incidents. The defined formats include reports such as OSHA report 200 and DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) accident reports.
The process also includes the step of creating an incident database 52b stored in computer memory 14/16 by selecting an record from one or more of the defined lists in system database 52a and inserting the selected entry or entries into a data record. This step can include or be concurrent with the steps of accessing previously created incident records, selecting ones of such records to match information inserted into the current incident record, and displaying on the selected form information comparing the current record to the selected ones of the previously created records.
The process further includes the step of creating an incident report by selecting one of the defined formats from system database 52a extracting and manipulating information from incident database 52b as defined in the selected format from system database 52a, and producing the report on a computer output medium such as VDT 20.
Viewed somewhat differently, the invention includes a computer-assisted process of reporting safety information stored in computer memory. This process includes the step of creating a company database stored in computer memory 14/16. The company database includes a defined list of employees and a defined list of types of incidents. The process also includes the steps of selecting an employee from the company database, selecting a type of incident from the company database, and creating an incident database stored in computer memory by inserting the selected employee and type of incident into a data record. The process next includes the steps of formatting the incident database into a report and producing the report on a computer output medium.
Viewed still differently, the invention includes a computer-aided process of producing incident reports, the process comprising the step of creating a system database 52a stored in computer memory 14/16. System database 52a includes a plurality of defined lists of entries for selected variables and a plurality of defined formats for selected incident reports. The process further comprises the step of creating an incident database 52b stored in computer memory 14/16 by selecting an entry from one or more of the defined lists in system database 52a, and inserting the selected entry or entries into a data record. The process further comprises the step of creating an incident report, by selecting one of the defined formats from system database 52a, extracting and manipulating information from incident database 52b as defined in the selected format, and producing the report on a computer output medium.
Described differently, the invention includes an incident reporting system 10. The reporting system comprises a system database 52a stored in computer memory 14/16, including a plurality of defined lists of system records of selected variables, and a plurality of defined report formats for producing selected incident reports. A system record selector 86 is provided for selecting one or more of the defined system records, and an information extractor 88 is provided for extracting one or more elements from the selected system record.
The reporting system 10 further comprises an incident database 52b stored in computer memory 14/16, including one or more defined lists of incident records of data. Each incident record describes one or more aspect of a specific incident, and may contain one or more of the extracted elements from system database 52a. A report format selector 96 is provided for selecting one or more of the defined report formats, and a report formatter 98 is provided for extracting and manipulating information from incident database 52b as defined in the selected report format. The reporting system 10 further comprises a computer output medium through which the extracted and manipulated information is produced in the selected report format.
Reporting system 10 further comprises an input form database 52a2/52b2 including a plurality of defined input forms for prompting a user for input to system/incident database 52. An input form selector 78 is provided for selecting one or more of the defined input forms, and an input form formatter 80 is provided for extracting and manipulating information from system database 52a as defined in the selected input form. A user interface is provided for displaying the selected input form and allowing a user to input information into one or more records of one or more lists of system database 52a through the selected input form.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
The present invention is particularly applicable to the administration and support of the industry process known as light duty/restricted duty/recurrence of injury recording, analysis and reporting.

## Claims

1. A computer-implemented process of reporting safety information, comprising the steps of:
creating a system database stored in computer memory, the system database including a plurality of defined lists of entries for selected variables and a plurality of defined formats for selected incident reports;
creating an incident database stored in computer memory by selecting an entry from one or more of the defined lists in the system database, and inserting the selected entry or entries into a data record; and
creating an incident report by:
selecting one of the defined formats from the system database;
extracting and manipulating information from the incident database as defined in the selected format;
producing the report on a computer output medium; and
wherein the plurality of defined formats include an OSHA report 200.