have a shared interest: the health and safety of the organization and its members. An additional benefit of maintaining a collaborative approach to precautionary reporting is that it moves training, policy and operational norms towards a culture of safety. EXPOSURE REPORTING WITHIN FIRE DEPARTMENTS In addition to strong policy, organizations are encouraged to develop strong processes for precautionary reporting. This begins by creating forms and other documents that are logical, accessible and user- friendly. In addition, these forms should not only support ease of use, but should also allow for advantageous data collection by the department. Check boxes, drop down menus and practical narrative prompts are methods that reduce subjectivity and allow for easier retrieval of data. Exposure report forms should also have clean approval queues that require input from multiple layers within the organization. For example, the pump operator who breathed acrid smoke but did not require immediate medical attention should initiate the report and thoroughly complete all sections related directly to his experience. His company officer would then receive the report and would “proof” the pump operator’s work by checking it for completeness and accuracy, and would also provide their own version of events and recommendations to prevent future occurrences. This process should continue through a logical queue that involves all relevant individuals in the affected member’s chain of command. WAC 296-305-01505 requires organizations to develop an accident prevention program. As part of this program, the statute includes language mandating both a safety orientation process as well as the development of a Safety Committee. The final review An additional benefit of maintaining a collaborative approach to precautionary reporting is that it moves training, policy and operational norms towards a culture of safety. of a precautionary report should lie with these groups. This policy states that the Safety Committee should be tasked with identifying the root causes of the event and, in doing so; it should suggest action items via the organization’s Health and Safety Officer (HSO). These items may include policy, procedural, training and/or operational changes to prevent future occurrences. All Safety Committee and HSO recommendations should be documented, managed and revisited until such a time that the corrective actions are complete. A confidential document library is the final step for the precautionary report and associated Safety Committee and HSO records. The document library can be accessed should a precautionary report become relevant to an injury or illness that occurs downstream. At this point, both the organization and employee will have a record that the initiating event was reported, reviewed and acted upon. 7