How to report

Which companies need to report incidents?

All companies that are licenced by NPA need to report, as a condition of their license. There is no minimum company size.

Who should report?

1. OMC Responsible person : Each OMC nominates up to 3 people to be responsible for reporting to the NPA. These people will receive a log in to the Proactively system. They will be able to use this to report incidents, respond to request for action from the NPA, view and analyse their data.
2. NPA personnel that find out about an incident during a site visit are able to report this directly. They will link the incident report to the company involved, so the responsible person will be able to read it.

If you are an employee or member of the public wishing to report an incident, please notify the Responsible Person.

Timescales

Reporting of an incident should be:

• Within 24 hours to the Responsible person (internal reporting)
• Within 72 hours to NPA (external reporting using Proactively system)

Prompt reporting is important, so if needed an investigation can take place quickly whilst the cause of the incident is still fresh.

Finding out about an incident

It is the responsibility of OMC to have an internal reporting system such that the Responsible Person(s) finds out about any incidents and collects the correct information in a timely way.  All employees must be aware of this system, so that when an incident happens they send the correct information to the Responsible Person. Suitable systems may include:

• A paper incident reporting system
• A digital reporting system

Send an incident report to NPA

1. The responsible person confirms the incident details, and if necessary carries out an internal investigation.  Not all incidents need to be reported to NPA.  This is discussed in ‘ What must be reported to NPA?’ above.
2. To send an incident report for using the Proactively mobile app either:
   • Log into the proactively mobile reporting app (squirrel icon) and use the incident report form
   • Log into the web portal at www.npa.proactively.io and click on the + add report button at the top of the screen.
   • In the NPA web site    www.npa.gov.gh click on the Incident reporting link and log into your web portal.  Click on the +add report button at the top of the screen
3. Enter details of the incident.  Sign the bottom to confirm that this is an accurately describes the situation
4. Press send.  You will receive an immediate green pop up message to show this has been sent successfully.  Once the report is sent it can be seen in the reports tab of the web portal. 

NPA reviews the report

1. NPA reviews your report and sends an acknowledgement.  This can be seen in either:
   • the messages tab in the mobile app. 
   • reports > history tab in the web portal
2. The incident report is passed to an inspector who decides if an investigation is needed.  The inspector will contact the OMC responsible person to arrange an appropriate time.
3. The aim of the inspection it to find the cause of the incident.  During the inspection, the NPA have the right to : come onto your site, ask questions, interview people…,
4. NPA will make an investigation report using the Proactively App.  OMC will be able to read the investigation report on :
   • A pdf provided by the inspector
   • Within the reports tab in the web portal

The aim of the visit from the NPA is to work with the OMC to investigate and find out together what the cause of the incident is. Both OMC and NPA should have an open mind, share information and knowledge, to get the best outcome for the OMC and the industry.

Corrective actions

1. If the inspector finds issues with a high risk of causing harm, they will discuss this with the OMC. The NPA inspector will issue an Corrective Action.   NPA will say what operational standards are needed and set a due date by which they must be in place and working.
2. It is the responsibility of the OMC to decide how they will meet these standards.  OMC decide what needs to be done and carry out the actions.  The responsibility lies with the OMC, but OMC can discuss what is needed with their inspector.
3. When actions are complete, the Responsible Person at the OMC goes into the Proactively web portal and closes the action in the reports> actions tab in the web portal. 
   • If you need to add notes to clarify a situation, these can be added to the actions tab.  Actions > notes
   • Attach any evidence, such as files or photos, to show that the actions have been taken and the situation is now safe.

How to find the Corrective Action in the Web Portal

Corrective Actions are stored in the web portal:

1. Log into the web portal with your password
2. In the reports tab, click on the relevant incident report
3. Open the actions menu to read the Corrective Action

NPA review the actions and close the report

NPA will review the information and decide whether to the situation is now safe.  This may need a visit back to your site, or a request for further evidence. Once NPA is satisfied the situation is safe, they will close the incident report and send a message which can be viewed in the mobile app or the action>history tab

If further action is needed, the NPA will reopen the action and get in touch to discuss what is needed.  This will also be written in the actions > notes section