It is everyone’s responsibility to promptly report any accidents, injuries, incidents of concern or damage to property to Risk Management in a timely fashion. In the event of an emergency, call 911 or contact Police Services at 656-3473 if you are on campus. Please review and familiarize yourself with the information below before an incident occurs.
All injury reporting forms should be completed and emailed to: Risk.Management@uvm.edu.
The State of Vermont requires employee injuries to be reported to the Department of Labor within 72 hours. We appreciate your assistance in helping UVM comply.
Work-related Injury of UVM Employee
Call 9-1-1 if immediate emergency care is needed. Ambulance services will generally be on scene within minutes.
Employees who need non-emergency medical attention should report to one of two UVM occupational health service providers:
- Concentra Medical Center: located at 7 Fayette Road in South Burlington, 802-658-5756, or
- Champlain Medical Urgent Care: located at 150 Kennedy Drive, South Burlington, 802-448-9370.
If you are a UVM employee who has had a work-related injury or illness (a condition that develops over time, such as carpal tunnel syndrome or tendinitis), report it immediately to your Supervisor. Your supervisor must complete an Employer’s First Report of Injury (PDF) and return it to Risk.Management@uvm.edu ASAP.
UVM is required by the VT Department of Labor to submit this form to the state within 72 hours. Please visit our workers compensation page for more detailed information about this process.
Injury of Students and Non-UVM Affiliates
Non-UVM affiliates or UVM students who have had an injury during a UVM sponsored activity or class, should report to Risk Management promptly. This includes slips and falls, significant athletic injuries, significant chemical exposures, injuries to patients by student interns, injuries to students in labs, etc.
Call 9-1-1 if immediate emergency care is needed. Ambulance services will generally be on scene within minutes. Students should go to the UVM Center for Health & Wellbeing for non-emergency medical care.
An incident report form should be completed and promptly submitted to Risk Management.
Automobile Accident Involving a UVM-Owned or Leased Vehicle
This procedure delineates the process that should be followed by UVM affiliates in the event of an automobile accident involving UVM-owned or leased vehicles. UVM affiliates include UVM staff, faculty and students. It excludes non-employee spouses, alumni and volunteers.
Departmental employees involved in auto accidents are expected to cooperate with Risk Management to promptly investigate, settle and mitigate the extent of the claims.
In the Event of an Auto Accident
- Notify local police. If on campus, notify UVM Police Services at 656-3473. Risk management must have a UVM or local police report verifying that an accident occurred.
- Contact the Risk Management Department within THREE days. Risk Management’s claims adjuster will take your statement to obtain details of the accident, parties involved, and estimates of the cost to repair the UVM vehicle.
- Notify your supervisor.
- If vehicle is a leased or rented vehicle, notify the rental company immediately. Failure to do so will void the terms of your rental contract, including any insurance coverage provided under the contract. This may in turn jeopardize UVM's insurance coverage, making the Department responsible for the entire loss.
- In all claims situations, do not admit fault, or liability. Do not sign a statement admitting responsibility for damages or injury. Obtain the facts of the situation and submit them to the Risk Management Department.
- If the accident has caused injury to an employee during the course of normal working hours, that employee must complete a First Report of Injury Form (PDF) and return it to Risk Management within 72 hours.
Further Information on Accidents Involving a UVM-Owned or Leased Vehicle
- Damage to UVM-owned and long-term lease vehicles are subject to a $1,000 deductible per occurrence. (Department to whom vehicle is assigned is responsible for deductible.)
- If short-term rental vehicle, and Department did not buy collision damage waiver from the rental company, the $1,000 deductible applies. Otherwise, submit bill to rental company.
Property Damage
The University obtains insurance or self-insures against losses or damage to University property. All property claims are subject to a $1,000 deductible, to be borne by the department that owns the property. This deductible may be waived if loss is due to a building failure.
Personal property is not covered by University insurance. Employees and students should insure their belongings on a homeowner’s or renters policy. The University of Vermont reserves the right to subrogate against any student or guest(s) of a student whose actions or inactions are the direct cause of injury to persons or damage to University property or student personal property.
To report a property damage claim call Risk Management within 72 hours of knowledge of loss or damage and follow up with a written statement. We will need information including:
- date of occurrence
- detailed information regarding property damaged or stolen
- serial numbers and/or UVM tag numbers (if available)
- substantiation of replacement cost of item (It is the affected department’s responsibility - not Risk Management’s responsibility - to conduct or maintain any department inventories.)
- Payment to replace stolen or damaged equipment will not be made until proof of charges are received by Risk Management. Departments are responsible for replacing stolen or damaged equipment within a reasonable time frame. Otherwise, Risk Management reserves the right to close the claim without payment
Reporting of Concerns, Near Misses or Other Incidents
The University is strongly committed to fostering a culture of safety and excellence; all employees and students have a role in achieving this goal. All are encouraged to report incidents; near misses; situations that may involve unsafe conditions; violations of the University’s Code of Business Conduct, other policy standards, or legal requirements; and any other concerns about safety or risk at UVM. This helps the Risk Management and Safety Department to follow up with injured persons swiftly and to ensure that proper medical care has been received. Reporting also helps to prevent similar incidents from taking place in the future.
A near miss is defined as an unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage – but had the potential to do so. Reporting near misses is key to preventing future incidents.
Report concerns, near-misses and other incidents by calling Risk Management and Safety at (802) 656-3242 or by emailing risk.management@uvm.edu or safety@uvm.edu. See below if you wish to report anonymously.
Employee Rights in Reporting Workplace Hazards and Concerns
If an employee believes a hazard exists, that employee should report the hazard to their direct supervisor. If no action is taken to correct the situation, the employee should notify Risk Management directly at risk.management@uvm.edu or (802) 656-3242. An employee has the right to file a complaint and request a VOSHA inspection if they believe there is a serious hazard or their employer is not following OSHA standards; however, the employee should make a ‘good-faith effort’ to have the hazards corrected by a supervisor or other UVM entity first. Risk Management personnel are available to help resolve safety problems and to interpret VOSHA regulations for all departments. Complaints from workers or their representatives are taken seriously by VOSHA and will keep the information confidential and can be filed at VOSHA's website.
In case of an impending VOSHA inspection, an employee may accompany the VOSHA compliance officer during the inspection. Risk Management personnel should also accompany the inspector.
An employee may also file a complaint with VOSHA if s/he believes s/he has been discriminated against because of exercising any of these rights.
These and other stipulations are contained in the VOSHA regulations, copies of which can be obtained through the Department of Risk Management or at OSHA's website.
Anonymous Reporting
Reports that are emailed to safety@uvm.edu, risk.management@uvm.edu or called into Risk Management & Safety at 656-3242 will be handled in confidence but are not anonymous. Please use UVM's Ethics and Compliance Reporting HelpLine to anonymously report any concerns.