It is a requirement of ethics approval that researchers inform the Ethics Committee of any accidents, incidents or adverse events that arise during the course of research as soon as possible.
Researchers must inform the ACU HREC as soon as possible of any adverse event, incident or complaint arising from their research. This might include an injury or accident to a person (a participant, a member of the research team, or a member of the public), a complaint, or another harm such as the inadvertent release of personal data.
If the incident involves risk to a person's immediate safety, seek appropriate emergency support first, before completing this process.
If an adverse event/incident/accident occurs, then the researcher must:
If an accidental release of data or breach of privacy occurs:
For more information see the ACU Data Breach Procedure and Response Plan.
If a complaint is received:
Complaints relating to the conduct of research by ACU students or staff will initially be investigated by the HREC Chair and the Research Ethics Manager, in line with University policies relating to responsible conduct of research.
In the event of such a complaint being received, the researcher shall immediately be informed and a sub-committee established to investigate the complaint. If appropriate, the sub-committee will recommend that the relevant protocol(s) be suspended until the complaint has been resolved.
In the event of an injury which involved a company asset or property, the researcher should complete a Riskware report in accordance with ACU’s Risk Management Policy and Risk Management Procedure. The researcher should also contact the Research Ethics Manager with details of the incident.
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