30 Jun Accident Investigation – Reporting and Investigating an Accident

Accident Investigation – Reporting and Investigating an Accident

Accident investigation helps determine why an incident occurred and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. A successful investigation focuses on facts and causes—not blame. Employees can help by promptly reporting accidents, injuries, near misses, unsafe acts, and unsafe conditions and cooperating fully with the investigation.

First – Take Care of the Injured

When an accident occurs, the first priority is the safety and health of everyone involved.

• Stop work and control immediate hazards when it is safe to do so.
• Provide first aid or obtain medical assistance as necessary.
• Call emergency services when required.
• Notify your supervisor immediately.
• Keep unnecessary personnel away from the area.

Never delay necessary medical treatment in order to begin an investigation.

What Should an Investigation Determine?

A good accident investigation should answer:

• What happened?
• When did it happen?
• Where did it happen?
• Who was involved or witnessed the incident?
• Why did it happen?
• How can it be prevented from happening again?

The investigation should identify immediate causes as well as contributing and underlying causes. The objective is to determine why the incident occurred and what needs to change to prevent recurrence.

Preserve the Scene

After injured employees have received appropriate care and immediate hazards have been controlled, preserve the accident scene when practical.

Do not move tools, equipment, materials, or other evidence unless necessary to:

• Rescue or assist an injured person.
• Eliminate an immediate danger.
• Prevent additional injury or property damage.

Photographs, measurements, equipment condition, work procedures, and other physical evidence may be important to determining what happened.

Employees and Witnesses

The observations of employees who witnessed an accident can be critical to an accurate investigation.

If you witness an accident:

• Make mental or written notes while the event is fresh in your memory.
• Record what you personally saw or heard.
• Avoid discussing details with other witnesses before being interviewed when doing so could influence your recollection.
• Answer questions completely and accurately.
• Distinguish between what you actually observed and what you believe may have happened.
• Identify other witnesses or relevant information.
• Cooperate fully with the investigation.
• Take the investigation seriously.

Accurate information helps investigators determine the true causes of an incident.

Report and Investigate Near Misses

Accidents are not the only events that provide valuable safety information. Near misses should also be reported and evaluated.

A near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in injury or damage but could have under slightly different circumstances.

Examples include:

• A falling object narrowly missing an employee.
• A worker nearly falling from an elevated surface.
• A vehicle or piece of equipment nearly striking someone.
• Equipment unexpectedly starting without causing an injury.
• A suspended load shifting without striking anyone.

Near misses provide an opportunity to identify and correct hazards before someone gets hurt.

Look for Causes, Not Blame

The purpose of an accident investigation is not to find someone to blame. Investigators should determine why the event occurred and identify conditions that contributed to it.

Possible contributing factors include:

• Inadequate hazard identification.
• Unsafe work procedures or practices.
• Defective tools or equipment.
• Missing or inadequate guards.
• Poor housekeeping.
• Inadequate training.
• Improper equipment selection.
• Communication failures.
• Environmental conditions.
• Inadequate planning or supervision.
• Failure to correct a previously identified hazard.
• Improper or inadequate PPE.

Simply determining that someone made a mistake does not necessarily identify the underlying cause. Investigators should determine why the mistake was possible and what controls can prevent it from happening again.

Corrective Actions

The investigation should result in corrective actions appropriate to the causes identified.

Corrective actions may include:

• Eliminating the hazard.
• Installing engineering controls or safeguards.
• Repairing or replacing equipment.
• Revising work procedures.
• Providing additional training.
• Improving planning or communication.
• Correcting housekeeping conditions.
• Changing work practices.
• Providing appropriate PPE.
• Increasing inspections or preventive maintenance.

Corrective actions should be completed and followed up to verify that they are effective.

Serious Incidents

Serious injuries and fatalities require immediate management attention and a thorough investigation after emergency needs have been addressed.

Employees should immediately notify supervision of any serious incident so that management can initiate the investigation and determine whether regulatory, client, or other required notifications must be made.

Prevent Accidents Before They Happen

Accident investigation is important, but preventing the incident in the first place is even better.

Employees should remain alert for:

• Unsafe conditions.
• Unsafe work practices.
• Damaged or defective equipment.
• Missing safeguards.
• Uncontrolled hazards.
• Changes in the workplace that create new hazards.

Report hazards promptly so they can be corrected before an injury occurs.

Remember

Effective accident investigation depends on prompt reporting, accurate information, employee cooperation, identification of underlying causes, and completion of corrective actions.

Report incidents and near misses. Preserve the facts. Find the cause. Correct the hazard. Prevent recurrence.