Who should do the accident investigating?

Accident Investigation

Questions

1. Please, analyze the accident investigation process.

As with most other tasks, skill in conducting effective accident investigations improves with experience. A good basic approach is to find out what caused the accident and what can be done to prevent or minimize the chances of a similar accident occurring. Some suggestions that may help supervisors get the facts and reach a conclusion include:

· Maintain objectivity throughout the investigation. Its purpose is to find the cause of the accident, not to assign blame for its occurrence.

· Check the accident site and circumstances thoroughly before anything is changed.

· Discuss the accident with the injured person, but only after first aid or medical treatment has been given (see Section A1,Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). Also talk with anyone who witnessed the accident and those familiar with conditions immediately before and after it occurred.

· Be thorough. Small details may point to the real cause.

· Reconstruct the events that resulted in the accident, considering all possible causes. Determine unsafe conditions or actions that separately or in combination were contributing factors.

Supervisors should take action to control or eliminate the conditions that caused the accident once these have been conclusively identified. EHS can provide assistance in determining the level of action that may be necessary, such as the following:

· When equipment changes or safeguards are necessary, supervisors should discuss specific recommendations with Department management;

· When an operation can be changed to eliminate the hazard, supervisors should make the change if it is within their authority, or seek the necessary approval from Department management;

· If unsafe acts by workers are involved, ensure that the worker is properly trained and that training is followed. All others involved in similar operations should be trained as well.

2. Please, analyze the basic principles of investigation.

Reasons to investigate a workplace accident include:

· most importantly, to find out the cause of accidents and to prevent similar accidents in the future

· to fulfill any legal requirements

· to determine the cost of an accident

· to determine compliance with applicable safety regulations

· to process workers' compensation claims

Incidents that involve no injury or property damage should still be investigated to determine the hazards that should be corrected. The same principles apply to a quick inquiry of a minor incident and to the more formal investigation of a serious event.

Who should do the accident investigating?

Ideally, an investigation would be conducted by someone experienced in accident causation, experienced in investigative techniques, fully knowledgeable of the work processes, procedures, persons, and industrial relations environment of a particular situation.

Some jurisdictions provide guidance such as requiring that it must be conducted jointly, with both management and labour represented, or that the investigators must be knowledgeable about the work processes involved.

In most cases, the supervisor should help investigate the event. Other members of the team can include:

· employees with knowledge of the work

· safety officer

· health and safety committee

· union representative, if applicable

· employees with experience in investigations

· "outside" expert

· representative from local government

3. Please, substantiate the basic requirements which render assistance in determination of real reason of any accident.

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