Accident Investigation Procedure

 
Accident Investigation
Accident investigation is the process of determining the root causes of accidents, on-the-job injuries, and property damage to prevent them from occurring again.
 
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Accident investigation will lead you to the real cause of why something happened, and armed with that knowledge, you can take affirmative steps to prevent future accidents from occurring.
 
WHAT IS REQUIRED?
·         Develop an accident investigation process that focuses on:
·         Fact finding, not fault finding
·         Determining the root causes of why the event occurred
·         Making changes so the event does not happen again.
·         Set a policy that accidents and close calls (large and small) will be investigated with equal vigor.
·         Provide training and tools to staff conducting accident investigations.
 
HOW DO YOU DO IT?
Workplace accidents should be investigated as soon as possible after they occur. The goals of a timely and thorough accident investigation should be to:
            • determine the cause of the accident
            • prevent the accident from happening again
            • improve health and safety conditions in the workplace
            • determine company or individual liability in case of future legal action
            • determine the need for repairs or replacement of damaged items
Determine the need for additional education and training for employees.
A thorough and complete accident investigation involves several steps, specifically:
            • background investigation
            • site investigation
            • interviews
            • Analysis and reporting.
 
The following outline discusses these steps in more detail.
 
Background investigation:
[ Review the employment and injury records of any injured employee(s).
[ Review reports of any injuries and/or damage to equipment, machines, building, or property.
[ Compile a list of witnesses to the accident.
[Gather information about normal conditions and/or operations of the area. Information would include maps, floor plans, wiring diagrams, and any other piping or architectural drawings or operational guidelines.
[ Meet with supervisors and other employees responsible for the affected area and employees of the affected area to outline the purpose and goals of the investigation.

      Site investigation:
[ Arrive at the scene of the accident as soon as possible after the incident has occurred.
[ Ensure that movable evidence is secured to prevent tampering or other changes.
[ Determine what physical changes may have occurred following the accident.
[ Take photographs of the overall scene, damaged areas, and pertinent machinery and/or equipment. Photographs should be made before any adjustments occur to the scene of the accident.
 
Interviews:
• Prepare a list of witnesses and other individuals to be interviewed.
• When possible, do not allow more than 24 hours to elapse before conducting interviews.
• Conduct interviews in a private setting to avoid interruptions and distractions.
• Before starting the interview, advise the person to be interviewed that the purpose of the session is to determine the cause of the accident and to prevent any future occurrence.
•After the individual has given his or her initial statement, ask the prepared questions and any additional questions prompted by the individual’s statement.
• Record the individual’s statement, the questions asked, and the answers received in the order that they occur.
• Close the interview when all questions have been answered and when the individual indicates no additional information can be provided. Encourage the individual to contact you if other pertinent information comes to mind. Immediately after the interview, review the individual’s statement and answers and record your impressions and judgments.
 
Analysis and reporting:
After all fact-finding efforts are complete; analyze the data to determine all causes of the accident. Then prepare a comprehensive report outlining the identified causes and describing corrective measures to prevent similar future accidents. To best understand why an accident occurred and to plan for preventive actions, it is important to realize that most accidents have more than one cause. It is important to realize that an accident may be the result of the interaction of seemingly unrelated events.
 
Awareness and Training:
Contributing causes are conditions, programs, acts, or omissions that are not directly related to the accident but did contribute to the occurrence or existence of a direct or indirect cause. These causes could include lack of or inadequate:
            o safety program
            o training programs
            o preventive maintenance programs
            o corrective maintenance programs
            o supervision
            o Enforcement
            o Design of equipment, machinery, vehicles, or facilities
            o Advisory or warning communication, labels, or signs.
 
Analysis:
           o Data Collected from medical center. These materials should be collected and organized to allow investigators to review all information at one time:
            o Summary of employment and injury records of pertinent employees
            o Summary of orientation and training records for pertinent employees
            o Summary of normal conditions and/or operation of the pertinent area
            o Summary of inspections of materials, equipment, and facilities involved
       o Summary of witness statements that includes an outline of areas of agreement and disagreement between statements
            o Summary of pertinent records of preventive maintenance or repair
      o Written company policies or directives that pertain to the materials, equipment, facilities, operations, or processes involved.

    Reporting:
A written report should be generated that contains the following sections:
            o Statement of the problem. This section should include:
            o A review of the incident
            o A summary of injuries, lost time, and equipment and/or property damage.
            o Review of the data. This section should include:
            o A summary of witness statements
             o A summary of relevant findings concerning the accident and work history of affected employees and the operation of machinery or equipment

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