| An accident is an
unexpected event that potentially leads to
personal injury and/or property damage. The main
reasons to investigate accidents are to
determine the cause of the accident and make
sure it doesn't reoccur. All accidents have
contributory factors as well as outcomes;
therefore, we understand the need and importance
of the investigation process.
When an accident
occurs, the investigation is the first process
to complete, as you never want another
reoccurrence of the same accident. First, you
need to find out: what happened, what was the
root cause, and how can we prevent this from
happening again. To do this, you must gather all
the information
you can about the accident and determine fact
from fiction. You must
interview the victim and any witnesses as soon
as possible after the accident. Make sure that
all questions asked in the interviewing process
involve open-ended questions to get the exact
information needed. Don't make suggestions to
the interviewee. After the preliminary
interviewing process, closed-ended questions may
be asked to obtain more detail for the
investigation. Get a written, signed statement
from the witness and the victim to review during
the rest of the investigation.
Next, you need to
gather evidence. This involves examining
equipment, studying the scene of the accident,
taking pictures, checking training records, and
checking maintenance and accident records.
Finally, find what
contributing factors may have caused the
accident. Were these factors human,
environmental, design, procedure, etc.? Once the
cause to prepare your report. The report should
state only facts about the
accident. You may provide recommendations for
corrective action, but be sure not to place
blame and use opinions as part of your
statement.
Accident
investigations should be completed immediately
after an accident occurs so that the incident
remains fresh in your mind. Always remember, the
well being of your employees comes first..
.accidents can and should be prevented. |
Please Note: the Safety
Bulletin is a complimentary quarterly newsletter
updating you on the latest news, trends, and
information. The contents of this newsletter do
not necessarily reflect the opinions of Safety
Resources, Inc. Safety Resources, Inc. makes no
warranties, either expressed or implied, about
the truth or accuracy of the content of the
newsletter. Issues may be forwarded in their
entirety via e-mail. If you would like to be
added to the subscribers list, please contact
us.
If you have a topic related to occupational
safety that you would like to see in the
newsletter please contact us. |