Accident Investigation: Five Questions

Regardless of the steps that a business owner or manager may take to ensure that his employees and guests enjoy a safe work environment, accidents will still happen. Knowing how to properly record and investigate a workplace accident is essential in protecting your company from future accidents of a similar nature and ensuring that the situation is handled correctly and anyone involved in the accident is cared for in an appropriate manner.

Accident investigation will also help owners and managers to assess any danger areas that may still exist in the workplace and what steps need to be taken to correct areas that need improvement. All findings from the investigation should be properly recorded in written records and identify the cause or causes of the accident.

Accident investigation is a four-step process: controlling the scene, gathering information, analyzing data and determining causes. When investigating an accident, asking the following five questions and recording the answers will help you complete the four-steps:

1. What exactly happened? Investigation reports should contain a detailed explanation of the incident including who was involved, if there were injuries, and what if any product, material or machinery was lost or damaged.

2. How/why did it happen? Reports should note if the accident was a result of machinery malfunction, human error, outside influences, natural disaster or any other factor that may have caused the incident. Were proper procedures followed? If applicable, were the employees involved properly trained? Detailed findings should all be written and kept as part of the accident investigation file.

3. What should be done concerning the situation? The person or committee conducting the investigation must assess what, if any, further action should be taken at this time. Now is not the time to assign blame but rather to take steps to ensure that the situation is being handled properly for the company and for any employees or guests who may have been involved in the incident.

4. What corrective action has been taken? It is very important that the accident investigation file contain written information of what corrective action has already been taken. Whether this involves seeking medical attention for injuries, cleaning up spills or other mess, shutting down damaged equipment or any other immediate action that was taken, keeping a written record is a crucial step in the investigation.

5. How can we prevent future accidents of this nature? A careful review of the answers to the first four questions can help the investigators assess the situation properly and create a functioning action plan to prevent future accidents or mishaps of the same nature. Whether the outcome is a realization that employees need better training, equipment needs updating, or any other conclusion, it is important that company owners and/or managers understand that making the necessary changes will be the best way to prevent accidents in the future.

To enroll in SafetyArc’s online Accident Investigation training course, click here.