Element 5

Occupational Incident / Accident Investigation

Definitions:

1) Accident: An accident is an undesired / event that does result in harm and/or property damage
2) Near Miss: An incident could be described as an undesired event that doesn’t result in harm,
but has the potential to do so
3) Unsafe Act : It is an act of an individual who violates the safety norms
4) Unsafe Condition : An environment or a location which is unsafe to work or cause an accident
5) Root Cause: Causes which normally states the failure of a management systems
E.g. No Supervision, Risk Assessment not done, Defect was not identified
6) Immediate Cause: refers to the direct cause of the accident
e.g. Rash driving, Not wearing the PPE , No guard rail on the platform, No platform provided

Purposes of Accident Investigation:

1. Identify root and immediate causes

2. Avoids reoccurrences

3. Highlights the weaknesses in OHS system

4. Demonstrates management’s commitment

5. Legal requirements

6. Collects data to establish trends

7. Prevent future business losses

8. To defend against claims for compensation

9. To defend against a criminal prosecution

10. Employer's liability insurers requires it

11. To demonstrate concern about people's safety

12. To determine the cost of an accident

Immediate actions after the occurrence of an accident:

Provide First Aid to the accidentee

Call for medical assistance if necessary
 Make the accident area safe
Barricade the accident spot.
Implement or initiate emergency plans if necessary.
Report to Kith & Kin of the injured and relevant enforcing authority if necessary

Long actions after the occurrence of an accident:

Identification of witnesses
Form the accident investigation team
Conduct the investigation to know the causes.
Suggest the remedial measures to prevent the accident.
Implement the remedial measures
Communicate the accident investigation to all in the organization.

Investigation Team:

Categories of persons who may be useful members of an internal accident investigation team would be:

A senior manager should be a team member because this demonstrates the commitment of
management to carrying out the investigation. It also ensures a level of authority to carry out
appropriate remedial action after the investigation is completed.

A line manager or supervisor should be present as they are likely to be familiar with the working
practices surrounding the accident.

A safety advisor can give advice on legal aspects and would be familiar with the nature of the
hazards, risks and control measures in place.

A representative of employee safety (or safety representative) should be part of the team in
order to represent the interests of employees/workers and to support staff during the official
interviews of the investigation.

A technical expert such as an engineer may sometimes be appropriate if specialist technical

advice is required.

Need for recording accident investigation (Documentation):

Accidents should be reported and recorded in order to comply with where applicable legislative
requirements
To enable an accident investigation to take place (with the aim of preventing accidents of a
similar type)
To identify accident trends from later statistical analysis
 Accident reporting and recording can also lead to a useful review of risk assessments and can
assist in the consideration of any civil claims that may arise
Helps to devise methods to prevent similar incidents in future
Record for future reference
Learn about the accidents of the past

Failure to Report Accidents:

Ignorance of reporting procedure: Employees are not aware about the procedures involved in
reporting of an accident
Peer group pressure: Internal pressure from other employees who might have been involved in
the accident or those who do not want investigations to be carried out
To preserve a department’s safety record : Particularly if an incentive scheme is based on
reducing the number of accidents or to save the safe man hours
Over complicated reporting procedures involved in reporting the accident
A lack of management feedback or response to earlier reported accidents
Fear of management retribution

Information’s that should be included in an accident investigation report

The following will be required from a comprehensive investigation report

A summary of the accident circumstances and conclusions of the investigation team
Details of the person injured, the date, time and location of the accident
Information gained during investigation including:
a) The type and extent of injury sustained
b) The work activity at the time of the accident
c) The precise circumstances of the accident
d) Environmental conditions
e) The control measures in place
f) Details of witnesses and copies of their statements, where taken
Analysis of information:
a) Immediate and underlying causes identified and applicable legislation
Recommendations for remedial action

Reference Questions:

1) Outline the six main reasons for carrying out an accident investigation. (8 marks)
2) Giving reasons in EACH case and identify FOUR categories of persons who may be considered a
useful member of an internal accident investigation team. (8 marks)
3) Identify the information that should be included in an accident investigation report. (8 marks)
4) Identify 4 reasons why accidents should be reported and recorded within a workplace. (4)
5) Outline factors that may discourage employees from reporting accidents at work. (4)
6) Give the meaning of the term
(a) Accident (2)
(b) Near Miss (2)