ASSIGNMENT NO.

5
(Accident/Incident Investigation and Control)

Edmil C. Pabellano
BSME V-GM

October 10, 2016

Investigating accidents and incidents

In any business or organization things dont always go to plan. You need to prepare to
deal with unexpected events in order to reduce their consequences. Workers and managers will

be more competent in dealing with the effects of an accident or emergency if you have effective
plans in place that are regularly tested.
You should monitor and review any measures you have put in place to help control risk
and prevent accidents and incidents from happening. Findings from your investigations can form
the basis of action to prevent the accident or incident from happening again and to improve your
overall risk management. This will also point to areas of your risk assessments that need to be
reviewed.
An effective investigation requires a methodical, structured approach to information
gathering, collation and analysis.
Why investigate?
Health and safety investigations form an essential part of the monitoring process that
you are required to carry out. Incidents, including near misses, can tell you a lot about how
things actually are in reality.

Investigating your accidents and reported cases of occupational ill health will help you
uncover and correct any breaches in health and safety legal compliance you may have been
unaware of
The fact that you thoroughly investigated an incident and took remedial action to prevent
further occurrences would help demonstrate to a court that your company has a positive
attitude to health and safety
Your investigation findings will also provide essential information for your insurers in the
event of a claim
An investigation can help you identify why the existing risk control measures failed and
what improvements or additional measures are needed. It can:

provide a true snapshot of what really happens and how work is really done (workers
may find short cuts to make their work easier or quicker and may ignore rules - you need to
be aware of this)
improve the management of risk in the future
help other parts of your organisation learn
demonstrate your commitment to effective health and safety and improving employee
morale and thinking towards health and safety
Investigating near misses and undesired circumstances, where no one has been
harmed, is as useful as, and may be easier than, investigating accidents.
In workplaces where a trade union is recognised, appointed health and safety
representatives have the right to:

investigate potential hazards and dangerous occurrences in the workplace

examine causes of workplace accidents

One of the best ways to avoid further accidents is to understand how an accident
occurred and how to avoid that type of accident in the future. The accident investigation is a
tool. The goal is not to lay blame.
The goal in an accident investigation is to:

Satisfy legal requirements (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA))

Find out what happened and determine immediate and underlying or root causes.

Rethink the safety hazard.

Introduce ways to prevent a reoccurrence

Establish training needs.

An accident, a near miss and an incident should all be investigated.

Accident investigations are a tool for uncovering hazards that either were missed earlier
or require new controls (policies, procedures or personal protective equipment).

Near-miss reporting and investigation identify and control safety or health hazards
before they cause a more serious incident.

Incident investigations should focus on prevention.

ACCIDENT an undesired event or sequence of events causing injury, ill-health or property
damage.
NEAR MISS near misses describe incidents where, given a slight shift in time or distance,
injury, ill-health or damage easily could have occurred, but didn?t this round.
INCIDENT an incident is an unplanned, undesired event that hinders completion of a task
and may cause injury or other damage.

Recommendations

Conduct an investigation as soon as possible following the event to gather all the
necessary facts, determine the true causes of the event, and develop recommendations to
prevent a recurrence.

Get there as quickly as possible.

Ensure area is safe to enter.

Make sure injured person has first-aid or medical attention required.

Look for witnesses.

Record the scene with photos (ideally date and time printed) or sketches.

Safeguard any evidence.

Establish what happened.

Equipment that may come in handy:

Pens and notebook

Measuring tape

Specimen containers

Camera and film

Tape recorder and cassettes

Copies of accident report forms, checklists

Telephone numbers

Personal protective equipment

Investigate
The investigation should answer six questions:

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

Why?

How?

Interview
Interview all people involved. Look for all the causes. Do not fall into the trap of blaming
the employee or volunteer, even if the person admits causing the event. Investigate the
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procedures, supervisor's directives, training, machinery, weather, you get the idea. The
organization's accident, incident and near-miss reporting forms will give guidance.

Document
Properly document all accident investigations using the organization's approved
investigation form. The form should make it simple to remember what questions to ask, be easy
to understand and complete, and be filed and retained in chronological order.

Protect Privacy
Investigation reports are not to be released to anyone without authorization.

Review
Review all accident, incident and near-miss investigations occurring since the last safety
committee meeting at the next safety meeting.

Each year, more than 2 million workers are injured severely enough on the job that they
cannot return to work and need ongoing medical care. As an employer or manager, it's your job
to help protect your employees from accidents that threaten their work and wellbeing. Follow
these 5 best practices to prevent accidents in your workplace.
Note: Although you are responsible for creating a safe work environment, it is each worker's
responsibility to take an active role in maintaining safety. So make sure your employees are
following these best practices:
1. Shortcuts & Shortcomings:
It's natural to want to get the job finished on schedule -- or even ahead of time -- but with
a "get it done quick" attitude, accidents happen. Don't take shortcuts -- stick to the
instructions and work with diligence and awareness of your surroundings. Also, if there
are shortcomings in the instructions, don't begin the work until they are clarified and all
your questions are answered! You must always be comfortable and familiar with the
procedure before commencing any work.
2. Safety In Transit:
According to OSHA, workplace-driving accidents cost employers an average of $60
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billion a year. Make sure that all company vehicles are inspected each month and
necessary repairs are made as soon as possible. Before driving a company vehicle,
check break lights, turn signals, tire pressure and amount of gas in the tank.
3. Weather The Weather
Both inside and outdoor work may expose you to extreme conditions. Whether very hot
or very cold, both ends of the temperature spectrum can impact your health.
a. Cold: Dress in layers and make sure you properly cover your head, feet, hands
and face -- these parts of your body are most prone to frostbite. Always keep a
change of clothes at work in case your clothes get wet.
b. Heat: Wear loose-fitting clothes, take frequent breaks in a cool rest area and get
plenty of fluids. If you have preexisting medical conditions, consult your doctor
before working in extreme heat.
4. Make PPE A VIP:
Personal Protective Equipment is crucial to prevent injury, so make sure you wear it
and wear it properly! This includes:
- Goggles and face protection to protect from flying particles, chemicals or caustic
liquids.
- Gloves to prevent cuts, scrapes, punctures, burns, chemical absorption or temperature
extremes.
- Hard hats to safeguard against falling objects.
- Safety shoes for work areas where heavy objects could be dropped and injure the feet.
- Ear muffs or ear plugs to protect against hearing damage in noisy workplaces.
5. Shipshape Safety:
Many workers don't realize the negative consequences of poor housekeeping. If an
unkempt workplace becomes the norm -- paper, debris, clutter and spills are accepted
as "familiar" -- then more serious health and safety hazards are overlooked and injuries
become more probable. Housekeeping goes beyond personal cleanliness -- it also
includes keeping work areas orderly, taking care of any slip-and-trip hazards as soon as
they arise and removing waste and fire hazards regularly. Assess your work environment
with a critical eye and pay attention to the layout of the workplace, aisle marking,
adequacy of storage and maintenance. Report dangers or deficiencies right away!
The backbone of a safe working environment is a proper accident prevention program
that incorporates the aforementioned practices and encourages employees to take safety
measures seriously. As an employer, it's your job to make your employees feel comfortable
asking questions and reporting dangerous situations -- make them feel safe to be safe.