Accident happens. We all know that it can happen to anybody, including yourself, which means pain, injury, and sometimes even death, so it is important to understand why this happens.
A hazardous condition or unsafe work can cause an accident. But even when the factor seems obvious, the genuine cause can often be something else. That’s where accident examination comes in.
An accident investigator is a process of detecting the cause of the accident injuries, damage and prevents them from occurring again.
Why Accident Investigation:
- To gather information, we need to hand it over to the enforcing authority
- Comply with policies and regulatory requirements.
- Identify the cause of the accident to prevent a recurrence.
- Get the information needed for an insurance claim.
- Find out the cost of an accident.
- Improve the supervisor’s management approach.
Accident Investigation Method
- Root Cause Analysis
Analysis Root Cause
Root cause analysis identifies the root cause of the problem .it is a methodology of knowing the first action that leads to continuity that leads to the problem and finds a way to solve the problem.
Types of Root cause Analysis Techniques
- Group Thinking (also known as Brain Storming): A group of experts meets to determine the exact cause of the deviation and find a solution.
- Fishbone &warn (also known as cause-effect diagram) Fishbone diagram includes the possible cause of the problem the real cause has been identified.
- 5 Whys: 5 whys tool works as its name. You should ask yourself “why” 5 times to get this continuity that is causing trouble.
These three techniques will get you closer to the goal and help you figure out the changes you need to make to where your weak points are and how to prevent this problem again.
The point of every investigation is to prevent it from happening again. Therefore, the investigation of the accident is not about accusations but about finding out the truth.
Accident investigation is the Six-Step Process
Gather Information
Step 1 – Securing the Scene
The most important part of accident investigation is to secure the scene. It ensures that others are not injured and helps you investigate the cause of the accident. After taking care of all the injured, it is time to save the scene:
- Away from the area
- Turn off or block equipment
- Notify affected people
Survey the scene for:
- Accident victims
- Involved machines, vehicles, and equipment
- Objects broken, damaged, or struck
- Tracks or skid marks from equipment
- Surface defects
- Fluid spills/stains
- Contaminated materials
- Debris
- Distractions
- Safety devices used, not used, or failed
- Position of equipment
- Terrain (rocky, wet, slippery, frozen, cluttered, etc.)
- Witnesses to the accident and their locations at their current location
- Time of day, lighting, and weather
Document the scene and collect whatever you want, and submit for sampling
Step 2 – Collecting the Facts
Different ways for collecting and documenting:
- The direct cause of injury is the problem and the result of the behavior.
- Dangerous situations and unsafe employee management practices lead to accidents.
- Weakness of the system that caused the surface of the accident.
We’ll also cover:
- Putting together your investigators kit
- Getting initial statements
- Documents review
- Capturing the scene
Interviews should be done as soon as possible, once the emergency is being addressed. The initial statement of the witness helps you more during the examination of the incident. It would be very helpful to have a full investigative interview if time is not allowed to make the statements.
Analyze the Facts
Step 3 – creating the Sequence of Events
Using the information you collected – photos, data, statements, your well-reasoned theory and relevant information re-create the incident as a chronologically ordered series of events that demonstrate what happened before, during and immediately after the incident.
Step 4 – Determining the Cause
Most accidents have several causes. If you solve as many causes as possible, you are more likely to prevent accidents in the future.
Implement Solutions
Step 5 – Recommending Improvements
Accidents can be reduced by improving the control system and safety system.
- Addressing the root cause of the improvement in the security system.
- Control can reduce the direct cause of the accident.
Step 6 – Writing the Report
When you write your report, remember that you are playing an important role in finding out the cause of the accident. The purpose of the report is not to blame anyone but to find out the real cause of the accident. we will now take a closer look at what should be included in the report
- Background
- Accident Details
- Findings
- Causes of the Accident
- Summary
- Review and Follow the Process
- Recommendations
- Attachments
FAQS
What is the purpose of doing an investigation?
The diagnosis allows you to determine the underlying causes of the incident. It helps you to see how it develops over time. And it allows you to make improvements that prevent you from repeating the same thing over and over again.
What are some mistakes made when conducting incident investigations?
The worst error is to blame the people instead of finding the root causes of the investigation.
The second type of error occurs when the investigation is done without being documented. Without recording, you have no evidence of your safety activities.
The third type of error occurs when recommendations are not drawn from the results.
And the last kind of error occurs when the investigation results are not communicated to the staff.
When you make changes, you also need to tell everyone what they are to be part of the new security system.
What is required to ensure an investigation is adequately carried out?
Proper preparation begins when an accident occurs With the team and the materials to collect information about any incident. The team needs training in performing the incident investigation and clarifying the purpose of the investigation. Of course, if there is an incident, you have to make the team available for investigation.
