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School Safety Training

Accident Investigation

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Notice

This presentation is provided to all Educational Service District 101 (ESD 101) schools at no cost.

This presentation contains copyrighted materials purchased by ESD 101 for the exclusive use of training school personnel within ESD 101.

This presentation may not be reproduced except to print “handouts” or “notes pages” for use during training within ESD 101 school districts.

If the school district does not have Microsoft’s PowerPoint software available, a PowerPoint viewer can be downloaded from the internet at no cost.

Questions may be directed to the ESD 101 Risk Manager.

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Accident Investigation Goals

Preparing the investigation team Conducting the investigation Quiz

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Why Investigate Accidents?

Determine the cause Prevent a recurrence with corrective action Fix or eliminate obvious accident

cause/condition(s) immediately Document your school’s (supervisor’s)

version of the incident Completion of WISHA-required reporting

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Who Investigates?

Minor accident• Supervisor• Safety Committee member• School District’s Safety Program Manager

Major accident• Supervisor - i.e., Transportation, Maintenance, Food

Service, Athletic Director, Science, Voc-Ed, etc.• School District’s Safety Program Manager • Safety Committee member• Employee Representative• Outside investigator - e.g., WSP or local police, Fire Dept,

DSHS, OSPI, etc.• ESD 101 Risk Manager and/or Claims Administrator

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Investigator’s Qualifications

Accident investigation training Understanding of the importance

of investigation Understanding of the workplace conditions

and job requirements Ability to communicate details

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When to Investigate?

Immediately after incident•Witness memories fade•Equipment and clues

are moved• Injured person may not

know “what happened”•Document all facts ASAP•Photographs are essential

Complete the investigation quickly

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Investigation Kit

Camera and film (digital is better) Report forms, clipboard, pens Barricade tape Flashlight Tape measure Tape recorder Work gloves PPE

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Accident Investigation Goals

Training the investigation team• Supervisors- i.e., Transportation, Maintenance, Food

Service, Athletic Directors, Science, Voc-Ed, etc.• School District’s Safety Program Manager • Safety Committee members• Employee Representatives

Training includes practice-conduct drills and/or “tabletop exercises”

Quiz (demonstrate proficiency)

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The Accident Occurs

Conducting the investigation•Employee (or co-worker) immediately reports the

incident/accident to a supervisor•Supervisor calls 9-1-1 if appropriate•Supervisor renders first-aid and assesses need

for outside medical treatment•Preserve the accident scene intact•Contact the accident investigation team

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Notification

Notify principal or district office if required by your district’s policy manual

Notify ESD 101 if injury is serious and/or will require medical treatment, time-loss and/or a major accident investigation

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Beginning the Investigation

Gather investigation team and kit

Report to the scene Look at the “big

picture” - Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?

Record initial observations

Take pictures Record witness’ names

and statements

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What’s Involved?

Who was injured? Were medications,

drugs, or alcohol involved?

Is drug testing advised or mandatory?

Was employee ill? Was employee

working long hours?

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Witnesses

Who witnessed the incident? Was a supervisor or lead person nearby? Where were other employees? Why didn’t anyone witness the incident? Was PPE being properly worn/used? Was the injured person performing regular duties? Was the person properly trained to perform the

task?

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Interviewing Tips

Discuss what happened leading up to and after the accident

Encourage witnesses to describe the accident in their own words

Don’t be defensive or judgmental Use open-ended questions Gather all facts and opinions-sort them out

later

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What Else Was Involved?

Machine, tool, or equipment? Chemicals? Environmental conditions? Work schedule?

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Date and time? Normal shift? Normal duties? Employee coming

off a vacation? Employee returning

from illness?

Time of Incident

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Incident Location

Work area? On, under, in, near…? Off-site location? Doing normal job duties?

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Incident Activities

Activity being conducted at time of incident?

Repetitive motions? Type of material being handled?

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Incident Description

Details- so reader can clearly picture the incident

Specific body parts affected

Specific motions of injured employee just before, during, and after incident

Other extenuating circumstances?

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Causal Factors

Try not to accept single cause theory Identify underlying causes Primary cause Secondary causes Is contributing cause a lack of training, equipment,

PPE, or staffing? Was activity in compliance with WISHA safety

codes, other laws and safe-work practices?

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Corrective Actions

Immediate corrective actions Recommended corrective actions

•Employee training•Preventive maintenance activities• Improved job procedures•Hazard recognition•Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)•Elimination of the causal activity?

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Completed Report

Signed by investigation team members

Signed by injured employee

Forwarded to Superintendent

Forwarded to ESD 101 and casualty insurer

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Accident Investigation Goals

Preparing the investigation team Conducting the investigation Quiz

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Summary

Investigate accidents immediately Determine who was involved and

who witnessed it Ascertain what items or equipment

were involved Record detailed description Determine causal factors Conduct corrective actions

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Quiz

1. It is best to interview witnesses all together in order to save time. True or False

2. Name two environmental factors that may be involved in an accident ____________, ____________.

3. Define a “minor” accident according to investigation procedures: ______________________________.

4. The main reason for investigating accidents is to fix the blame somewhere. T or F

5. Employees need to report injuries onlyif they think they need to see a doctor. T or F

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Quiz (Cont.)

6. Prior to arriving at the accident scene, one team member should have taken the _____________.

7. Describe at least 2 factors to investigate about the injured employee: ____________, __________.

8. How could the time of the accident be considered a causal factor? ________________________.

9. Describing the general accident location is adequate for the report. True or False

10.Describe at least 2 factors to investigate when equipment is involved: __________, ___________.

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Quiz Answers

1. False. Witnesses should be interviewed separately.

2. Wet floor, poor lighting, cold or hot day, noise.

3. A “minor” accident is when the injured employee does not require outside medical attention.

4. False. Accidents are investigated so corrective actions can be taken to prevent another accident.

5. False. Employees need to report all injuries, no matter how small, and near miss incidents.

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Quiz Answers (cont.)

6. Investigation kit.

7. Alcohol or drugs, medication, illness, tired, extra shift, eyesight.

8. Early morning accident may be related to tired, inattentive employee. Late afternoon or evening accident may be related to fatigue of a full day of work.

9. False. The report requires very specific details of the location of an accident.

10. Equipment malfunction, employee training and skill level, amount of supervision