Accident InvestigationAccident Investigation

State of FloridaLoss Prevention Program

Session Objectives

You will be able to:– Understand your role in the investigation process– Gather facts– Talk to witnesses– Determine causal factors– Identify corrective actions– Send report results to the appropriate people

Why Investigate Accidents?

– Determine the root cause– Identify corrective actions– Prevent the accident from happening again– Document the accident– Report findings to agency Safety Coordinators

You Have Key Roles

– Report any accident or near-miss immediately– As a witness, describe what you observed– Provide your knowledge of normal operating

practices in the situation– Suggest corrective actions

Accident Investigators

– Employees trained to investigate accidents

– Safety committee member

– Supervisor– Safety Coordinator

Investigator’s Qualifications

– Understand important role of accident investigation

– Have authority and accountability– Have skills to evaluate the incident– Ability to clearly communicate details

Investigate All Accidents

– Workplace fatality– Lost time from the

job or days away from work

– Restricted ability to work

– Medical treatment– First aid – Near-miss incidents

When to Investigate?

– Immediately after incident

– Interview witnesses before memories fade

– Assess the scene before clues are moved

– Finish investigation quickly

Accident Investigation Is Like a Police Investigation

– Check the scene before anything has been moved

– Assemble evidence– Interview the

witnesses– Find what, why, and

how

The Accident Occurs

– Employee immediately reports the accident to a supervisor

– Supervisor assesses need for outside medical treatment

– Accident scene is left intact– Supervisor contacts OptaComp– Supervisor completes incident form and

Beginning the Investigation

– Investigator reports to the scene

– Look at the big picture

– Record initial observations

– Take pictures if they will aid in the investigation

Questions that Need Answers

– What happened?– When did it happen?– Where did it happen?– Who was involved?– How did it happen?– Why did it happen?– How can we keep it

from happening again?

Fact Gathering

– Name of injured and involved employees

– Name of witnesses– Date and time of the

incident– Work shift

information

Fact Gathering (cont.)

– General location of the incident– Specific location of involved employees– Normal job duties and training– Type of injury and body part injured

Fact Gathering (cont.)

– Machines, tools, or equipment used

– Chemicals involved– Environmental

conditions

Interviewing Witnesses

– Interview witnesses one at a time– Convey your desire to prevent accidents– Encourage witness to describe the accident in his

or her own words– Discuss what happened leading up to and after

the accident– Use open-ended questions

Sequence of Events

– Events leading up to the incident

– Describe events of the incident

– Events that happened immediately after the incident

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

Causal Factors

– Try not to accept single cause theory– Identify underlying causes – Primary cause– Secondary causes

Corrective Actions

– Immediate corrective actions– Recommended corrective actions

Employee training Preventive maintenance activities Better job procedures Hazard recognition and reporting Engineering or administrative changes

Completed Report

– Completed and by investigator

– Reviewed by employee and their supervisor

– Forwarded to management and the Agency Safety Coordinator

Key Points to Remember

– Accident investigations prevent other accidents– Investigate accidents immediately– Gather all the facts– Interview witnesses one at a time– Record detailed description– Determine causal factors– Conduct corrective actions– Accident review between injured worker and their supervisor– Reports sent to Agency Safety Coordinator

Accident InvestigationAccident Investigation

State of FloridaLoss Prevention Program