Accident investigation facilitator

A future chapter will be devoted to effective incident/accident investigations. Every incident (near miss) or accident provides a continuous improvement opportunity that should result in root cause analysis and corrective actions. Here is a chance to utilize someone with a passion for lean, and his/her problem-solving skill sets, to fill this safety team position. Eilling this role provides another opportunity to develop a future business leader. 

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Accident Phases In an accident investigation, when evaluating the sequence of events that resulted in an accident, the events are divided into three phases or categories precontact (before the accident), contact (the accident), and postcontact (after the accident). Analysis of the events occurring in each phase facilitates the identification of loss-inducing activities and conditions. Also referred to as the three stages of loss control. 

If there is an immediate threat to human life, employees should immediately call emergency responders (911 or an equivalent number) if the plant has trained emergency response personnel. An accident report form must be filled out within 24 h of the incident. It is critical to capture as much information as possible about events leading up to the accident. Prompt and factual reporting of accidents facilitates accident investigation and acquisition of necessary information that will eventually go into the system safety analyses and be incorporated into the company SMS. If the accident is serious, an investigation board should be set up immediately. All accidents should be investigated. 

Supervisors might be accountable to conduct accident investigations at their organizational level. To facilitate this effort, management should train supervisors and ensure that they are familiar with the accident investigation plan. The following might be in a kit for the supervisors to use ... 

The safety committee s role can include periodic site or area inspections, audits, assistance in accident investigations, and facilitation of employee hazard notifications. 

When conducting the accident or incident investigation, try and use a neutral room rather than a manager s office. That will help set people at ease. Included in the investigation meeting should be the Individual or individuals involved in the incident, their supervisor, an HR representative, and a facilitator to lead the investigation. Others can be added as appropriate. 

Root cause analysis provides a means to investigate underlying problems. Facilitates understanding of how an accident event occurred by discovering the underlying root causes (management system weaknesses) of the key contributors (causal factors). 

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