Workplaces accident investigations

Reporting and collection of data on accident risks by means of accident and near-accident investigations, workplace inspections, SHE audits and risk analyses. Methods of data collection include observation, interviews, self-reporting, group discussions, electronic registration, etc. 

Thorough and effective analyses of workplace incidents are critical components of a comprehensive safety management system. Yet, many incident analysis processes (i.e., accident investigations) fall short. They frequently fail to identify and resolve the real root causes of injuries, process incidents and near misses. Because the true root causes of incidents are within the system, the system must change to prevent the incident from happening again. 

All 41 accident investigation reports contained preconditions of unsafe acts as contributing factors. However, only sevenreports identified SrdTier factors of 1st Tier category Unsafe supervision/workplace factors and 16 accident reports contained 3rd Tier factors of 1 st Tier category Organizational influences . 

Organizations can use a variety of processes to analyze workplace hazards and accident causal factors. Hazard evaluations and accident trend analysis can help improve the effectiveness of established hazard controls. Routine analysis enables an organization to develop and implement appropriate controls for hazardous processes or unsafe operations. Analysis processes rely on information collected from hazard surveys, inspections, hazard reports, and accident investigations. This analysis process can provide a snapshot of hazard information. Effective analysis can then take the snapshots and create viable pictures of hazards and accident causal factors. 

Identification of hazards includes those items that can assist you in identifying workplace hazards and determining what corrective action is necessary to control them. Actions include worksite safety inspections, accident investigations, meetings of safety and health committees, and project safety meetings. To accomplish the identification of hazards, the following should be reviewed ... 

Many companies conduct accident investigations and keep accident records and other data on the company s safety and health initiatives. If a company has a sufficient number of accidents/incidents and enongh detail in their occupational injury/illness investigation data, the company can begin to examine trends or emerging issues relevant to their safety and health intervention/prevention efforts. The analysis of this data can be nsed to evaluate the effectiveness of safety and health at various workplaces, jobsites, or for groups of workers. The safety and health data can be used by a company to compare to that of other companies that perform similar work, employ a comparable workforce, or compete in the same kind and size of market on a state, regional, national, or international basis. 

Published more than ten years ago, the first edition of Accident/Incident Prevention Techniques provided clear, comprehensive guidance on how to mitigate the cost, in personnel and to the bottom line, of accidents/incidents in the workplace. Significantly revised and updated, this Second Edition takes its place as the A to Z hands-on guide to the responsibilities, principles, tools, and techniques involved in accident investigative planning and preparation. 

In the accident investigation, several accident factors are generally found at both the organisation level and the individual level (see e.g., Jounila and Reiman 2012 Tihinen and Ijas 2010). Cantor (2008) states that there has been increased interest in the research of the accident factors contributing to workplace accidents. It is important that the investigation is not finished when immediate accident factors have been found rather, the investigation should continue until the root causes are... 

Any inspection of an employer s factory, plant, establishment, construction site, or other area, workplace or environment where work is performed by an employee of an employer, and includes any inspection conducted pursuant to a complaint filed under 1903.11(a) and (c), any reinspection, follow-up inspection, accident investigation or other inspection conducted under suction 8(a) of the Act. 

Although some steps were taking place in the United Kingdom to reduce accidents -for instance, the 1855 Factory Act provided for surgeons to investigate workplace accidents - the principal interest in the nineteerrth century was in occupational disease, perhaps because the inspection system was headed by doctors. A scientific approach to the causes of accidents, and the acute physical trauma some produced, really started in the USA. 

McLean, C. (1994). Accident Investigation - An Opportunity for Prevention. Australian Journal of Workplace Health and Safety, 12(1), 9-13. 

A review made by this author of a variety of accident investigation reports (not limited to machinery) concluded that there were implications of workplace and work methods design inadequacies in over 35 percent of cases. To reduce serious injury and fatality potential, this author proposes that prevention through design be established as a... 

Accident investigation should be fact-finding and not fault-finding and, if used effectively, can contribute greatly to the reduction of accidents and near miss incidents occurring in a workplace. Once the near miss incidents are identified and their causes corrected the probability of accidents occurring is reduced. 

Most occurrences of accidents are due to a failure of management to be able to control acts and conditions in the workplace. Once an accident occurs, management has the obligation to ensure that a similar act does not recur. This is achieved through proper accident investigation. 

The written safety and health program establishes procedures and responsibilities for the identification and correction of workplace hazards. The following activities can be nsed to identify and control workplace hazards hazard reporting system, jobsite inspections, accident investigation, and expert audits. 

As you look at the contents of this book, you will probably say to yourself that this is nothing new. I would have to agree with you that IMe of what is in this book is new. But, what this book does is consolidate a whole host accident/incident prevention qtproaches into one source. When you want a comprehensive approach to accident/ incident prevention, you are hard pressed to find a source which attempts to cover in some detail the true nuts and bolts for doing so. You will find books that cover accident investigation or some that address each hazard in some detail, which are present in the workplace. Even if accident prevention is addressed incorporating the topics that are found in this book, seldom is enough detail provided to allow you to put these accident prevention techniques to work for you. 

In action research, scientists participate in the introduction of changes in the SHE information system of a company. They evaluate how these changes affect the behaviour of its organisation and the company s accident rates. Many studies report reductions in accident rates following the introduction of such measures as improved accident investigation and workplace inspection routines and introduction of near-accident reporting (Adams et al., 1981 Menckel, 1990 Komaki et al., 1978). 

---