Incident analysis checklist

Risks may be identified through employee identification of them, safely inspections, analysis or accident statistics, and near miss incident audits, checklists and reports. This is not an exhaustive list, however. Once risks are identified, review the process involved from Step 1, within the selected department (Step 2), then evaluate and apply risk control principles in consultation with the department supervisor, employees and health and safety representatives (where they exist). 

Figure 9.4 shows an example of a department-specific checklist that combines a sitewide section with a department-specific section. Notice that this organization elected not to use the standard categories given in the incident analysis worksheet seen in Figure 9.1. Its checklist is organized simply into two categories sitewide pinpoints and bindery pinpoints (which are the items specific to the bindery department).

Training employees to properly fill out incident analysis report completely is essential. Depending on the incident s severity, reports may be narrative or documented on the incident analysis forms or checklists. A narrative report contains detailed answers to the following questions (see Figure 12.1) ... 

An incident analysis form or checklist should contain, as a minimum, employee identification, dates, time, department, shift, location of the incident, a thorough description of the event, and an analysis of the causal factors. As the investigation continues, the checkHst should Hst action items completed or pending to correct the problem (see Figure 12.2). 

A series of checklists is proposed to avoid such incidents in chemical processing operations, and an incompatibility chart for groups of reactive chemicals is given. The methods used for the analysis of the case histories are detailed in a separate... 

This useful companion disk contains root cause analysis examples, predefined tree examples, practical checklists that can be customized, and incident evidence photograph examples. It includes a quick checklist for investigators traveling to an incident, examples of methodologies that may be usefiil in training the onsite team, and checklists and samples from the text that can be printed out at the incident site to help organize the team s work. 

Checklist analysis tools can be a user-friendly means to assist investigation teams as they conduct root cause analysis.h) Each causal factor is reviewed against the checklist to determine why that factor existed at the time of the incident. The Systematic Cause Analysis Technique (SCAT)(9> is an example of a proprietary checklist tool. 

Checklists of varying content and detail are used in incident investigation methodologies as a user-friendly tool to assist root cause analysis. Sometimes a comprehensive checklist may be used as the primary root cause analysis tool, or alternatively a checklist may be simply used to supplement another primary tool. 

It is very clear from the complexity of the situations described in the case studies of the last two chapters, that simple factors of safety, load factors, partial factors or even notional probabilities of failure can cover only a small part of a total description of the safety of a structure. In this chapter we will try to draw some general conclusions from the incidents described as well as others not discussed in any detail in this book. The conclusions will be based upon the general classification of types of failure presented in Section 7.2. Subjective assessments of the truth and importance of the checklist of parameter statements within that classification are analysed using a simple numerical scale and also using fuzzy set theory. This leads us on to a tentative method for the analysis of the safety of a structure yet to be built. The method,however, has several disadvantages which can be overcome by the use of a model based on fuzzy logic. At the end of the chapte(, the discussion of the various possible measures of uncertainty is completed. 

All nodes of a RCA methodology can be examined to identify those that could relate to the antecedents and consequences of problematic behaviours. This information can be used in the form of checklists by incident investigators to lead them into the ABC analysis from their initial investigation using RCA. 

The purpose of the what if analysis technique is to identify hazards/hazardous situations, major incidents, and/or specific accidents pertinent to specific areas, which could develop into undesirable consequences. As stated earlier, this technique is very helpful when various other checklists are unavailable. This is made very clear when a small example is taken. As an example, suppose there is a heating element heating water in a heater. Now, what if the water flow stopped The heater coil may burn out as heat will not be taken away. A precautionary measure will be to cut the power supply to the heater when there is no water flowing. Here, the situation is questioned in the form of what if and the answer is listed. After review a necessary precautionary measure is suggested. This is a very simple situation. However, in complex situations it is better to divide the entire scenario into smaller parts, then carry out the analysis. 

In the checklist the experience from history, similar plants, etc. is used for analysis. If the technology or system is new and there are few analogous data available, then the checklist method may not be of much use even though it is systematic. The what-if part of the analysis uses the team s creativity and experience to brainstorm potential hazards and major incident situations. So,... 

Consequence analysis plays an important part in Chemical Process Quantitative Risk Analysis (CPQRA). CPQRA is a methodology designed to provide management with a tool to help evaluate overall process safety in the chemical process industry (CPI). Management systems such as engineering codes, checklists and process safety management (PSM) provide layers of protection against accidents. However, the potential for serious incidents cannot be totally eliminated. CPQRA provides a quantitative method to evaluate risk and to identify areas for cost-effective risk reduction. 

Scenarios are used to highlight unwanted incidents, potential accident or loss of science in a particular project or activity. The scenarios are based on findings from the checklist, discussion with the design team to identify conditions where there are some unease or based on discussing key root causes from known documented accidents. The scenarios with errors and recoveries are modelled by using a simple STEP analysis, where critical steps are... 

The following (example) checklist is intended to serve only as a guide to possible causes of an incident. The list is not complete, but should function as a starting point to help guide the analysis team toward finding both the immediate, and most importantly, the root cause. 

We will later apply the accident-analysis framework in a review of different types of methods used in the collection and analysis of data of accident risks. We will start at the output side of the model by reviewing the different types of classification systems used to document the consequences of accidents and different measures of loss. We will then continue by looking into the classification systems used to document incidents and deviations. Finally, we will review the different classification systems for contributing factors and root causes. Our aims will be twofold first, to be complete, i.e. by presenting all alternative means of measuring and classification, and second, to give specific advice on the preferred method. The reader will find recommended alternatives in shaded tables and checklists. 

Checklists and questionnaires normally involve the enumeration of a larger number of hazards, hazardous circumstances, and critical incidents. Typically, workers or supervisors are simply asked to evaluate those hazards that are present in their jobs. Although all hazards can certainly not be included in a checklist, those lists provide the key items for any hazard analysis and should not be overlooked as a useful device. 

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