Use of checklists and reporting forms

The checklists on deviations and causal factors in Tables 6.8 and 6.11 have been designed according to the first principle. Different studies show that the use of tools designed according to this principle improve the reliability and coverage of data collection in accident and near-accident investigations (Kjellen, 1983). 

The ILCI model has been applied in the design of accident investigation checklists according to the second principle. Such checklists are relatively easy to apply in accident investigations and in the subsequent analysis and coding of the results for statistical purposes. They suffer from a poor reliability (different investigators will come up with different results) and from an inadequate coverage of the detailed circumstances of the accidents and near accidents. 

Experiences of the British Airway Safety Services (BASIS) near-accident reporting system support the use of a form for self-reporting with open-ended questions according to the first principle (Reason, 1997). BASIS first tried a form with questions concerning types of human errors and contributing factors, where the answers were given in a multiple-choice format. The resulting data suffered from poor validity and reliability. 

This was because the flight-crew personnel did not have a good understanding of the underlying concepts. The introduction of a new form with open-ended questions resulted in a dramatic improvement in the reliability of the data. It was also possible to collect data on a variety of issues that had not been covered before. The introduction of the new form was accompanied by a change in the organisation, where the causal-analysis work was moved from the flight-crew personnel to a team of human-factor analysts. 

The use of detailed checklists is no panacea for improving the quality in accident and near-accident investigations. Such checklists may even be counterproductive if they replace thoughtful reflection on experience, and documentation of this in free-text descriptions. 

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