Accident Investigation

27 February 2019

Have you got a process for accident investigation?

I will start by saying, accidents do happen. It can happen even in the most controlled and safety aware business from time to time.  Businesses will experience an accident / incident of some degree and only by finding the root cause can we hope to prevent it recurring.

The HSE define an accident as:

“Any unplanned event that resulted in injury or ill health of people, or damage or loss to property, plant, materials or the environment or a loss of business opportunity”

How we deal with these types of incidents is very important. The first and foremost priority is that of the involved person’s (IP) welfare, followed by prevention of further casualties.  We recommend a process based on the below, of course this won’t fit every incident but it’s a good guide to help you. It is important that an accurate record of the incident is made to provide a clear picture to aid the investigation, possible remedial action, and, although not a pleasant topic - in the event of a liability claim.

  • Get medical care arranged for the IP where relevant, only when the person is safe and receiving appropriate care (where relevant) should you move on from this step in most cases (of course if by doing this there would be a greater risk of harm such as fast moving traffic for instance causing a further incident, then if the IP is not in immediate danger – it may be advisable to start with the second point on this list)
  • Ensure the scene is secured to prevent a further incident.
  • Put together a “Pack” for the incident with all relevant evidence:
    • Take photographs as soon as possible of the scene, injuries and other relevant factors straight away at the time of the incident.
    • Obtain a list of witnesses who were present at the time and arrange for written statements from all of them (including “negative statements” – ones that literally say “I was there but was looking the other way so didn’t see anything”) These should be signed by the witness and the investigator.
    • When practicable and without delay, obtain a written and signed statement from the IP – this should be as soon as reasonably practicable.
    • Secure any CCTV that may cover the incident or the area around the scene, ensure it is archived and won’t be lost.
    • If relevant, obtain a copy of training record cards / certificates for the task relevant to / being completed at the time of the incident.
    • Copy of PPE issue record and subsequent inspection records if relevant.
    • Copy of the risk assessment for the task involved
    • Copy of the safe system of work involved.

The aim of the investigation is primarily to determine the root cause and be able to put in place controls / take remedial action to prevent a recurrence of the incident.

The investigation will also provide a detailed record of the incident should it be required in an investigation into conduct or at a later date if a civil claim happens, it should not be about apportioning blame at the investigation stage, it is about finding and recording the facts.

Records of all actions taken i.e. who spoken to, if processes have been reviewed and why, what remedial action has been taken must be recorded.

Quest are able to offer accident investigation training to give a better understanding of the process, we can also help with a range of documentation from process and procedure documents to investigatory aid documents.

Get in touch and let us start helping you develop your safety management system – prevention is far better than a cure

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