How to Investigate a Workplace Accident
A good accident investigation will answer the following questions:
What happened?
When did it happen?
Where did it happen?
Who was involved?
Why did it happen?
How can it be prevented from happening again?
When an accident happens the first thing to do is to make sure that any injuries are immediately taken care of. The next step is to carefully investigate the events that surrounded the accident.
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Instructions
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Take detailed and accurate notes about the workplace accident. Talk to all witnesses. Be careful not to place blame on anyone. Make sure they understand that you are just trying to get all of the facts. Take photographs, samples, measurements, etc if warranted.
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Avoid talking to those that aren't involved in the accident. Rumors and gossip can distort facts in a workplace accident. Stay focused on the principal facts and key players.
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Immediately contact insurance carriers that might need to be involved. File reports and claims in a timely manner. Be as accurate as possible. Keep all relevant information regarding the accident together in a file for reporting.
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Take the investigation seriously. You are creating a record that might be reviewed by regulatory agencies such as OSHA and insurance investigators.
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Use information attained to help prevent future incidents and accidents. Emphasize the importance of reporting all accidents. Record all corrective actions taken.
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Tips & Warnings
Employees should be constantly alert to potential causes of accidents.
All unsafe conditions should be reported immediately.
Resources
- Photo Credit www.tasc-perth.com.au, www.westernsafety.com, www.ncdc.gov.uk
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Comments
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Terri Brisbane
Apr 11, 2009
How to Investigate a Workplace Accident, good info a lot of places require a drug test too. 5
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Carmen S. Jones
Apr 10, 2009
very informative article. 5
