Assignment Help: Accident Investigation
Investigation Kit
Several items are needed to carry out a good investigation. Having the equipment readily available will allow the
investigator to concentrate on the investigation itself without having to go backwards and forwards to collect
items during the investigation, or even worse, carry out a poor investigation because the items were not available
when or where needed.
The following provides some common needs and acts as a guideline only. These items should be adapted to meet
The special needs of each company, site, or plant are identified.
Tools & General Equipment
- Digital camera
- Flashlight (explosion proof?)
- Protractor
- Scissors
- Pliers
- Knife – small blade (pocket)
- Magnifying glass
- Mirrors – large & small (dental)
- Rope – nylon
- Material to cordon off areas
- Measuring tape
Administrative Supplies
- Accident / Incident Investigation Report Form
- Interview / Statement Forms
- Incident Causation / Problem Solving Model
- Incident Investigation Process Flowchart
- Note pads
- Plastic covered clipboard
- Graph paper
- Felt tip markers
- Ball-point pens
- Soft pencils
Visiting the Scene
Speed and thoroughness are both necessary in incident investigations. Memories fade and evidence disappears.
Balancing the numerous activities to be undertaken when visiting the scene is a great challenge for the
investigator.
Take Control
Take Control of the situation and make the area safe for yourself and any others entering the scene. Consider
any imminent risk situations (e.g., moving equipment to secure the scene).
Management must be notified immediately of the incident, injured parties, damaged material and equipment, and any requests to shut down operations to secure the area. An incident may result in chaos, and people may panic.
The situation must be brought under control at once in order for rescue work to proceed. Secondary
incidents (such as fires, equipment or structural failures) may result from the initial incident. These hazards
should be controlled as soon as possible.
Care for the Injured
First aid or paramedics should be called to care for the injured immediately. If chemicals are involved, ensure
that copies of the material safety data sheets (MSDSs) are provided to the hospital with the injured.
Secure the Area
To protect evidence and to avoid further injuries or damage, people should be kept out of the incident scene
until the investigators arrive (except to relieve suffering). One method is to rope off the area and notify
management that the incident scene is non-accessible
Contact Appropriate People
The employer should establish a procedure for notifying individuals concerned (e.g. investigation team,
management staff, family) If the incident is serious (see Reporting Serious Incidents under the Definitions
section), the Workman’s Compensation Commissioner must be notified immediately.
Also, the injured worker’s family should be contacted with the necessary empathy towards their loss/situation.
Gather Names and Addresses of Eye Witnesses
Inquire with those at the incident scene and management staff as to who witnessed the incident. Obtain the
witnesses name, address, and phone numbers and make a point of contacting them for an interview as soon as
possible.
Sketch The Scene and Take Measurements
To improve the usefulness of field notes, sketch the scene and measure the area. Note and map the positions and
condition of the injured workers, tools, equipment and materials involved, safety devices and personal protective
equipment, machinery and equipment controls and anything else of value.
Tips on Sketching
Place the important information in the centre of the drawing and draw the rest around it. Include all
measurements, angles, and direction indicators taken at the site. Include the final positions of casualties and
debris.
Do not worry about making drawings to scale or creating artistically perfect drawings. Attempt to draw
each item correctly related to the other items present. Label items correctly. Cross-reference your sketches and
photographs to applicable files and occupational safety and health committee minute forms.
Photographing
Photographs and video recordings aid in preparing and delivering your report as well as in analyzing conditions at
the site of the incident.
Photos/Video are also useful when briefing the stakeholders such as the management
team and Safety and Health Committee. Photographs and video recordings should always be taken as soon as
possible. Below are some techniques useful in taking photographs at incident scenes:
- Start by photographing the general area, then move to the specific scene of the incident.
- Take photos from all sides, several angles, and close-up and isolation shots.
- Ask witnesses to direct where shots should be taken and note their comments.
- Create a photo log which includes when the shot was taken (date and time of day), by whom, location, under what lighting conditions, what the shot contains, identifying number on a sketch of the area, brief description of what the photograph is trying to identify.
- Store the pictures in plastic photographic file pages in a binder beside relevant notes and sketches.
- Cross-reference photos with the location of physical evidence and relevant notes.
When video recording, narrate the pertinent points identified above. Collecting Evidence/Samples
Depending on the incident, you may want to take one or more samples of evidence found at the incident scene,
which may require examination by qualified personnel.
(The decision to utilize experts to collect evidence should be exercised – e.g. handling controlled products or analysis of engineered systems). An investigator must ensure that she/he exercises caution when handling evidence for two distinct reasons:
1. To protect themselves against harm from handling evidence such as damaged equipment or chemical
substances, one should assess the need to wear personal protective equipment.
2. To preserve the evidence, care should be taken to maintain the original state of the evidence. Since liquids
can evaporate quickly and other materials may be cleaned up before you can get a sample, it is very
important to take your samples as soon as possible.
Examples of things you might want to sample include:
Any tools, materials, machinery part or subassembly which is suspected of failure, malfunction, misfit or
faulty design.
- Air samples or other samples if the presence of impurities or toxic substances may have contributed to the
incident. - Liquids or solids which are not normally present at the site of the incident.
- Carefully wrap and label everything in clean, dry and leakproof containers.
Note where each specimen came from and what the initial appearance was like. Avoid destroying or altering exhibits during the examination.
Note the environment (e.g. noise, heat, cold, ventilation and chemical contaminants). Find out the weather conditions at the time of the incident, if applicable.
Note: A Safety and Health Officer may conduct an incident investigation if a serious incident occurs at the workplace. The Officer will require that items involved in the incident (e.g. equipment, materials) not be moved unless it is necessary to release an injured person or to avoid creating additional hazards
Return the Incident Scene to Normal Use
Once you have gathered all the evidence and information needed, ensure that the incident scene is returned to
normal use.
This may involve disinfecting the area if blood was spilled, checking equipment and materials to assess
functionality, and ensuring that the incident will not be repeated. If a process or piece of equipment needs to be
stopped until further examination will prove its effectiveness/safety, notify the management immediately to cease.
Conducting Interviews
One of the main methods of gathering information in an incident investigation is by interviewing people who were
at the incident scene.
Interviews should also be conducted with anyone who can give relevant information, even if they were not present. Examples include: a supervisor who gave instructions at the start of the shift, a trainer who instructed the worker, (even months earlier) or a worker who performs the same job as the injured worker.
Information presented here will aid the interviewer in establishing a framework for the overall process. The amount
of openness that develops during an interview depends a great deal on the rapport and atmosphere established
during the initial contact.
Categorize Witnesses
There are several categories of witnesses who could have information helpful to determining the causes of an
incident.
Eyewitnesses – those who actually saw the incident happen or were involved in the incident.
Witnesses who heard the incident.
Those who came on the scene immediately after the incident.
Those who saw events leading to the incident.
Those who have information about the work tasks, processes, safety devices in use, materials, equipment, and
other conditions involved in the incident.
Consider the expertise, background and credibility of each witness.
Consider where they were when the incident occurred.
Interview Witnesses As Soon As Possible
To obtain as untainted version of the story as possible, witnesses should be interviewed as soon as practicable
after the incident. If interviews are not done quickly, memories of witnesses may fade, and information become
distorted.
Suppose witnesses have an opportunity to discuss the event among themselves. In that case, individual perceptions may be lost in the normal process of accepting a consensus view where doubt exists about the facts. For this reason,
witnesses should be separated as soon as possible.
Witnesses should be interviewed individually rather than in a group, preferably at the scene of the incident, where it is easier to establish the positions of each person involved and description of the events. If necessary, conduct more detailed interviews later as evidence, such as photographs, becomes available.
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