What are the steps involved in investigating an Accident? Do you know the types of incident investigation techniques?

What are the steps involved in investigating an Accident? Do you know the types of incident investigation techniques?

Investigation of the incidents done by organisation to ascertain the root causes so as to prevent recurrence. If investigation not done religiously and done for the sake of paper work then recurrence of the incidents is probable. Prime reason for doing accident investigation is to ascertain the root cause, eliminate the root cause or apply hierarchy of controls in the form of corrective and preventive actions to prevent recurrence in future.Accident investigation points out the actual gap in the ideal practice of managing health and safety (What went wrong). This helps management to correct the gap and prevent accident in future.Accident investigation motivates workforce that management is keen to prevent accident at workplace and in case when accident investigation clear cut protocol is being followed then this motivation increases exponentially.

So what one should do to get good quality investigation? Answer is as below:

1-      Any accident/ incident must be followed by reporting protocol with in time bounded manner to designated person. Time frame of reporting the incident may vary upon the severity of the incident/accident. Severe or fatal accidents should be reported within 2 hours internally and 8 hours to the external authorities. Also this protocol should contain details about the type of incident and team who is responsible to do the investigation. Severe incident investigation should be done by multi experts of different field and top management team.

2-      Team should discuss among themselves before initiating the incident investigation. Objective should be on fact finding not fault finding. Team should not be biased for the cause of the accident.

3-      Investigation team follow methodologies like HSG245 to collects the database and evaluate the data for root cause following use of incident methodologies.

4-      Few techniques like Why- Why analysis (Usually investigator asks why on each answer from victim or the concerned involved). Last why gives cause and action against that cause(s) gives to the action plan. Few other techniques are Fish bone analysis (Ishikawa), Accident causation theories etc.

5-      Now after selecting proper methodology, team, technique for investigation, team can initiate investigation.

6-      Initially Start asking close ended question like where were you during the incident, when incident happen. After some time you can ask open ended question like what was happened?

7-      Arrive at the root causes after examining witness, site condition, pictures snaps, analyzing process variations, victim interview if any.

8-      Now develop an action plan following root causes. This action plan should be developed in time bounded manner and time frames should be clearly mentioned.

9-      Review implementation of the action plan and provide feedback to action plan after review in case gaps found in previous action plan.

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10-   Repeat the cycle for all accident/incident investigation, check effectiveness.