1. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Accident Investigation

2. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Session Objectives You will be able to: Understand your role in the investigation process Gather facts Talk to witnesses Determine causal factors Identify corrective actions

3. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Why Investigate Accidents? Determine the root cause Identify corrective actions Prevent the accident from happening again Document the accident Complete OSHA-required reporting

4. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 OSHA Wants to Know Employee fatality—notify OSHA in 8 hours Employee hospitalized, amputation, or eye loss—notify OSHA within 24 hours Document each injury Record injuries on OSHA 300 Log Post OSHA 300 Log

5. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 You Have Key Roles Report any accident or near-miss immediately As a witness, describe what you observed Provide your knowledge of normal operating practices in the situation Suggest corrective actions

6. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Accident Investigation Team Employees trained to investigate accidents Safety committee member Supervisor Safety manager Production manager Plant manager

7. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Investigator’s Qualifications Understand important role of accident investigation Have authority and accountability Have skills to evaluate the incident Communicate details

8. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Why Investigate and Your Role—Any Questions Any questions about why we need to investigate accidents or your role in the investigation process?

9. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Investigate All Accidents Workplace fatality Lost time from the job or days away from work Restricted ability to work Medical treatment First aid Near-miss incidents

10. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 When to Investigate? Immediately after incident Interview witnesses before memories fade Assess the scene before clues are moved Finish investigation quickly

11. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Accident Investigation Is Like a Police Investigation Check the scene before anything has been moved Assemble evidence Interview the witnesses Not looking for a criminal; not trying to place blame on anyone Find what, why, and how

12. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 The Accident Occurs Employee immediately reports the accident to a supervisor Supervisor treats the injury or assesses need for outside medical treatment Accident scene is left intact Supervisor contacts the accident investigation team If able, injured employee completes incident form

13. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Beginning the Investigation Get the investigation kit Team reports to the scene Look at the big picture Record initial observations Take pictures

14. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Investigation Kit Camera Report forms, clipboard, pens Barricade tape Flashlight Tape measure Tape recorder Work gloves

15. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Any Questions? Any questions about what and when to investigate or the investigation kit?

16. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Questions that Need Answers What happened? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Who was involved? How did it happen? Why did it happen? How can we keep it from happening again?

17. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Fact Gathering Name of injured and involved employees Name of witnesses Date and time of the incident Work shift information

18. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Fact Gathering (cont.) General location of the incident Specific location of involved employees Normal job duties and training Type of injury and body part injured

19. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Fact Gathering (cont.) Machines, tools, or equipment Chemicals involved Environmental conditions Production schedule

20. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Interviewing Witnesses Interview witnesses one at a time Convey your desire to prevent accidents Encourage witness to describe the accident in his or her own words Discuss what happened leading up to and after the accident Use open-ended questions

21. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Sequence of Events Events leading up to the incident Describe events of the incident Events that happened immediately after the incident Draw a chart of the events

22. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Incident Description Details so reader can clearly picture the incident Specific body parts affected Specific motions of injured employee just before, during, and after incident

23. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Any Questions? Any questions about gathering facts, interviewing witnesses, or describing the incident?

24. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Causal Factors Try not to accept single cause theory Identify underlying causes Primary cause Secondary causes

25. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Corrective Actions Immediate corrective actions Recommended corrective actions Employee training Preventive maintenance activities Better job procedures Hazard recognition Engineering or administrative changes

26. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Completed Report Signed by investigation team members Signed by injured employee Forwarded to management

27. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Causes and Corrective Actions—Any Questions? Any questions about finding causal factors or implementing corrective actions?

28. © BLR ® —Business & Legal Resources 1501 Key Points to Remember Accident investigations prevent other accidents Investigate accidents immediately Gather all the facts Interview witnesses one at a time Record detailed description Determine causal factors Conduct corrective actions