1. Accident Investigation Basic
How to do Investigate workplace accidents for managers and supervisors

2. What you will learn What is an accident or incident?
Why should you investigate both?
How do you find the true cause?
How should you investigate?
What should be the results of the investigation?

3. What Is An Accident?
An unplanned, unwanted, but controllable event which disrupts the work process and causes injury to people.
Most everyone would agree that an accident is unplanned and unwanted. The idea that an accident is controllable might be a new concept. An accident stops the normal course of events and causes property damage, or personal injury, minor or serious and occasionally results in a fatality.

4. What is an “Accident”?
Definition: “an unforeseen event”, “chance”, “unexpected happening”, formerly “Act of God”
From experience and analysis: they are “caused occurrences”
Predictable - the logical outcome of hazards
Preventable and avoidable - hazards do not have to exist. They are caused by things people do -- or fail to do.
Fatalities
Severe Injuries
Predictable if you touch the hot pan you will be burned
If the corner of the stainless steel counter is sharp it will cut someone
Preventable – putting boxes in a pathway will cause someone to fall
Wearing heatproof gloves when cleaning the fryer or grill will avoid a burn
Minor injuries
Close calls
Hazardous conditions

5. What Is An Incident?
An incident may disrupt the work process, but does not result in injury or damage. It should be looked as a “wake up call”. It can be thought of as the first of a series of events which could lead to a situation in which harm or damage does occur.
An incident disrupts the work process, does not result in injury or damage, but should be looked as a “wake up call”. Could be thought of as the first of a series of events which could lead to a situation in which harm or damage occurs. Employers should investigate an incident to determine the root cause and use the information to stop process and behaviors that could just as easily have resulted in an accident.
Example of an incident: A 50 lb carton falls off the top shelf of a 12’ high rack and lands near a worker. This event is unplanned, unwanted, and has the potential for injury.

6. Accidents Don’t Just Happen
An accident is not “just one of those things”.
Accidents are predictable and preventable events.
They don’t have to happen.
Most workplace injuries and illness are not due to “accidents”. The term accident is defined as an unexpected or unintentional event, that it was “just bad luck”. More often than not it is a predictable or foreseeable “eventuality”.
Let’s take our mythical 50 lb carton falling 12’, for the 2nd time, only this time it hits a worker, causing injury. Predictable? Yes. Preventable? Yes.

7. “The Tip of the Iceberg”
Accidents
Accidents or injuries are the tip of the iceberg of hazards.
Investigate incidents since they are potential “accidents in progress”.
Incidents

8. The “Accident Weed” Hazardous Conditions Practices Root Causes
Missing guard
Horseplay
Poor housekeeping
Ignored safety rules
Defective tools
Didn’t follow procedures
Equipment failure
Did not report hazard
No MSDS’s
Don’t know how
Purchasing unsafe equipment
Poor work procedures
Haz conditions – management control
Haz practice – employee control
Root causes – policies, poor training, management, enforcement of rules
Roots may not result in an accident but do contribute to it
Lack of supervision
No follow-up/feedback
Rules not enforced
Lack of Training
Lack of safety leadership
Poor safety management
Poor safety leadership
Root Causes

9. The Five Whys
Basic Question - Keeping asking “What caused or allowed this condition/practice to occur?” until you get to root causes.
My car will not start. (the problem)
1) Why? - The battery is dead. (first why)
2) Why? - The alternator is not functioning. (second why)
3) Why? - The alternator belt has broken. (third why)
4) Why? - The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and has never been replaced. (fourth why)
5) Why? - I have not been maintaining my car according to the recommended service schedule. (fifth why and the root cause)
5 Whys method is to determine a root cause of a defect or problem – accident or quality improvement
My car will not start. (the problem)
1) Why? - The battery is dead. (first why)
2) Why? - The alternator is not functioning. (second why)
3) Why? - The alternator belt has broken. (third why)
4) Why? - The alternator belt was well beyond its useful service life and has never been replaced. (fourth why)
5) Why? - I have not been maintaining my car according to the recommended service schedule. (fifth why, root cause)

10. Why Investigate? Prevent future incidents (leading to accidents).
Identify and eliminate hazards.
Expose deficiencies in process and/or equipment.
Reduce injury and worker compensation costs.
Maintain worker morale.
Meet regulatory standards.
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If time: Ask audience: Any other reasons to investigate?

11. Investigate All Incidents and Accidents
Conduct and document an investigation that answers:
Who was present?
What activities were occurring?
What happened?
Where and what time?
Why did it happen?
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Briefly discuss the concept of “root causes”. Example: An employee gets cut. What is the cause? It is not just the saw or knife or the sharp nail. Was it a broken tool and no one reported? Did someone ignore a hazard because of lack of training, or a policy that discourages reporting? What are other examples of root causes? Enforcement failure, defective PPE, horseplay, no recognition plan, inadequate labeling.

14. Actions At The Accident Scene
Check for danger
Help the injured
Secure the scene
Identify and separate witnesses
Gather the facts – who, what, where, when, how
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First, make sure you and others don’t become victims! Always check for still-present dangerous situations.
Then, help the injured as necessary
Secure the scene and initiate chains of custody for physical evidence
Identify witnesses and physical evidence
Separate witnesses from one another
If physical evidence is stabilized, then begin as quickly as possible with interviews
REMEMBER, BE A GOOD LISTENER

15. Help the Injured Provide First Aid – from the first aid kit
Call family member to take them home, DR. office, walk-in clinic or ER
Call on-campus EMT squad – 911
Clean up bodily fluids
Pay the employee for the rest of the shift, if they seek medical treatment
Cannot tell them where to go for treatment:
Dr. office may give same day for minor sprain strain stitches
Walk-in less expensive than ER

16. Begin Investigation Immediately
It’s crucial to collect evidence and interview witnesses as soon as possible because evidence will disappear and people will forget.
This statement is true for both near-misses, mishaps (incidents) as well as accidents in which injuries or illnesses have resulted.

17. Fact Finding Witnesses and physical evidence
Position of tools and equipment
Equipment operation logs, charts, records
Is there water on the floor?
Were they wearing the correct PPE – non-slip shoes, heat proof gloves

18. Document Complete and online report Take photographs or diagram
Preserve evidence if serious injury occurs

19. Online System Accidents or work injury/illness (no incidents)
Complaints of personal injuries that could later be claimed as work related
Timely
Completely filled out
SAP

20. Confidentiality All medical is confidential
Do not keep copies of reports
If printed must be shredded
Do not discuss with those who have no need to know
Mary is taken out by ambulance after slipping and falling on wet floor. She broke her hip.
Need to know:
Maintenance – leak under sink employee was injured
Coworkers- Mary will be out for a while
Unit Supervisor – Mary is out with a broken hip
Another manager – Have you check your sink valve. I had an employee slip and fall. ( no name) beware as this is a small place.
HR- Mary fell. Got medical treatment beyond first aid. Will be out longer than 3 days.

21. Suspicious
Em’ee asks to leave work to go to the doctor about a sore wrist. They show up next day with a ace bandage on wrist. 3rd day claims (witnessed) they hurt their wrist at work. They subsequently lie to the WC investigator that they had not seen a doctor or had an ace bandage on prior to the claimed date of injury.

22. Notify HR ASAP Lost time Medical treatment Death
Work-related at any time
Personal illness/injury and left work not by themselves
Death
More than 2 sent to hospital
Personal not by themselves: seizure at work called family to drive home, ambulance for dizziness, check pain

23. MOST IMPORTANT
HOW CAN WE PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN??

24. TAKE ACTION – Tuition already paid
Root Causes – enforcement, training, hurrying/horse play
Hazards – broken equipment, leaking floor, wrong chemical
5 Whys – maybe a combination of causes
Slipped on wet floors
Why? Sweating pipe dripping
Why? Cold water/ hot air
Insulate Pipe
And
Put down mats

25. ACTIONS Maintenance Work Order Retrain Signage
Arrange space differently
Remove or label clearly broken equipment
Discipline employees

26. Lack Common Sense ?????

27. FIRST QUESTION How will someone get hurt?
TAKE THE TIME TO OBSERVE add it to check lists monthly beginning of semesters – we do the semester audits

28. Beginning of the Semester
New employees and students
Existing employees not physically use to working/routine/lifting/standing
New equipment/New units – new hazards
Busy and lack student employees

29. New Employees New to ASC or new to you
Do not leave training up to co-workers
Training is not “baptism under fire”
How might this employee be injured?
Take them on a tour of the unit and point out hazards

30. Do you want him training your next employee?
Employee may be as managers and supervisor we should not!!!!

31. RECAP Take care of the injured Document accidents – Gather all facts
Properly investigate accidents and incidences
How can we prevent this from happening again?
ASK yourself: how will someone get hurt?

32. Common Hazards Slips, trips, and falls Cuts Burns
Muscle Strain/ Sprain
Which is the most common injury at ASC ?

33. Why is the rate of slips and falls higher in December than October?
You answered how will someone get hurt. What do you do about it

34. What type of burns do you get in food service?
Chemcials

35. How will a cashier get a shoulder strain?
Repetitive motion

36. Most common way to get a cut at ASC?
Fingers smashed between object pushed or carriers and the door or door jam.