Accident Investigation State of Florida Loss Prevention Program

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 – Send report results to the appropriate people

Why Investigate Accidents? – Determine the root cause – Identify corrective actions – Prevent the accident from happening again – Document the accident – Report findings to agency Safety Coordinators

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

Accident Investigators – Employees trained to investigate accidents – Safety committee member – Supervisor – Safety Coordinator

Investigator’s Qualifications – Understand important role of accident investigation – Have authority and accountability – Have skills to evaluate the incident – Ability to clearly communicate details

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

When to Investigate? – Immediately after incident – Interview witnesses before memories fade – Assess the scene before clues are moved – Finish investigation quickly

Accident Investigation Is Like a Police Investigation – Check the scene before anything has been moved – Assemble evidence – Interview the witnesses – Find what, why, and how

The Accident Occurs – Employee immediately reports the accident to a supervisor – Supervisor assesses need for outside medical treatment – Accident scene is left intact – Supervisor contacts OptaComp – Supervisor completes incident form and

Beginning the Investigation – Investigator reports to the scene – Look at the big picture – Record initial observations – Take pictures if they will aid in the investigation

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?

Fact Gathering – Name of injured and involved employees – Name of witnesses – Date and time of the incident – Work shift information

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

Fact Gathering (cont.) – Machines, tools, or equipment used – Chemicals involved – Environmental conditions

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

Sequence of Events – Events leading up to the incident – Describe events of the incident – Events that happened immediately after the incident

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

Causal Factors – Try not to accept single cause theory – Identify underlying causes – Primary cause – Secondary causes

Corrective Actions – Immediate corrective actions – Recommended corrective actions Employee training Preventive maintenance activities Better job procedures Hazard recognition and reporting Engineering or administrative changes

Completed Report – Completed and by investigator – Reviewed by employee and their supervisor – Forwarded to management and the Agency Safety Coordinator

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 – Accident review between injured worker and their supervisor – Reports sent to Agency Safety Coordinator

Accident Investigation State of Florida Loss Prevention Program