Accident Investigation Case Study The purpose ...

Accident Investigation Case Study The purpose of accident investigation is to establish how an accident happened, and how to prevent it from happening again.
After an accident occurs, it is important that it is reported properly. In most cases, accidents only need to be reported internally, i.e. kept within the company or organization. However, there are certain types of accident that need to be reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), or the Local Authority. These ‘statutory reportable cases’ are found in a piece of health and safety law known as the Reporting of Injury Disease and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). This law requires employers to report certain accidents by telephone (or via the internet) within 24 hours of the accident occurring. Also, the accident should be reported to the authority on a special form and submitted within 7 days of the accident.
The next step is to gather information about the accident and about the events that led up to the accident. Interviews with people who were injured or involved are essential. Interviews may also need to be conducted with people who supervise the area where the accident occurred. Drawings and photographs are a good way of recording the scene of the accident. Things to consider during the information gathering stage are:


What happened?


Who was involved?


What equipment was being used at the time?


Were procedures being followed at the time and, if so, copies of those procedures should be looked at?


What was the injured person actually doing at the time of the accident and immediately before the accident?


How did the injury occur?


Were any first aid measures taken and, if so, by whom?


Who was the site supervisor?


Were there any witnesses?


What personal protective equipment was being worn at the time of the accident?


What was the sequence of events that led up to the accident?


This final point is an important one. It is essential for anyone who investigates an accident to fully understand the sequence of events. An accident often occurs, not because of the immediate thing that went wrong, but because of something much earlier going wrong.
Once information has been gathered, it should be analyzed thoroughly. This is the stage when the investigator can start to piece together the sequence of events and to start understanding why the incident occurred and, more importantly, the underlying reasons for the accident.
Many accident investigators use a ‘tree’ diagram to show the events that led up to the accident. This technique puts the accident at the top of the tree and the branches that come from the top show the contributing factors. In fact, ...