Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Management.adds.a.contribution.when.it.actively.supports.accident.investigations..
It.is.normally.the.responsibility.of.line.supervisors.to.investigate.all.accidents;.and.
in.cases.where.there.is.serious.injury.or.equipment.damage,.other.personnel.such.as.
department.managers,.might.also.have.an.investigation.team.become.involved.
Once.the.types.of.accidents/incidents.occurring.have.been.determined,.prevention.
and.intervention.activities.can.be.undertaken.to.ensure.that.no.recurrences.will.tran-
spire..Even.if.the.company.is.not.experiencing.large.numbers.of.accidents/incidents,.
it.still.needs.to.implement.activities.that.actively.search.for,.identify,.and.correct.the.
risk.from.hazards.on.jobsites..Reasons.to.investigate.accidents/incidents.include
•.
To.know.and.understand.what.happened
•.
To.gather.information.and.data.for.present.and.future.use
•.
To.deter.cause.and.effect
•.
To. provide. answers. for. the. effectiveness. of. intervention. and. prevention.
approaches
•.
To.document.the.circumstances.for.legal.and.workers'.compensation.issues
•.
To.become.a.vital.component.of.your.safety.and.health.program
If.only.a.few.accidents/incidents.are.occurring,.investigations.might.want.to.move.
down.one.step.to.examine.near-misses.and.irst.aid.related.cases..It.is.only.a.matter.
of.luck.or.timing.that.separates.the.near-miss.or.irst.aid.event.from.being.a.serious,.
recordable,. or. reportable. event.. The. truth. is. that. the. company. probably. has. been.
lucky.by.seconds.or.inches..(That.is,.a.second.later.and.it.would.have.hit.someone.or.
an.inch.more.and.it.would.have.cut.off.a.inger.).Truly,.it.pays.dividends.to.take.the.
time.to.investigate.accidents/incidents.occurring.in.the.workplace.
rePortIng AccIdents
When.accidents.are.not.reported,.their.causes.usually.go.uncorrected,.allowing.the.
chance.for.the.same.accident.to.result.again..Every.accident,.if.properly.investigated,.
serves.as.a.learning.experience.to.the.people.involved..The.investigation.should.avoid.
becoming.a.mechanical.routine..It.should.strive.to.establish.what.happened,.why.it.
happened,.and.what.must.be.done.to.prevent.a.recurrence..An.accident.investigation.
must.be.conducted.to.ind.out.the.facts.and.not.to.place.blame.
The. irst. step. in. an. effective. investigation. is. the. prompt. reporting. of. accidents..
The.company.cannot.respond.to.accidents,.evaluate.their.potential,.and.investigate.
them. if. they. are. not. reported. when. they. happen.. Prompt. reporting. is. the. key. to.
effective. accident. investigations.. Hiding. small. accidents. does. not. help. prevent. the.
serious.accidents.that.kill.people,.put.the.company.out.of.business,.and.take.away.
jobs..If workers.do.not.report.accidents.to.the.supervisor,.they.are.stealing.part.of.the.
supervisor's.authority.to.manage.his.or.her.job.(see.Table 3.1).
The.results-oriented.supervisor.recognizes.that.the.real.value.of.investigation.can.
only.be.achieved.when.his.or.her.workers.report.every.problem,.incident,.or.accident.
that. they. know. of.. To. promote. conscientious. reporting,. it. may. be. helpful. to. know.
