Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Accurate Interviews
When.possible,.the.victims.and.witnesses.should.be.interviewed.at.the.scene.of.the.
accident..There.are.several.reason.why.this.is.the.best.procedure.to.follow:
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1.. The. average. employee. has. dificulty. explaining. with. words. only,. how. an.
accident.happened..At.the.scene,.the.employee.can.point.out.things..This.
results.in.a.better.understanding.of.what.happened.and.why.
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2.. Employees.are.less.likely.to.stray.from.the.facts.when.they.are.telling.about.
the.occurrence.at.the.scene.of.the.accident..When.not.at.the.scene,.some.
employees.are.inclined.to.exaggerate.the.role.of.environmental.factors.as.
contributors.to.the.accident.
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3.. Supervisors.can.better.evaluate.the.part.that.environmental.hazards.played.
in.the.accident.when.they.see.the.work.areas.with.their.own.eyes.
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4.. Often,.supervisors.can.get.a.better.idea.of.what.needs.to.be.done.to.prevent.
recurrence.when.they.have.the.opportunity.to.size.up.the.actual.situation.
When.starting.the.interview,.follow.these.key.steps:
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Remind.employees.of.the.investigation's.purpose.
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Ask.employees.to.give.their.complete.version.of.the.accident.
•.
Ask.them.questions.to.ill.in.the.gaps.
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Check.your.understanding.of.the.accident.
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Discuss.how.to.prevent.this.type.of.accidents.recurrence.
expanding the Interview for details
During.the.interview,.the.investigator.should.introduce.control.questions.to.ensure.
the.accuracy.of.statistical.data.as.well.as.permit.subsequent.evaluation.of.the.reli-
ability.of.information.supplied.by.the.witness..The.control.questions.should.include
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1.. Time.and.location.of.the.accident.
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2.. Environment:.weather,.lighting,.temperature,.noise,.distractions,.conceal-
ments..Include.pre-contact,.contact,.and.post-contact.time.periods.by.spe-
ciic.questions.
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3.. Positions.of.people,.equipment,.material,.and.their.relationships.to.pre-contact,.
contact,. and. post-contact. events.. Include. the. position. of. the. witness. being.
interviewed.
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4.. Other. witnesses,. known. as. well. as. those. unidentiied. by. name,. and. their.
positions.
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5.. If. anything. was. moved,. repositioned,. turned. off. or. on,. or. taken. from. the.
scene.(including.the.injured).during.pre-contact,.contact,.and.post-contact.
phases.
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6.. Observations.of.the.response.of.emergency.teams.and.supervisory.person-
nel.and.their.actions.at.the.scene.
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7.. What.attracted.the.witness'.attention.to.the.accident?
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8.. What.would.the.witness.do.to.prevent.getting.involved.in.a.similar.accident.
under.similar.circumstances?
