This article covers Why accidents need investigated.
Why do I need to investigate accidents?
- All effective Health and Safety management systems include monitor and control mechanisms. And effective accident investigation forms an important part of the monitoring of your ongoing businesses Safety performance.
- Investigations including near misses can tell you a lot about how things actually are in reality.
- Investigating your accidents and reported cases will help you identify any breaches safety compliance you may have been unaware of.
- Successfully investigating an incident and taking remedial action to prevent further incidents will help demonstrate to a court that your company has a positive attitude to health and safety
- Findings will provide essential information for your insurers in the event of a claim
Accident Investigation Purpose
Incident or Accident investigations aim to
- Determine the cause of an incident
- Highlight unsafe conditions or acts
Accident investigations are about PREVENTION and not proportioning BLAME.
Following a properly undertaken investigation the correct, appropriate corrective actions will be identified and actioned. With copies of reports being sent to stakeholders and relevant authorities so that similar accidents may be prevented in similar situations or organisations.
Who should take part in the accident investigation?
Incident investigations should be conducted by people knowledgeable about the work area and the work involved. There should be employer and worker participation in every investigation.
Employers should not interfere with a union’s right to participate in investigations.
Workers – through their union – are equal partners in workplace health and safety. It is the responsibility of occupational health and safety representatives (workforce reps) to either participate directly in incident investigations or to otherwise insure that incidents involving workers are properly investigated.
End of the article Why Accidents Needs Investigated
