Conducting An Accident Investigation

Conducting an Accident Investigation
Oregon OSHA Online Course 1110 This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform Oregon employers of best practices in occupational safety and health and general Oregon OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Oregon Safety Employment Act or any standards issued by Oregon OSHA. For moreinformation on this online course and other OR-OSHA online training, visit the Online Course Catalog. (http://www.cbs.state.or.us/osha/education.html) This is a text only version. Some links and content may not be active.

Course Modules Introduction What is an accident? Why conduct an “investigation”? Are accidents always unplanned? Accidents and incidents Characteristics of effectiveincident/accident analysis program Module 1: Initiating the Process Introduction Before the accident occurs…lay the groundwork Step 1: Secure the Accident Scene If required, report the accident Module 2: Documenting the Accident Scene Introduction Step 2: Collect Facts About What Happened Sample Accident Investigator‟s Kit Methods to document the accident scene Module 3: Conducting Interviews Introduction Step2: Collecting the Facts Through Interviews Effective Interviewing Techniques Last Words Module 4: Analyzing the Facts Introduction Sorting it all out… Analysis defined Step 3: Developing the Sequence of Events Last Words Module 5: Determining Surface and Root Causes Introduction Old Theory – Worker Error

New Theory – Systems Approach Why accidents happen Time to analyze for cause The directcause of injury The surface causes of accidents Examples of safety management system functions Last Words Module 6: Developing Recommendations Introduction Step 5: Recommend Improvements The Hierarchy of Controls Recommend system improvements Answer Six Key Questions A simple cost-benefit analysis Average direct dollar cost for different types of accidents Last Words Module 7: Writing the ReportIntroduction Perceptions is reality… The Accident Report Form Last Words

INTRODUCTION Workplace accidents occur each and every day all across the Country. Each Year the Bureau of Labor Statistics (www.bls.gov) publishes a statistical summary of injuries and illnesses (See summary below) that emphasizes this fact. The failure of people, equipment, supplies, or surroundings to behave or react asexpected causes most of the accidents. Accident investigations determine how and why these failures occur. By using the information gained through an investigation, a similar or perhaps more disastrous accident may be prevented. Conduct accident investigations with accident prevention in mind. Investigations are NOT to place blame. This course introduces you to basic accident investigationprocedures and describes accident analysis techniques. Throughout the course, you'll be taking what you've learned throughout the course to analyze a hypothetical accident! What is an accident? An accident is the final event in an unplanned process that results in injury or illness to an employee and possibly property damage. An "event," occurs when one "actor" (one person/thing) performs an "action" (doessomething). In this definition, a person or thing will do something that result in a change of state (an injury). An accident may be the result of many factors (simultaneous, interconnected, cross-linked events) that have interacted in some dynamic way. Why conduct an "investigation"? Does your organization conduct accident investigations for the same reason as Oregon OSHA? It shouldn't be. Theanswer to this question is key to the success of the entire program.To determine the purpose of a process, it's important to look at the "output" of that process. The employer's role: Analyze to fix the system...It's fact finding not fault finding.

Unfortunately, some employers believe that the investigation process ends once blame as been established. The problem, here, is that once the...