Lesson 5.

1: Accident Investigation
Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:

1. Discuss the importance of accident investigation

Motivation Question

Why do we have to conduct an accident investigation?

Discussion

An accident may occur everywhere and anytime. It is an unplanned and unexpected

occurrence that may result in injury or death to a person and/or damage to properties.
Accidents can be categorized into two:

1. Unsafe conditions – accidents related to the physical environments (e.g.

slippery floors, poorly lighted working environment)

2. Unsafe acts – anything related to employee activities (e.g. disregarding safety

rules, failing to wear PPE)

Accident Investigation is a method to collect and interpret the facts of an accident. It is

an inquiry as to how and why the accident occurred to explore actions that should be
taken to prevent or minimize recurrence of the accident. Accident investigation is
basically performed to:

a. Establish all facts

b. Draw conclusion

c. Make recommendations

d. Prevent recurrence

A policy/procedure is needed so that all incidents be reported. Subsequently, an

appropriate investigation can be performed. A thorough policy would require reporting
the following types of accidents:

1. Fatal – Any death of an employee should be reported within 24 hours after

occurrence and be investigated within 48 hours upon receipt of the initial report.
(Based on the Occupational Safety and Health Standards implemented by DOLE)
Example (click the link to see the report):

Land Surveyor Struck and Killed by Passenger Vehicle

Link: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1016&context=face_veh
icle_reports

2. Injury – minor or first-aid treatment to serious injury, to permanently/ totally

incapacitate workers should be reported

Example (click the link to see the report):

Investigation of March 15, 2018 Pedestrian Bridge Collapse at Florida

International University, Miami, FL

Link: https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/2019-12/2019_r_03.pdf

3. Disease - All work-related diseases/illnesses due to exposure to unsafe working

environment should also be reported.

4. Dangerous occurrences - Any dangerous occurrences which may or may not

cause serious bodily harm to workers, or seriously damage the premises of
employment should be investigated and reported by the employer to DOLE Regional
Office. These include fire, explosion of boiler and pressure vessels, collapse of
equipment or structures, etc.

Example (You may search this in the internet):

Case Study: Fire at Formosa Plastics Corporation

5. Near miss - incident where no injury or property damage has occurred but where
a slight difference in position or timing could mean the occurrence of damage or
injury.

Lesson 5.2: Basic steps in accident

investigation
Learning Outcome:
· Explain the necessary procedure in the conduct of accident investigation.

Motivation Question:

· How is an accident investigation performed?

Discussion:

The investigation's relevance is a a crucial element of the safety and health program
implementation in an organization. In the event of an accident, there is a need for an
investigation of the incident. Figure 5.1 shows the steps in the accident investigation.

Figure 5.1 Basic steps in accident investigation (DOLE, n.d.)

1. Control the accident scene

The first step in any accident investigation is to manage the accident scene through
the following:

a. Treat the injured – The investigator should be very confident that steps have
been taken to ensure that an injured person is rescued promptly and efficiently.
Planning must address the delivery of quick first-aid treatment for the victims.

b. Control the remaining hazards – To monitor the risk of any further injury or harm,
immediate or temporary steps should be taken. A defined protocol for stopping any
additional work should be established to avoid any potential incidence of another or
similar accident.

c. Isolate the site to protect the people – The accident scene is a hazardous
location in many situations. The accident may have damaged the electrical equipment,
compromised the structural supports, or radioactive or harmful materials may have
been released. To avoid other personnel's entry in the scene, the isolation or
barricading of the accident scene must be strictly enforced.

d. Preserve the evidence – For the protection of evidence, urgent action should be
taken. Physical evidence is essential for any accident investigation to succeed. Each
investigation should be performed as soon as possible after the accident. A delay of
just a few hours could cause such significant evidence to be deliberately or
accidentally lost. Preservation techniques include eye witness statements,
photographs, drawings, maps, and notes. Preservation of evidence can also require
further measures to ensure its security, depending on the accident's nature.

2. Gather valuable information in the scene

Below are the possible sources of information for accident investigation:

a. Time and Location – This is the time of the day and spot where the accident
took place. An investigator can more likely deduce the possible causes of the accident
if he knows whether it happened in the morning, afternoon, or evening. At the same
time, knowing where the accident happened can also help identify the event's
possible causes.

b. Environment – Environmental assessment can provide information regarding

the possible causes of the accident. It is best to identify environmental factors that
might influence the accident, such as temperature, noise, weather conditions,
illumination, ventilation, etc.

c. Physical evidence – An investigator should exercise care in handling, collecting,

retrieving, or identifying evidence. Evidence can be destroyed if an investigator is not
familiar with its fragility. Examples of the physical evidence are equipment, tools, and
materials involved in the accident.

d. Witnesses – A witness is simply any person who has information about the
accident. Persons principally involved in the accident and to those who have seen or
heard about the accident or observed the work environment when the accident
occurred can be included as a witness. A person who knows the events occurring
during any three (3) stages of the accident, namely the pre-contact, contact, and
post-contact, can also be considered a witness. It is considered that the witness’
statements are the highest testimony especially when it is gathered immediately after
the incident. Necessary facts must be obtained from the witness by letting their fear
and anxiousness away, making themselves comfortable, so they can express and
relate valuable information. Witness statements will determine the accuracy of the
incident/accident. The following steps for the interview process:

a. Acquire written statement

b. Reassure the witness

c. Let the witness tell the story

d. Begin with an open-ended question

e. Don’t ask leading question

f. Summarize the findings

g. Ask for recommendation

h. Close on a positive note

e. Existing records – determining the information of the employee, equipment, job

or task, and previous accident investigation records.

3. Analyze data gathered on the accident area

The accident's root cause – It is understood that a mix of factors or causes must come
together under just the right circumstances to bring about accident. Information on
accident causes has led management to conclude that accidents are caused, they do
not just happen, and causes can be determined and controlled.

A successful business operation consists of four elements: People, Equipment,

Materials, and Environment. Figure 5.2 shows the connection of these elements.
However, when something within the elements unplanned or undesired happens, an
adverse effect might happen. For example, the malfunction of the equipment may
harm the people or workers, threaten the business, etc.

Figure 5.2 Workplace elements (DOLE, n.d.)

People - Obviously, the people of any successful organization are its most significant
resources. But unfortunately, statistics show that a high percentage of accidents have
been attributed to the human element. Influencing factors that can affect human
behavior and performance must be examined and evaluated for the cause.

Equipment - Equipment includes the tools and machines employees must work with
to accomplish their assigned works. In more recent years, the improper design of
controls and displays on complex power machines and equipment has been cited
frequently as the accident's primary source or cause. The improper use of hand tools,
calibrating instruments, gauges, or even a ladder to accomplish a given task can also
adversely affect the job's outcome, to the point of the accident. People can and often
interact with equipment or vice versa to have an accident.

Material - The materials used by the people can be another significant source of
accident causes. Materials can be sharp, heavy, hot, cold, toxic, or defective. In all
cases, materials can be a major source of energy contact that results in accident.
Since people must interact regularly with materials to perform their tasks, an
examination of the relationship between potential accident sources becomes
extremely important in the accident investigation process. When one considers that
people often use equipment to process materials in daily operations, the accident
source relationship's complexity becomes even more evident.

Environment - Environment is the physical surrounding in which work must be

performed. This includes the buildings that house the people and the air they breathe.
It is also associated with lighting, noise level, and atmospheric conditions
(temperature, air quality, humidity, etc.). The work environment represents the source
of causes of an ever-increasing number of diseases and health-related conditions.
These four elements of business operation (people, equipment, material, and
environment), either individually or in combination, produce the source of causes that
contribute to the accident.

In the investigation of every accident, management must ensure the proper

consideration of the potential for involvement of any or all of these four business
operation elements.

4. Writing a report of the accident

A proper report is written from all the information gathered during the investigation,
and it must be formally recorded in an Accident Investigation Report. The report
should at least answer the five W “5W” and one H “1H” in reporting the accident. The
contents are:

· Who was injured?

· What happened?

· Where did the accident occur?

· When did the accident occur?

· Why did the accident occur?

· How can a similar accident be prevented?

The Occupational Safety and Health Standard provides for an accident investigation
report using the prescribed form (DOLE/ BWC/ OHSD/ IP-6a) which can be used by
the companies on devising their company’s accident investigation report.

Lesson 5.3 Recommending and monitoring

corrective actions
Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:

1. Make recommendations based on the investigation

Motivation Question

When can we say that an accident investigation is complete?

Discussion

After gathering facts about the accident and drawing conclusions from it, the next step
is to make recommendations. It will prevent or refrain similar accident to occur in the
future. Recommendations exist for corrective actions or preventive actions. Corrective
actions are intended to fix a hazard while preventive actions prevent a hazard from
occurring.

There are several specific changes that you can recommend that will involve any or a
combination of the E’s of safety such as the following:

1. Engineering Control – the need for ergonomics adjustments in the workstation

may refrain from having unsafe conditions. This may include redesigning the floor
plan of the workplace, redesigning a machine, installation of ventilation system or
improve maintenance system.

2. Education – training of all workers is necessary. It will basically educate the

employees on how to work safely and reduce injuries. It should be the company’s
initiative to follow a plan on safety training.

3. Enforcement - After all control measures have been exhausted and in place and
trainings have been conducted to educate the employees, accidents might still
happen. In this case, a strict or stringent implementation of the program must be done
to make sure workers follow the basic rules and regulations on safety and health.

Tips on formulating Recommendation

1. Clearly define what the expected results from a particular recommendation and
set priorities for each action

2. Recommendations should be associated with the incident facts or situation

3. Recommendation should be attainable and realistic

Accident investigation without follow-up is meaningless. Though managers have

corrective actions, some fail to make sure that the corrective measures are working.
Hence, it is important to constantly monitor the situation. Ensure recommendations
receive prompt attention by creating an action plan. Keep in mind that some
recommendations may look good on paper, but are not that realistic to put into place.
Be sure to periodically track the progress of your recommendations.

Remember: Accidents are only eliminated when accident investigation is really

complete.