Accident / Incident Investigations

Why investigate accidents or incidents? There are three possible reasons:

1. Because it's the law:

18(1) If an injury or accident described in subsection (2) occurs at a work site, the prime contractor or, if there is no prime contractor, the contractor or employer responsible for that work site shall notify a Director of Inspection of the time, place and nature of the injury or accident as soon as possible.

(2)  The injuries and accidents to be reported under subsection (1) are (a) an injury or accident that results in death,
(b) an injury or accident that results in a worker’s being admitted to a hospital for more than 2 days,
(c) an unplanned or uncontrolled explosion, fire or flood that causes a serious injury or that has the potential of causing a serious injury,
(d) the collapse or upset of a crane, derrick or hoist, or
(e) the collapse or failure of any component of a building or structure necessary for the structural integrity of the building or structure.

(3)  If an injury or accident referred to in subsection (2) occurs at a work site or if any other serious injury or any other accident that has the potential of causing serious injury to a person occurs at a work site, the prime contractor or, if there is no prime contractor, the contractor or employer responsible for that work site shall
(a) carry out an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the serious injury or accident,
(b) prepare a report outlining the circumstances of the serious injury or accident and the corrective action, if any, undertaken to prevent a recurrence of the serious injury or accident, and
(c) ensure that a copy of the report is readily available for inspection by an officer.

2. To get at the root cause:

Investigating incidents and near misses can save your company a world of grief by getting to the root causes of incidents or near misses, thereby lessening the chances of injuries to workers or damage to valuable equipment and inventory.

Did you know? For every serious injury, there are 10 minor injuries, 30 property damage incidents, and 600 “near misses” where no injury or damage occurs. This is known as the “near miss pyramid”. (see below). By investigating the “near misses” and incidents which occur in your workplace, you greatly affect your ability to prevent more serious accidents, or even death, from occurring.

"Near Miss" Pyramid

(Source: statistics gathered by the United States Insurance Company, 1969 and Later)

 

3. To seek or maintain COR/SECOR status:

If your company is seeking or maintaining COR® or SECOR® certification, you must investigate incidents and near misses.

How Pro Safety can help

Pro Safety can assist you in investigating accidents and incidents. We can also help you by training your employees to become competent investigators.

Call today to discuss how you can get our safety professionals working for you. Our initial consultation is free of charge and you will not be obligated in any way.