Accident Investigation Purpose Risk Engineering 52011 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

Accident Investigation- Purpose Risk Engineering 5/2011 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION 1

What is an Accident Investigation? An accident investigation is a systematic approach to gathering and analyzing the accident data in order to identify the causes so corrective actions can be taken. Risk Engineering 5/2011 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION 2

Effective Accident Investigation Process Get the facts Determine future potential Find the direct causes – unsafe acts and conditions Accident investigation should be aimed at fact-finding rather than fault-finding Find the root causes- ask Why? Risk Engineering 5/2011 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION 3

How to find causes Look at how the job is intended to be performed Compare it to how the job was actually performed based on the facts that you obtained during the investigation Risk Engineering 5/2011 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION 4

Ask Open-Ended Questions First find out who, when and where and then ask: what happened? what were you doing? what do you think caused the accident? what equipment and/or other factors contributed to the accident? how can this accident be avoided in the future? Risk Engineering 5/2011 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION 5

Analyzing The Facts & Drawing Conclusions How did it happen? Why did it happen? Can it reasonably happen again? What are the potential consequences? What, if anything, should be done to prevent it from happening again? Risk Engineering 5/2011 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION 6

Hazard Detection- Plan what to look for, don’t overlook the obvious Risk Engineering 5/2011 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION 7

Purpose of the self-inspection To identify hazardous conditions and unsafe acts before they result in an accident Assist in the efficient and profitable operation of the company Prevent injuries and save human resources. Risk Engineering

What is a self-inspection A self-inspection is a systematic method of evaluating the work environment and the interactions of the employees in this environment. Risk Engineering

Why conduct a self-inspection? To have a systematic approach To identify hazards To identify unsafe acts To fix accountability To increase the efficiency/reduce operating costs To monitor progress Assist in complying with OSHA Risk Engineering

Who should conduct the selfinspection? 1. Manager/supervisor 2. Any responsible employee Note: The manager has ultimate responsibility to insure the self-inspection is completed properly. Risk Engineering

Self-inspection: what to evaluate: The entire facility/operation should be evaluated along with the employees’ interaction. Unsafe work practices Unsafe conditions Risk Engineering

What to evaluate cont. Unsafe work practices: 1. Drug/alcohol use 2. Improperation of equipment 3. Lack of use of PPE 4. Horseplay 5. Ignoring safety rules 6. Sloppy workmanship Risk Engineering

Business Specific Health and Safety Concerns- Risk Engineering 5/2011 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION 14

Business Specific Health and Safety Concerns Slip and Fall Lifting Office Safety Vehicle Safety Tools and equipment Fire Protection First Aid PPE Housekeeping Welding Repetitive motion Maintenance Cranes Chemicals-Paints Confined spaces Risk Engineering 5/2011 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION 15

Substance Abuse One in ten workers uses illegal drugs or abuses alcohol. • Employee absenteeism - Problem drinkers are absent four to eight times normal. Drug users are absent five days per month on average. • Less productivity - 33% less productive, costing $7, 000 annually. • Industrial fatalities – 47% of industrial injuries linked to alcohol abuse. • Workplace accidents - Four times more likely to be in a workplace accidents, five times more likely to file a workers' compensation claim. • Higher workers' compensation costs - 38% to 50% of all workers' compensation claims are related to substance abuse. • Higher medical costs - Three times more likely to use medical benefits. • Workplace theft – 80% of drug users steal from their workplaces. • Workplace violence - Third leading cause of workplace violence. Risk Engineering Information courtesy www. drugfreepa. org

Signs of Potential Drug/Alcohol Use Arriving late, leaving early and/or often absent. Unreliable and often away from assigned job. Careless and repeatedly making mistakes. Argumentative and uncooperative. Unwilling or unable to follow directions. Avoiding responsibilities. Making excuses that are unbelievable or placing blame elsewhere. Taking unnecessary risks by ignoring safety and health procedures. Frequently involved in mishaps and accidents or responsible for damage to equipment or property. Risk Engineering Information courtesy www. drugreepa. org