A Guide for Business Owners, Safety Managers

and Supervisors

Accident Investigations

Provided by Morris & Reynolds Insurance

© 2014 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.

Agenda

We will discuss:

•Why accidents should be investigated

•Types of accidents

•Traits of a competent investigator

•The correct tools and procedure for investigating

•Determining whether an accident is work-related

•Reporting the accident

•Following up after an accident

Accident costs

• Determine what happened and why

• Prevent the same or a more serious accident from happening again

• Document the accident

• Determine whether the accident is work-related

• Secure details to report to your insurance carrier

• Help deter fraudulent claims

Why should accidents be investigated?

Which incidents need to be investigated?

1. Injury—an event that caused an employee to be injured

2. Near miss—an incident that did not result in an injury, illness or damage but had the potential to

3. Property damage—an event that resulted in damage to company property

4. Illness—an employee becomes ill after being infected with a contagious disease at work

Investigation in 3 steps

Investigate

Analyze

Report

1

2

3

1. Investigation

• Seek medical treatment for injured employee(s)

• Block off the accident site• Inform the investigator• Follow your company’s accident

investigation proceduresInterview witnessesTake photos or draw diagramsTake samples if necessary

Who conducts the investigation?

Acts objectively

Doesn’t look for blame

Listens

Assumes all accidents are preventable

Takes detailed notes

Focuses on the purpose of the investigation

The manager in charge of the area or department where the accident occurred is responsible for conducting the investigation.

A competent investigator…

The investigator will determine…

• Whether the accident is work-related• The scope of the investigation• WHAT HAPPENED

– Who was involved– What employee was doing at time of the accident– When the accident happened– Where it happened—take pictures of the scene– Why it happened—direct and indirect causes– How the accident happened—draw a diagram

The investigator is held accountable for reporting the investigation carefully and clearly.

Accident investigation kit

• First aid kit

• Camera

• Tape measure

• Work gloves

• Barricade tape

• Scissors

• Flashlight

• Sample containers with labels

• Accident investigation forms, clipboard and pens

Keep an accident investigation kit on hand at all times in a central location.

Your kit will help you gather necessary information and should include:

Interviewing witnesses

• Interview injured employee(s) and witnesses promptly after the event

• Be informal and put witness at ease

• Discuss what happened leading up to and after the accident

• Encourage the injured employee(s) and witnesses to describe the accident in their own words

• Ask open-ended questions

• Focus on facts, not blame

2. Analyze

• Determine the causes of the accident:Direct—a harmful transfer of energy that

produces injury or illness Indirect—unsafe acts or conditions that lead

to an accidentRoot—common conditions and behaviors

that result in an accident

• Determine what corrective actions to take Consider short-term corrections if long-term are

not yet available

Corrective actions

Corrective actions should be taken to prevent the same or a more serious accident from happening again.

There may be only one corrective action to address to fix the root cause of the accident, or there may be several. Examples of corrective actions include:

• Eliminating the hazard• Substituting a less hazardous

material• Ensuring proper use/

availability of personal protective equipment

• Improving operating procedures

• Additional employee training

• Performing preventive maintenance

• Determine whether the situation or conditions that lead to the accident occur anywhere else in the company If so, take action to correct this

• Use the accident as an opportunity to review safety procedures, personal protective equipment use or any other applicable training with your employees

If a root cause is to blame for the accident, this is your opportunity to correct it

Further analysis

3. Report

• An accident investigation is not concluded until a final report is complete. Focus on facts, not blame Be sure to describe, in detail, what corrective actions

are taken and which specific employees, job functions or shifts they apply to

• Provide copies of any forms you used as well as notes, photos or diagrams to your insurance carrier.

• If the accident is OSHA recordable (work-related), enter it into your OSHA log.

Accident recording

Securing details surrounding an accident will help your insurance carrier determine

compensability.

5 steps to assist your insurance carrier

1. Provide supervisor and witness questionnaire forms to all levels of management, including supervisors and foremen.

2. Educate employees to immediately report all injuries to their supervisors, no matter how minor they may seem.

3. Instruct supervisors to immediately complete a supervisor accident report form, and give witness report forms to involved co-workers. Accident site inspections should also be conducted if applicable.

4. Review the cause of the accident to determine whether further loss control measures need to be taken to avoid future accidents.

5. Provide copies of all accident report forms to Morris & Reynolds Insurance, along with the first report of injury or illness.

Is the accident work-related?

An injury or illness that occurs in the work environment is NOT work-related and does NOT need to be recorded in your OSHA log if it:

•Involves signs or symptoms that surface at work but result solely from a non-work-related event or exposure

•Results solely from voluntary participation in a wellness program or in a medical, fitness or recreational activity

•Is solely the result of an employee eating, drinking or preparing food or drink for personal consumption, whether bought on the employer's premises or brought in

Is the accident work-related?

An injury or illness that occurs in the work environment is NOT work-related and does NOT need to be recorded in your OSHA log if it:

•Is solely the result of an employee doing personal tasks (unrelated to his or her employment) at the establishment outside of assigned working hours

•Is solely the result of personal grooming or self-medication for a non-work-related condition, or is intentionally self-inflicted

•Is caused by a motor vehicle accident and occurs on a company parking lot or company access road while the employee is commuting to or from work

An injury or illness that occurs in the work environment is NOT work-related and does NOT need to be recorded in your OSHA log if:

•At the time of the injury or illness, the employee was present in the work environment as a member of the general public rather than as an employee

•The illness is the common cold or flu

However, these contagious diseases are considered work-related if the employee is infected at work:

Tuberculosis Brucellosis Hepatitis A Plague

Is the accident work-related?

Accident follow-up

1. Hold follow-up interviews at the site of the accident

2. Review the sequence of events, other involved employees and any equipment involved

3. Investigate the site to be sure the conditions that caused the accident are no longer presentIf the conditions still exist, take corrective

action to eliminate the hazard

Slips, trips and falls account for millions of work-related injuries every year.

Preventing slip, trip and fall accidents

Preventing slip, trip and fall accidents

Prevent these common accidents by training employees to:

•Look out for foreign substances on the floor (water, grease, oil, debris)•Clean footwear thoroughly when entering a building from outside or areas with debris•Avoid running—walk and do not change direction sharply•Keep passageways clear of debris•Walk in designated walking areas—do not take shortcuts•Learn and practice ladder and scaffold safety•Use fall protection equipment if working at heights of 6 feet or greater.

Recap

ALL accidents should be investigated

Document the accident

Determine cause, not blame

Be prepared with an accident investigation kit

Interview every witness

Determine whether it’s work-related

Follow up