Accident Investigation

Every accident and near-accident—if properly reported, investigated and analyzed—is an opportunity to prevent recurrence through corrective action. It is a good practice to investigate and report all accidents and significant incidents promptly to determine the cause. Employers should establish a fixed procedure requiring the reporting of every injury no matter how trivial.

Supervisors and workers must know to report every accident or incident even when medical treatment isn’t necessary. Today’s bruised knuckles may become tomorrow’s fractured hand without pinpointing and correcting the cause of the injury. The same holds true of near-miss incidents. Falling objects deserve attention even when they don’t hit anyone.

Maintain records for analysis. An analysis of your accident experience is a reliable way of revealing the weak spots in your safety program. Failure to act on these warnings eventually leads to costly accidents. Familiarize yourself with both workers’ compensation reporting and OSHA log recording requirements.

Tips for conducting meaningful accident investigations

What are the common reasons accidents happen?

What should be covered in the accident investigation process?

About accident investigation record keeping…