Accident Investigation

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Accident Investigation
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Agenda

• Introduction
• Discussion of the accident investigation process
• Information Needed for Reporting a Workers' Comp
  Claim
• Completing the Accident Investigation Report
• Your Accounts Loss Results
• Question/Answer Session

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What is an Accident?

• An accident is an unplanned incident in the
  workplace that results in injury, illness and/or
  property damage or the probability of either.

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Purpose of the Accident Investigation Process

• To help determine all the contributing factors
  and the cause of an accident and to take
  corrective action to make sure a similar accident
  doesnt happen in the future.

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Most Important Basic Principle of the Accident
Investigation Process

• Finding out the facts and not looking for fault!

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When to Perform an Accident Investigation

• Whenever injury, illness or property damage
  occurs in the workplace.
• Whenever near misses occur.

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Activities That Make Up the Accident
Investigation Process

• Investigate the facts
• Review the facts to find the cause
• Take corrective measures
• Document findings and actions
• Follow-up

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Investigating the Facts

• Preserve the accident scene
• ASAP write down your observations and those of
  any witnesses
• Keep any items that might be removed or changed
  soon after the accident

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Main Elements of Finding the Facts

• Look at the situation
• Record general information
• Collect evidence
• Interview witnesses
• Review records

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Steps Involved in Looking at the Situation

• Look at the big picture
• -Look beyond the obvious
• -Take pictures or make sketches of the scene
• Think of the accident in terms of the 5 Ws
• -Who? What? When? Where? And Why?

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Information That Must Be Recorded

• Time and exact location
• Injuries (list the type, the body part injured
  and the action that resulted in the injury)
• Medical treatment or first aid
• List of anything unusual such as broken tools,
  spilled materials, poor lighting, lack of guards,
  or unsafe equipment

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Factors Contributing to an Accident

• People
• Equipment and materials
• Environment
• Management

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Evidence to Collect

• Photographs of machines and equipment
• Chemical samples
• Broken parts or pieces

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Interviewing Witnesses

• Interview individually at the scene if possible
  and ASAP
• Keep witnesses apart until their statements have
  been taken
• Record the statements as accurately as possible
• Prepare questions to ask

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Interviewing the Witness (cont.)

• Ask open-ended questions
• Avoid jumping to conclusions
• Conflicts may appear as to what the witnesses and
  the injured person indicate happened (you must
  decide what is relevant and necessary)
• Make witnesses feel at ease during the process

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Record Reviews for Additional Accident Information

• Safety inspection records
• Previous accident records
• OSHA 300 Logs
• Workers compensation forms
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)

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Reviewing the Facts to Find the Cause

• Review all the information that was gathered.
• Clarify the facts.
• Analyze the information.
• Examine contributing factors.
• List possible causes.
• Identify the cause.

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Taking Corrective Actions

• Obvious corrective measures (minor adjustments in
  work policies, processes or equipment)
• Implement corrective actions ASAP if you are
  authorized to do so
• If you are not authorized to implement, offer
  recommendations to management
• Corrective measures must address the cause of the
  accident
• Implement the corrective actions

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Document the Accident Investigation

• Complete an accident investigation form
• -General information (personal data about the
  injured employee, the exact location and time of
  the accident, and the specific job being
  performed)
• -Description of injury or illness
• -Description of the incident

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Document the Accident Investigation (cont.)

• -Detailed analysis of the incident and
  identification of the cause
• -Preventive and/or corrective actions taken along
  with the names of persons responsible for
  implementing
• -Dates for completion when preventive and/or
  corrective actions will be implemented

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With good accident investigation,we all have the
potential tobe winners!