The Principles of Accident Investigation

There are laws and regulations that require the investigation and reporting of certain types of accidents. Insurance requirements also lead to many Accident Investigations as do potential claims at common law. However, from an Occupational Health & Safety point of view, the main aim of Accident Investigations is not to fulfil these legal and insurance obligations, but rather to prevent recurrences of the same or similar accidents.

Accident Investigations therefore should be regarded as an important part of accident prevention.

This program covers:

  • A definition of an accident
  • Contributory factors leading to accidents
  • Who should be involved in an investigation?
  • The strategy of the investigation
  • Gathering the facts
  • Interviewing
  • Isolating the key contributory factors
  • Determining corrective actions

Learning why and how accidents occur is fundamental to making improvements in both working conditions and operational methods.

The Accident Investigation process will reduce the number of workplace accidents and should be regarded as an important component of any workplace health and safety strategy.

RUNNING TIME: 12 Minutes

A short Quiz of 10 questions is required to be completed for successful completion of this course.