Risk Engineering 1 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION5/2011 Accident Investigation- Purpose

Risk Engineering 2 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION5/2011 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 3 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION5/2011 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 4 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION5/2011 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 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION5/2011 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 6 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION5/2011 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 7 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION5/2011 Hazard Detection- Plan what to look for, don’t overlook the obvious

Risk Engineering 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 self- inspection? 1. Manager/supervisor 2. Any responsible employee N ote: 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. Improper operation of equipment 3. Lack of use of PPE 4. Horseplay 5. Ignoring safety rules 6. Sloppy workmanship

Risk Engineering 14 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION5/2011 Business Specific Health and Safety Concerns-

Risk Engineering 15 ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION5/2011 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 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. Information courtesy

Risk Engineering 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. Information courtesy