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Site Index Table of Contents Workplace Safety Quiz Workplace Safety Tutorial

Section 1:
What Is Workplace Safety Workplace Safety Committee Workplace Safety Job Descriptions Workplace Safety Policy Statement

Section 2:
Why Accidents Happen Other Factors Contributing to Unsafe Conditions (HR, Op procedures, storage) Framework for Safety Culture Characteristics of a Safety Culture Recognizing Barriers to Setting Up Safety Programs Accident Reporting Policy and Procedure Accident Analysis Loss/Accident Analysis Accident/Incident/Near Miss Investigation Incident Reporting Investigation and Analysis

Section 3:
How to Get Started Four Elements of a Workplace-safety Program Four Elements of a Work Safety Manual Compiling a Safety Manual Designing Workplace Safety Training Keeping the Plan and Training Up-to-date Using Technology to Keep the Plan Viable

OSHA

Section 4:
Building Ownership Crime Prevention: Prevent Crime Through Design (CPTED) Lighting and Landscape Elevators, Escalators and Stairways Safety Devices (fire alarms, smoke detectors) Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Maintenance Issues Floor Maintenance and Repair Roof Maintenance and Repair Water Leakage and Mold (Clean up and Protection) Storage, Care and Repair of Tools Ladders Emergency Preparedness

Section 5:
ADA Compliance Design and Layout Safety and Electricity Ergonomics Housekeeping (Keeping a Clean and Safe Office Space) Use of Kitchen Equipment Office Activities Office Administration Security Handling Mail and Incoming Packages/ Deliveries Mail Protocol

Section 6:
Bloodborne Pathogens Protect Staff From Bloodborne Pathogens Needlestick Community Service Food Preparation Construction and Building Repair Elderly as Staff Youth as Staff Swimming and Water Safety Transportation

Section 7:

Workplace Stress Return-to-Work Agreements Identify Theft Protecting Business Credit Cards Reporting Credit Card Fraud or Identity Theft Drug Free Workplace

Fact Sheet

Accident/Incident/Near Miss Investigation

One of the best ways to avoid further accidents is to understand how an accident occurred and how to avoid that type of accident in the future. The accident investigation is a tool. The goal is not to lay blame. The goal in an accident investigation is to: Satisfy legal requirements (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health?NIOSH, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration?OSHA) Find out what happened and determine immediate and underlying or root causes. Rethink the safety hazard. Introduce ways to prevent a reoccurrence Establish training needs. An accident, a near miss and an incident should all be investigated. Accident investigations are a tool for uncovering hazards that either were missed earlier or require new controls (policies, procedures or personal protective equipment). Near-miss reporting and investigation identify and control safety or health hazards before they cause a more serious incident. Incident investigations should focus on prevention. ACCIDENT an undesired event or sequence of events causing injury, ill-health or property damage. NEAR MISS near misses describe incidents where, given a slight shift in time or distance, injury, illhealth or damage easily could have occurred, but didn?t this round. INCIDENT an incident is an unplanned, undesired event that hinders completion of a task and may cause injury or other damage.

Recommendations
Conduct an investigation as soon as possible following the event to gather all the necessary facts, determine the true causes of the event, and develop recommendations to prevent a recurrence.

Get there as quickly as possible. Ensure area is safe to enter. Make sure injured person has first-aid or medical attention required. Look for witnesses. Record the scene with photos (ideally date and time printed) or sketches. Safeguard any evidence. Establish what happened. Equipment that may come in handy: Pens and notebook Measuring tape Specimen containers Camera and film Tape recorder and cassettes Copies of accident report forms, checklists Telephone numbers Personal protective equipment

Investigate
The investigation should answer six questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

Interview
Interview all people involved. Look for all the causes. Do not fall into the trap of blaming the employee or volunteer, even if the person admits causing the event. Investigate the procedures, supervisor's directives, training, machinery, weather, you get the idea. The organization's accident, incident and near-miss reporting forms will give guidance.

Document
Properly document all accident investigations using the organization's approved investigation form. The form should make it simple to remember what questions to ask, be easy to understand and complete, and be filed and retained in chronological order.

Protect Privacy

Investigation reports are not to be released to anyone without authorization.

Review
Review all accident, incident and near-miss investigations occurring since the last safety committee meeting at the next safety meeting.

Resources
Accident Investigation, 2nd edition, National Safety Council Accident Investigation, The University of Warwick, Safety Office, April 2003 Mueller, Cathy, Incident Investigation SHRM White Paper, Society for Human Resource Management, Washington, DC. Safety and Health Program Management Fact Sheets, Accident/Incident Investigation, Module 4, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Severe Accident Investigation Form Sample Incident or Accident Investigation Sample Form Accident Investigation Form Sample-1 Accident Investigation Form Sample-2 Reporting Near Miss Form Sample Safety Violations Reporting Form Sample Accident Investigation Procedures Fact Sheet Accident Reporting Policy and Procedure Fact Sheet Privacy Statement | Permission to Reprint | Permission to Link to Site | Report Technical Issues Nonprofit Risk Management Center ...find the answer here. 15 N. King Street, Suite 203, Leesburg, VA 20176 | Phone: (202) 785-3891 | Fax: (703) 443-1990 2008 Nonprofit Risk Management Center