This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform Oregon employers of best practices in occupational safety and health and general Oregon OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Oregon Safety Employment Act or any standards issued by Oregon OSHA. For more information on this online course and other OR-OSHA online training, visit the Online Course Catalog.

MODULE 1: INITIATING THE PROCESS

Introduction

In this first module our goals are to understand basic OROSHA law regarding employer responsibilities to conduct accident investigation. We'll also learn why it's important to begin the investigation early-on, when it's "safe" to investigate, and "how" to secure the accident scene once the investigation has been initiated. Finally, you'll learn what the law says about reporting accidents to OR-OSHA.

First things first...lay the groundwork

When a serious accident occurs in the workplace, everyone will be too busy dealing with the emergency at hand to worry about putting together an investigation plan, so before the accident occurs... develop an effective written incident/accident analysis plan that will:

Determine who should be notified of accident.
Establish who is authorized to notify outside agencies (fire, police, etc.)
Determine who is assigned to conduct investigations.
Conduct required training for accident investigators.
Determine who receives and acts on investigation reports.
Establish timetables for conducting the investigation and follow-up actions such as hazard correction.

The first step in an effective accident investigation procedure is to secure the accident scene as soon as possible so you can begin collecting initial data. Sometimes, you may actually be able to begin the investigation, while the victim is being assisted by emergency responders. In this case, make sure you do not interfere in any way with them. The first responsibility is to make sure the victim is cared for. At this early point, you're primarily making initial observations for later analysis.

Most of the time, your investigation will not begin until emergency response is completed. In this situation, material evidence will most likely not be in its original location. Of course, this will make it more difficult for you to determine the original location of evidence, but effective interviews will help you to construct the scene. In either situation, you're not yet interested in what "caused" the accident, just gathering as much pertinent information as possible for later analysis.

Why is it important to start the investigation as soon as possible? Of course, it's not to establish blame, but rather to accurately determine the surface and root causes for the accident. The longer you wait to investigate, the more unlikely you'll be able to fulfill this very important purpose. So, why does accuracy suffer over time?

Two things disappear after an accident occurs:

Material evidence. Somehow, tools, equipment, and sometimes people just seem to move or disappear from the scene. Understandably, the employer is anxious to "clean up" the accident scene so people can get back to work. It's important that an effective procedure be developed to protect material evidence so that it does not get moved, or disappears.
Memory. Accidents are traumatic events. There are varying degrees of psychological trauma depending on how "close" an individual is to the accident or victim. There may be physical trauma to the victim and others whenever a serious accident occurs in the workplace. Everyone is affected somehow. As time passes after an accident conversations with others and individual emotions distort what people believe they saw and heard. After a while, the memory of everyone affected by the accident will be altered in some way. This type of distortion can have nothing but negative effects on your success as an accident investigator.

With the above in mind, it becomes rather obvious why we must try to get information as soon as possible. But what can we do to make sure evidence and memory do not disappear? Let's find out.

Secure the accident scene

Our first step in the accident investigation process is to physically secure (close off) the accident scene to prevent material evidence from being removed or relocated in any way. This is especially true if the accident is a reportable (serious or fatal) injury that might trigger an OROSHA accident investigation.

Remember, at the request of OROSHA, persons having direct authority must preserve and mark for identification, materials, tools or equipment necessary to the proper investigation of an accident, so it's important that material evidence does not "walk off" the scene.

Securing the accident scene isn't difficult, but it's critically important to do it quickly. You may use tape, cones, even personnel to secure the accident scene. Securing the accident scene may not be rocket science, but it may be extremely important in preventing the loss or misplacement of material evidence.

If required, report the accident

If your company is in the private sector, and a very serious injury or fatality accident occurs, you may be required to report it to OROSHA. Let's take a look at the Standard for the specific requirements.

437-001-0700(21) Reporting an Occupational Fatality, Catastrophe, or Accident.

Employers shall inform the Administrator (or designee) of all fatalities or catastrophes within 8 hours, and accidents or injuries resulting in a hospital admission with medical treatment other than first aid within 24 hours after the employer receives notification.

A fatality is pretty much self-explanatory. A catastrophe is considered two or more fatalities or three or more serious injuries. Think of an injury as serious if the victim is admitted to the hospital overnight for other than observation. Once the employer has knowledge that any of the above conditions have been met, the eight and 24-hour clock starts ticking.

Let's Review

1.What is the purpose of an accident investigation?

2. What's the most practical way to secure an accident scene?

3. What might be the result if the investigation is not initiated as soon as possible?

4. If a workplace fatality occurs, the affected employer must notify OROSHA within _____.

a. twenty-four hours
b. sixteen hours
c. eight hours
d. four hours

5. A catastrophe is considered ______or more fatalities or _____ or more serious injuries.

a. one, two
b. two, three
c. three, four
d. four, five

Congratulations on completing the first module! I'm sure you'll agree initiating the investigation as soon as possible is quite important. Continue on to the next module to learn more about documenting the accident scene. If you have any questions or comments, just drop me an email at email.

Have a great safe day!

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