It is an unfortunate truth that every year people are injured and even killed at work. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.8 million recorded injuries and illnesses and 5,486 fatalities in 2022. Countless working days are lost annually through work-related accidents and illnesses, as well as practically unquantifiable losses in terms of trust, productivity, and internal and external company resources. What follows is a guide to help organizations of any size and of any sector carry out effective and efficient health and safety investigations, identifying what went wrong and proactively creating measures to discover and mitigate existing risks.
We recommend that management teams take steps immediately on their own, and should they want to optimize their operational health and safety, contact specialists offering safety consultant services such as the SP Group to help formulate the best plans and procedures.
Workplace incidents refer to any undeliberate or unplanned event that causes harm or potential harm. Many people use the term incident and accident interchangably, but according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an “accident” implies an event that random and not about to be prevented. Since nearly all worksite fatalities, injuries, and illnesses are preventable, OSHA has suggested using the term "incident" instead.
Workplace incidents can occur in any sector, from construction and manufacturing to hospitality and agriculture. Some industries may be at a higher risk of workplace incidents, such as those involving extensive physical labor and the use of heavy machinery, but it is certainly not limited to those.
Categorizing the different types of incidents that can happen within your specific organization will help to effectively create means and modes of dealing with risks.
The 10 most common types of workplace incidents are:
Investigation of workplace incidents is an essential part of managing health and safety. Simply put, a workplace accident investigation is a procedure undertaken by an organization to gather information, analyze collected information, identify risk control strategies, and create an action plan for dealing with current and future incidents.
Conducting investigations into workplace incidents is critical for a variety of reasons, but the primary ones are documentation and future prevention.
By carrying out workplace investigations, each incident can be properly documented for legal and operational history. Organizations need to have a record of what, when, where, and how an incident occurred for their records in order to manage internal and external relations, such as cooperating with government oversight agencies or providing evidence to a lawsuit.
Furthermore, incident investigations can bolster efforts to prevent future incidents from occurring. Trend analysis of and accurate information about previous incidents and near misses helps in the development of improvement objectives to reduce the risk that they will reoccur. It is vital that an organization can document and prove they’ve taken reasonable steps to prevent future accidents from occurring - failing to do so could lead to legal liability.
In summary, there are a number of advantages to carrying out an accident investigation:
Incident investigations can be complex and should involve several different individuals including management, specially trained investigators, and legal personnel.
The process for conducting investigations can be broken down into five general steps, however, each organization may require specifically curated investigation procedures.
Securing the scene of the incident includes providing immediate first aid and medical assistance to any individuals involved, as well as preserving all evidence. The use of cones, barriers, and supervision is likely to be necessary. Non-physical incidents should include securing and protecting that individual from further damage, as well as securing the source of said damage.
Every incident varies in its proportion and severity. Oftentimes, a specialized team will need to consult on how best to carry out an investigation to ensure that it is both comprehensive and thorough enough.
The next part of the investigation involves the gathering of information and evidence. This could include securing pictures, videos, CCTV footage, interviews of affected and non-affected workers, inspections, maintenance logs, and training histories.
Along with this evidence, it is helpful to gather a description of the events, details of damaged individuals and property, and even casual, seemingly unrelated factors surrounding the incident. The goal is to gather as much information as possible.
After all information and evidence have been collected, specialized teams must analyze the data to determine the root cause of the accident. Sometimes the cause is obvious, such as a loose wire that caused someone to trip, but more often than not, the incident is usually caused by a complex chain of events. All data must be analyzed with an unbiased perspective by individuals with no stake in the outcome.
The conclusion of the investigation involves documenting and sharing the results in a report. But, quite importantly, the closing of the investigation should also include implementation of corrective and preventive action - this too should be documented.
Beyond conducting thorough and effective investigations, there are several other steps you can take to minimize the number and severity of future workplace incidents. We recommend carrying out regular risk assessments, providing safety and wellness training to all employees on a regular basis, hiring qualified personnel (including a physical assessment for roles that are demanding), and keeping your workplace clean and obstruction-free.
OSHA has several laws and regulations that organizations must follow in order to maximize the wellness of their employees. They also have a plethora of resources for organizations and their management to get ideas about ways to optimize their company’s policies.
A health and safety consultant offers professional advice and guidance to organizations, employers, and employees. In the modern workplace, many thriving compaies utilize a third-party in order to ensure the utmost safety and protection of their stakeholders.
The benefits of hiring safety consultant services include:
Regardless of the size, industry, or experience of your organization, you can rely on The SP Group to be your trusted partner for occupationall health and safety services. From providing support for compliance with OSHA, as well as local building, fire, and mechanical codes, we are leaders in safety consultation, servicing companies all across the United States. If your company needs the help of an expert safety consultant, or if you simply have more questions, contact the team at SP Group today!