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This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform employers and employees of best practices in occupational safety and health and general OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act or any standards issued by OSHA.
MODULE ONE: INITIATING THE INVESTIGATION

First things first...

The first step in an effective accident investigation procedure is to secure the accident scene as soon as possible. You are not yet interested in what "caused" the accident at this point, just gathering as much pertinent information as possible. To secure the accident scene, simply use yellow caution tape, place cones, or post a guard to keep people away.

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?

Why secure the accident scene?

Why do we secure the accident scene? We need 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 OSHA accident investigation. Remember, at the request of OSHA, 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.

Two things disappear after an accident occurs:

  • Material evidence. Somehow, tools, equipment, and other items just seem to move. The employer is anxious to "clean up" the accident scene so people can get back to work. It's important that a procedure be developed to protect material evidence so that it does not get moved, or disappears. If evidence disappears it becomes much more difficult fulfill the purpose of the accident investigation: to uncover surface and root causes which are required to make safety program improvements and improve the design of tools, equipment, and machinery.

  • 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 as well whenever a serious accident occurs in the workplace. Everyone is affected somehow. As the length of time after an accident increases, emotions distort what people believe they saw and heard. Conversations with others further distort reality. After a while, the memory of everyone associated in any way with the accident, will be altered in some way. This fact can have nothing but negative effects your success as an accident investigator.

If required, report the accident

If your company is in the private sector, and a very serious accident or fatality occurs you may be required to report it to OSHA. Let's take a look at the Standard 1904.39, Reporting of Fatality or Multiple Hospitalization Incidents to OSHA, for the specific requirements.

1904.39, Reporting of Fatality or Multiple Hospitalization Incidents to OSHA

(a) Basic requirement. Within eight (8) hours after the death of any employee from a work-related incident or the in-patient hospitalization of three or more employees as a result of a work-related incident, you must orally report the fatality/multiple hospitalization by telephone or in person to the Area Office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor, that is nearest to the site of the incident. You may also use the OSHA toll-free central telephone number, 1–800–321–OSHA (1–800–321–6742).

(b) Implementation—

(1) If the Area Office is closed, may I report the incident by leaving a message on OSHA's answering machine, faxing the area office, or sending an e-mail? No, if you can't talk to a person at the Area Office, you must report the fatality or multiple hospitalization incident using the 800 number.

(2) What information do I need to give to OSHA about the incident? You must give OSHA the following information for each fatality or multiple hospitalization incident:

(i) The establishment name;

(ii) The location of the incident;

(iii) The time of the incident;

(iv) The number of fatalities or hospitalized employees;

(v) The names of any injured employees;

(vi) Your contact person and his or her phone number; and

(vii) A brief description of the incident.

(3) Do I have to report every fatality or multiple hospitalization incident resulting from a motor vehicle accident? No, you do not have to report all of these incidents. If the motor vehicle accident occurs on a public street or highway, and does not occur in a construction work zone, you do not have to report the incident to OSHA. However, these injuries must be recorded on your OSHA injury and illness records, if you are required to keep such records.

(4) Do I have to report a fatality or multiple hospitalization incident that occurs on a commercial or public transportation system? No, you do not have to call OSHA to report a fatality or multiple hospitalization incident if it involves a commercial airplane, train, subway or bus accident. However, these injuries must be recorded on your OSHA injury and illness records, if you are required to keep such records.

(5) Do I have to report a fatality caused by a heart attack at work? Yes, your local OSHA Area Office director will decide whether to investigate the incident, depending on the circumstances of the heart attack.

(6) Do I have to report a fatality or hospitalization that occurs long after the incident? No, you must only report each fatality or multiple hospitalization incident that occurs within thirty (30) days of an incident.

(7) What if I don't learn about an incident right away? If you do not learn of a reportable incident at the time it occurs and the incident would otherwise be reportable under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, you must make the report within eight (8) hours of the time the incident is reported to you or to any of your agent(s) or employee(s).

If you live in a "State Plan" state, your state OSHA accident reporting requirements may be different, so be sure to check them out.

Time for your first module quiz. This quiz will help you review some of the important points about initiating the accident investigation. If you find it difficult to answer the questions, just scroll back up the screen, do some review, and come back to the quiz.



Take the Review Quiz

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