ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
A methodical effort to
collect and interpret the
facts of accident in order
to explore actions that
should be taken to
prevent or minimize
recurrence of the
accident.

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Why Investigate?

 To prevent further accidents and business losses

 To understand how and why things went wrong

 To find weaknesses in operating procedures so they can be

strengthened

 To find deficiencies in risk control management that may be

replicated throughout the organization

 To identify breaches of legislation

Department of Labor and Employment
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 What Makes a Good Investigation?

A good investigation will identify:

 Direct / Immediate causes;

 Underlying / contributing causes;

 All root causes, AND;

 Risk control measures that could break the chain of causation.

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 TYPES OF ACCIDENT TO BE
INVESTIGATED AND REPORTED

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 WHO SHOULD INVESTIGATE?
 Managers

Supervisors

 Admin Personnel

Security Officers

Safety and Health Committee

• Chairman
• Company Physician and Nurses
• First Aiders
• Union Members / Workers

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Investigation Pointers

Accident Scene Victims & Witness

• Eliminate hazards & isolate • Medical care
• Examine • Interview separately & as soon as
possible
• Diagram
• Brief overview of the situation
• Take photographs
• Fact-finding process only
• Open ended questions
• Summarize
• Written, signed statement

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 DETERMINE CAUSES (AND THE ROOT CAUSE)

MATERIAL EQUIPMENT MAN

• Toxic, flammable, • Defective / operational • Physical, mental,
combustible • Guards, leaks, broken emotional condition
• Heavy, difficult to move parts • Competent / trained

EFFECT

ENVIRONMENT METHODS
• Illumination, dust, • Existing, followed
vapor • Appropriate
• Heat / cold, moisture /
humidity

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Michael suffered an accident, cutting his hand on the saw blade
WHY!!

Michael was Saw blade was Micheal’ s hands Micheal used the
operating the spinning presenting came in contact unguarded saw
saw a hazard with the blade
WHY!!
WHY!! WHY!!

To cut The The saw blade was Micheal felt under

wood supervisor not guarded pressure to
WHY!! told him to cut complete the work
WHY!!
the wood
WHY!!
WHY!!

Michael is the Supervisor failed to The relief operator,

assistant saw ensure that the saw Fred, had removed
operator was guarded the guard

WHY!! WHY!! WHY!!

 FIND ROOT CAUSES

• Root Cause Analysis is

finding the real cause of
the problem and dealing
with it rather than simply
continuing to deal with the
symptoms.

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Investigation Report
I. Background Information
a. Occurrence of the accident (where & when)
b. Persons (witnesses) / equipment involved

II. Account of the Accident

a. Sequence of events (timeline)

III. Discussions (analysis of the accident) – How

and Why
a. Direct causes
b. Contributing causes
c. Root causes

IV. Recommendations

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
Prescribed form: DOLE/BWC/OHSD-IP-6
(Employers Work Accident/Illness Report)

The formal report (2 copies) shall be

submitted by the employer on or
before the 20th day of the month
following the date of the occurrence
of the accident.
 Rule 1051: Definitions

(4) Permanent Total Disability (PTD) – shall mean any injury or sickness
other than death which permanently and totally incapacitates an employee
from engaging in any gainful occupation or which results in the loss or the
complete loss of use of any of the following in one accident:

a) Both eyes;
b) One eye and one hand, or arm, or leg or foot;
c) Any two of the following not in the same limb, hand, arm, foot, leg;
d) Permanent complete paralysis of two limbs;
e) Brain injury resulting in incurable imbecility or insanity.

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Rule 1051: Definitions

(5) Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) – shall mean any injury other than
death or permanent total disability which results in the loss or loss of use of
any member of the body regardless of any pre – existing disability of the
injured member or impaired body function.

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Rule 1051: Definitions

(6) Temporary Total Disability (TTD) – shall mean any injury or illness
which does not result in death or permanent total or permanent partial
disability but which results in disability from work for a day or more.

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Annual Work Accident/Illness Exposure Data
Report (AEDR)

Prescribed Form :
DOLE/BWC/OHSD-IP6B

Annual Work Accident/Illness

Exposure Data Report (AEDR)

Submitted on or before January 20 of

the following year with or without
accident

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Frequency Rate
Disabling Frequency Rate – the number of disabling
injuries per 1,000,000 employee-hours exposure.

Frequency Rate (FR) = No. of disabling injury X 1,000,000

Total Employee-Hour Exposure

Frequency Rate (FR) = 10 X 1,000,000 Assuming:

200,000 # of Disabling Injuries = 10
Total Emp-Hr Exp = 200,000
Frequency Rate (FR) = 50

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Severity Rate
Disabling Severity Rate – the number of days lost and/or
charged per 1,000,000 employee-hours exposure

Severity Rate (SR) = Total days lost and / or charged X 1,000,000

Total Employee-Hour Exposure

Severity Rate (SR) = (200) X 1,000,000

200,000
Assuming:
Severity Rate (SR) = 1,000
Total days lost = 200
Total emp-hrs Exp = 200,000

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Rule 1051: Definitions

(1) Death resulting from accident shall be assigned at time charge of 6,000
days.

(2) Permanent total disability resulting from work accident shall be

assigned a time charge of 6,000 days.

(3) Permanent partial disability either traumatic or surgical, resulting from

work accident shall be assigned the time charge as provided in Table 6
on Time Charges.

Department of Labor and Employment

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Clear Points
• Accident Investigation is a methodical effort to collect and
interpret the facts of accident in order to explore actions
that should be taken to prevent or minimize its recurrence.

• A Formal Policy requiring the proper and consistent

reporting of all accidents is one of the most important
principles of any accident investigation program.

• Root Cause Analysis is finding the real cause of the problem

and dealing with it rather than simply continuing to deal
with the symptoms.

• Every accident is an indication of failure in organization.

Department of Labor and Employment
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER
 Accident Triangle

Practical Loss Control Leadership F E Bird

and G L Germain, 1969
 Department of Labor and Employment
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH CENTER