Excerpt: Accident investigation is an important part of a supervisor’sresponsibility and accident prevention. And investigation answers the questionsof who, what, when, where, how, and why. A good investigation obtains as muchinformation as possible about the accident. It may also include photographs,sketches, witness statements, and quite possibly include investigationsconducted by engineering, and maintenance personnel. Supervisors already knowhow to conduct investigations. This program will concentrate on the importanceof conducting a thorough investigation, and why the information is necessary. Whenyou understand the purpose and reasons for the investigation, and how thereports are used, it will make you a better supervisor and actually reduce thetime you spend writing reports.
Your accident report may look like this. You may have additionalforms to supplement the information, but the supervisor’s report of injury mustbe completed for each industrial injury or illness that requires medicaltreatment. Accident investigation and reporting is a preventive effort. Theinformation you provide on the report is fed into a computer to identify injurytrends which will identify problem area on which to concentrate. It is vitalthat a thorough professional investigation and report be completed when aninjury occurs. Now to complete the report form, make sure your reports arelegible, either printed or typed. The general information on the top of theform: The employee name, Location, Sex, Age, and so on
Although the employee may provide some information theinjured employee may not fill out the report, that’s the supervisor’sresponsibility. Most of the information is self-explanatory, and we won’t boreyou with each and every box to complete.
Be sure to identify the employee correctly. Don’t usenicknames. Use the employee’s full name. The employee’s social security numberis very important as it serves as verification of the correct employee. Thelength of service is important for several reasons. You may discover that manyshort-term employees or newly hired employees are having the majority ofinjuries. This would provide information that they need training before goingto work, or more supervision initially to prevent injuries. A trend ofemployees with 2-5 years of experience may indicate they need additionaltraining or safety reminders to prevent accidents. The time of day may alsoprovide data that accidents are occurring at a particular time of day. You canthen develop programs to reduce these accidents and injuries. All theinformation has a purpose. The date the accident reported and the actual date ofinjury are very important. On what date to the employee visit the doctor? Didthe employee seek outside medical treatment without consulting a supervisor? Inother words, was the treatment authorized? List the number of injuries orillnesses the employee was involved in during the previous fiscal year. You mayidentify an employee that has frequent accidents which indicates the need forcorrective action. Next, be sure to list all the witnesses to the accident.Many times that provides key information to determine the cause of an accident.If there are no witnesses write none or n/a, don’t leave the space blank.Description of the accident is critical. Keep in mind many people will read thereport who may not be familiar with the process or job language. Avoid usingjargon known only to those familiar with the work. Describe what the employeewas doing prior to the incident, and what the employee was doing during theincident. Be specific and be sure of your facts. Go to the accident site andmake sure you have all your questions answered before you write the report. Ifyou need additional paper to complete a factual report attach it to the report.The information you obtained may be used in court or other proceedings, and it’simportant to have the facts. Next, identify the part of the body injured. Ifmultiple injuries were sustained make sure you identify all body parts affected.