OSHA strongly encourages employers to investigate all incidents in which a worker was hurt as well as close calls in which a worker might have been hurt if the circumstances had been slightly different.
Investigating a worksite incident— a fatality, injury, illness, or close call— provides employers and workers the opportunity to identify hazards in their operations and shortcomings in their safety and health programs. Most importantly, it enables employers and workers to identify and implement the corrective actions necessary to prevent future incidents.
Incident investigations that focus on identifying and correcting root causes, not on finding fault or blame, also improve workplace morale and increase productivity, by demonstrating an employer’s commitment to a safe and healthful workplace.
Addressing underlying or root causes is necessary to truly understand why an incident occurred, to develop truly effective corrective actions, and to minimize or eliminate serious consequences from similar future incidents.
For more information see OSHA’s Fact Sheet on the Importance of Root Cause Analysis During Incident Investigation.
The OSHA Training Center is offering OSHA 7505 – Introduction to Incident (Accident) Investigation at the following locations:
August 18, 2017 | Lakewood, CA
October 16, 2017 | Reno, NV
October 30, 2017 | Dublin, CA
CLICK HERE for more information and to register.