September 21, 2011

It's an oft-repeated truism that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. While this is generally true of both individuals and organizations, future behavior can be changed with intention and effort.

In the safety realm, accident investigation is crucial for identifying both why an accident occurred and the steps that must be taken to avoid similar incidents in the future. Here are 5 tips for success:

Learn valuable lessons from the mistakes of others with OSHA Accident Case Studies. » Learn more

1. Avoid the check box: While check boxes arrange things into nice neat categories, they fail to get at the root of what's really going on. People often spend more time trying to figure out which box to check than figuring out how the accident happened.
   
   If you do want to use check boxes to categorize data, first have your investigators complete open-ended and "free form" sections that ask for details about the accident. Then, at the end of the investigation, they can categorize the data.



2. Don't just interview the injured: Often, an accident doesn't involve just the person who got injured. Co-workers who perform identical or similar tasks may have valuable insight into why the accident happened. Maintenance workers who are familiar with the involved equipment can often offer clues as well.



3. Remember that it's not a witch hunt: A supervisor who wants to prove an employee did something "wrong," or an employee who feels management and supervisors are anti-employee, are both likely to arrive at a quick conclusion about what happened that may bear little resemblance to reality. You should always watch out for these sorts of snap judgments and discount them as appropriate.



4. Don't let it linger: While you may need time to organize your accident investigation team and get a schedule together, don't let it drag out too long. People's memories of what happened will begin to fade quickly (and their recollections will change once they start talking to each other about the incident). Also, any physical evidence will begin to fade shortly after the incident occurs.



5. Review records: Some incidents require more in-depth investigations because of their severity or frequency. For these types of incidents, be sure to include a search of records - for example, past investigations, maintenance records, safety complaints, and so on - as part of the investigation to help identify potential causes and patterns.

Even Better Than Learning From Your Mistakes…?

…is learning from the mistakes of others.

Recently updated and reviewed and approved by independent experts, our exclusive OSHA Accident Case Studies resource will enrich your safety training program with real-life case studies of actual industrial accidents from the OSHA files. Even your most skeptical workers will see what can go wrong and become more safety-minded.

OSHA Accident Case Studies provides you with animated, customizable PowerPoint slides with accident photos that will get workers' attention and make your safety meetings come alive. Includes 25 meetings on key safety topics, presented in a lively and memorable way:

• The Case of the Heavy Boxes (Back Pain)
• The Case of the Overturned Forklift (Forklift Parking Problems)
• The Case of the Open Electrical Control Panel (Electric Shock and Burn)
• The Case of the Exploding Solvent Can (Fire Emergency)
• The Case of the Invisible Gas (Confined Spaces)
• The Case of the Unknown Chemical Hazard (Hazard Communication)
• The Case of the Jammed Machine (Lockout/Tagout)
• The Case of the Disturbed Soil (Trench Collapse)
• The Case of the Cracked Fuel Tank (Welding Explosion)
• The Case of the Mixed-up Dough (New Employee Safety Orientation)
• The Case of the Kicked Back Saw (Power Tools)
• The Case of the Broken Eardrum (Hearing Protection)
• The Case of the Broken Sling (Indoor Cranes)
• The Case of the Potential Needlestick (Bloodborne Pathogens)
• The Case of the Greasy Oxygen Cylinder (Cylinder Explosion)
• The Case of the Disconnected Switch (Process Safety Management)
• The Case of the Bumped Can (Spills)
• The Case of the Wrong Respirator (Respiratory Protection)
• The Case of the Inadequate Guard (Machine Guarding)
• The Case of the Fritted Glass (Lead Protection)
• The Case of the Unforeseen Hazards (Job Hazard Analysis)
• The Case of the Spilled Toluene (HAZWOPER)
• The Case of the Missing Fall Protection (Fall Protection)
• The Case of the Flying Glass (Flying Glass)
• The Case of the Ruptured Tendon (Ergonomics)

You get:

• Customizable visuals and text
  Easily insert photos and situations from your facility
• Fast moving, animated PowerPoint presentation
  15 slides per topic with photos. Comes with the actual text of OSHA's training requirements
• Detailed speaker's notes for every slide
  Makes anyone a subject matter expert
• Printable handouts, quizzes, and slides for each topic
  We've given you everything you need to reinforce and document your training
• Interactive exercises and questions
  Involves trainees in "What went wrong?"
• Handouts for every participant
  Reinforces training

In short, it's everything you need to keep your workplace from becoming a "safety don't."

Get your copy today!