Accidents are inevitable, but lessons learned are valuable tools to help prevent similar accidents from happening in the future. Critical analysis post-accident and implementation of proper safety measures can yield positive results. Reduced accidents can yield a lower workers’ compensation modification, reduced insurance costs, and the ability to competitively bid for more jobs.
The first step in accident analysis is determining the root cause of the incident. Typically, there are four driving factors: People, Equipment, Environment, and Management.
Human error is a common denominator contributing to many worksite accidents. In addition to your employees, there are numerous other people that can contribute to an accident including other trades, project managers, laborers, vendors, and more. Often the root cause can be drilled down to the following:
The utilization of tools and equipment is necessary to perform the requisite work on any project. Most accidents that involve equipment as a leading cause of an accident can be attributed to the following:
Many environmental elements can contribute to the likelihood of an accident. While forces of nature can not be prevented, preparedness and proper safety measures can reduce the environmental impact on the work site. Some of these triggers include:
Management
How a job site is managed is a critical factor that can aid or prevent the possibility of an accident. These Management examples might seem obvious, but unfortunately, poor management can still lead to accidents:
After you determine which of the four areas – People, Equipment, Environment, or Management - the accident circumstances fall within, start asking a series of “why?” questions to determine the reasons for every set of circumstances.
When you have run out of “why?” questions, analyze the results. Eliminate any unlikely causes or circumstances that you cannot control. Then you should be able to identify the accident's cause. Lastly, determine what management system needs to be in place to assure that the accident does not happen again.
A thorough and proper analysis of an accident can reveal a great deal. By identifying the root cause of an accident, you will be able to learn from it and put procedures in place, so similar accidents do not happen in the future. If you have any questions regarding how to properly analyze an accident, reach out to TSIB.
TSIB’s Risk Consultants are currently servicing the following locations:
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