Employers do not investigate accidents properly and so fail to learn the lessons, says new HSE research

Citation

(2002), "Employers do not investigate accidents properly and so fail to learn the lessons, says new HSE research", Facilities, Vol. 20 No. 3/4. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2002.06920cab.005

Employers do not investigate accidents properly and so fail to learn the lessons, says new HSE research

Employers do not investigate accidents properly and so fail to learn the lessons, says new HSE researchKeywords: Health and safety, Employers, Work related injury

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published new research which shows that many employers do not have adequate procedures for assessing the causes of workplace accidents.

Accident Investigation – The Drivers, Methods and Outcomes, contract research report 344/2001, was commissioned by the HSE to provide background information for the proposed new legislation requiring employers to investigate the causes of work-related accidents and ill health, and to provide guidance for HSE as to the type and level of practical support industry may need to comply with new regulations.

Karen Clayton of HSE's Operations Unit said "A great deal of potential learning about the causes of accidents and their prevention is not taking place. Prime responsibility for accident lies with dutyholders, primarily employers. Common sense suggests that if lessons are to be learned from accidents, then their underlying causes should be understood. Dutyholders cannot rely on someone else to investigate; they must understand why events happened, and act to make sure they don't happen again. Proper investigation is important to update workplace risk assessments, and provides employers with an opportunity to review and change working practices."

The research carried out by Human Reliability Associates revealed that:

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  There was no common model for incident investigation. Companies employ a range of approaches to incident investigation, from a largely unstructured and ad hoc approach, to one that has clear procedures and analysis techniques and tools.

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  Most companies provided no support or only a minimum level of support for incident investigation.

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  The likelihood of a more comprehensive or sophisticated method for incident investigation increased in proportion to the size of the company.

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  The individual driving the investigation has a major impact on the approach that is adopted, although this influence is moderated by the presence of a robust structure to support the investigation process.

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  Despite the limitations of many of the investigations examined in the study, the vast majority of companies still considered they have a structured approach to incident investigation.

The study also examined the resources used by companies in their investigations and the barriers to improving current standards of investigation.

Copies of Proposals for a New Duty to Investigate Accidents, Dangerous Occurrences and Diseases (CD169) are available free from HSE Books.The full text can be viewed and downloaded from the HSE Web site: www.hse.gov.uk/condocs