Accident 101 Series - Preparing for Accidents

Although it is not possible to predict where and when an accident will take place, it is most important to be prepared when one does occur. Your company should have emergency procedures in place for when an accident does take place. You should also have designated at least two employees as your accident response team.  Elements of an emergency program should include:

• Rescue and first aid
• Alarm systems
• Limiting further harm to persons and equipment
• Notifying authorities
• Notifying those who will investigate the accident

Above all, the purpose of emergency response is to get help for injured individuals.  To ensure this happens, emergency response drills should be practiced on a routine basis.

Download a sample of an emergency contact list here!

Accidents 101 Series - Why Investigate?

Welcome to the first blog in the Accidents 101 Series.  While every accident situation is unique, in this series I hope to present a systematic process for collecting information to determine how the accident happened.

Why Investigate An Accident?

There are two primary goals of accident investigation:

1. Determine the cause of the accident
2. Prevent it from happening again

Accident Investigation is critical in the risk management process.  It allows an operation to learn from its losses and increase the level of safety by controlling hazards that may not have been evident.  The ultimate goal of accident investigation is to uncover the causes of the accident, and implement changes to prevent a similar accident from occurring.  Your job as an investigator is to search for the details and analyze the information you have gathered to determine the causes, and to make recommendations for corrective actions.  Your job is not to fix blame on anyone or find fault.

Download your copy of a sample Accident Investigation Form here.

OSHA TIPS:  Reminder to post your OSHA Summary Logs February 1st through April 30, 2012 and update your MSDS sheets once every 12 months.