Orientation Guidelines for completing this worksheet
The purpose of a post-injury investigation is to help you identify the cause of an accident and to help you prevent future accidents like it. An unbiased and open approach to this process is very important. Nobody is looking to point fingers at anyone.
Visit the accident scene as soon as possible --- while facts are fresh and before witnesses forget important details.
- It is not uncommon to conduct this interview a day or more after the incident is made known to you.
- Whenever possible, gently interview the injured worker at the scene of the accident and “walk” him or her through a re-enactment.
- Sometimes a verbal statement is all that you can get.
All interviews should be conducted as privately as possible.
- Interview witnesses one at a time.
- Talk with anyone who has knowledge of the accident, even if they did not actually witness it.
- Keep all of the information confidential, especially health, medical and personal information.
- Consider taking signed statements in cases where facts are unclear or where there is an element of controversy.
- Document details graphically. Use sketches, diagrams, and photos as needed, and take measurements when appropriate. At the end of this worksheet, we will aid you to securely upload files and photos, as you may wish.
Focus on causes and hazards.
- Develop an analysis of what happened. Determine what caused the accident itself, not just the injury. Sometimes what emerges is that a practice that has always been in place but that has never resulted in an accident needs to be changed.
- How it happened
- And how you think it might have been able to have been prevented.
- Sometimes, just changing the way we do something can reduce the chance of an incident happening again.
Every investigation should include an action plan.
- How will you prevent such accidents in the future? We've provided some free-form text boxes and some questions to help stimulate your thoughts on these subjects.
- If a third-party or a defective product contributed to the accident, save any evidence that might substantiate that fact. It could be critical to the recovery of claim costs.