Why Accident Investigations Matter
When an accident or near miss occurs in the workplace, it can be distressing for everyone involved. While you can’t undo what’s happened, a thorough accident investigation is a vital step in understanding the root causes and preventing recurrence. It also sends a clear message to your workforce: that their safety and well-being are taken seriously.
Accident investigations are a cornerstone of an effective health and safety culture, and something that should be embedded in all organisations that are forward-thinking. They support continuous improvement, reduce the likelihood of future incidents, and demonstrate to your staff, customers and other stakeholders that you take the safety and welfare of your people seriously.
Legal Requirements & HSE Guidance
Although there is no absolute legal requirement to conduct an accident investigation, organisations have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. 1974 Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to manage risks and learn from incidents. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) strongly encourages investigations as part of good practice, particularly under guidance such as HSG245: “Investigating accidents and incidents”.
Accident investigation also supports compliance with ISO 45001 and HSG65, particularly under clause 10.2 (Incident, non-conformity and corrective action), by helping organisations identify non-conformities and implement corrective actions.
Benefits of Accident Investigations
Root Cause Identification
Understand not just what happened, but why it happened. Root cause analysis gets to the bottom of the problem by digging deeper than simply fixing the equipment or area where the accident occurred. It identifies the management systems or processes that allowed the unsafe acts or conditions that caused the accident to occur.
Prevention of recurrence
Accident investigations help organisations understand how and why incidents happen, not just what went wrong. By looking beyond immediate issues, such as a messy work area or faulty equipment, investigations reveal underlying problems in management or procedures. This deeper insight allows organisations to fix the real causes, making it less likely the same accident will happen again and improving overall workplace safety.
Support for Claims and Enforcement
If an accident leads to further examination by regulators (such as the HSE or Local Authority), having an effective accident investigation process can assist with regulatory compliance and demonstrate due diligence. Such processes are also useful in civil or criminal litigation and when addressing inquiries from authorities or during claims procedures.
Improved Morale
Your staff are your biggest asset, without them you cannot have an effective organisation. Poor risk and safety management causes poor morale, which is difficult to quantify but does affect performance. A robust accident investigation process shows regulators and other stakeholders that you are taking the health, safety and welfare of people seriously. It demonstrates to your team that they are valued.
Cultural Improvement
Accident investigation is a key tool in a continuous improvement environment, it shows a forward thinking outlook.
Why Trust PHSC for Your Accident Investigations
Rely on PHSC for expert accident investigations. Our Level 6-qualified consultants and Chartered Safety Professionals deliver legally robust, impartial reports with clear recommendations to prevent recurrence and support your organisation’s compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, but it is strongly recommended by the HSE and supports compliance with broader legal duties under health and safety law. It also helps demonstrate due diligence in the event of enforcement or litigation.
An effective investigation involves securing the scene immediately after the event has occurred (depending on the seriousness of the event) so you can obtain valuable information about the layout, the equipment, the people in the area and what was happening. You need to identify and interview witnesses, check what happened against what should have happened (ie your procedures) and consider supervision, competence of the people as well as the environmental conditions. This enables you to identify immediate and root causes, and produce a clear, actionable report. PHSC’s training provides a structured approach to this process.
Anyone with appropriate training and understanding of the workplace can conduct an investigation. Typically, this includes line managers, supervisors, or health and safety professionals. Depending on the complexity and nature of the accident, it may be necessary to involve a number of people, e.g. technical specialist or an engineer. Where you have staff representation, they should also be included. Under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977, Union-appointed health and safety representatives are legally entitled to participate in workplace accident investigations.
The level of detail should be proportionate to the severity and potential consequences of the incident. Even near misses should be investigated to prevent future harm; the extent to which these are investigated will depend on the potential severity of the event.
Investigations should consider:
- Unsafe acts and conditions
- Environmental and organisational factors
- The people involved and their competence/experience
- The systems, procedures and processes in place, including your own Health & Safety Policy
- Equipment and procedural issues
- Cultural and behavioural influences
- Compliance with legal and internal standards
The level of detail should be proportionate to the severity and potential consequences of the incident. Even near misses should be investigated to prevent future harm; the extent to which these are investigated will depend on the potential severity of the event.
Our Client Cases
Identifying the Real Cause Behind a Leisure Facility Injury
The Accident: A person sustained a head /eye injury whilst playing basketball in a leisure facility. The basketball hoop fractured and fell into the person’s eye. Hospital treatment was needed.
Findings: The initial investigation by our client suggested that the person was too rough and knocked the basketball hoop too hard. However, when we followed this up, our expert health and safety consultant identified that the equipment was not in pristine condition when received, and some parts had needed replacement by the supplier when it first arrived. The equipment did not appear to be manufactured to any known equipment standard and was purchased as it was the cheapest.
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