The definition of an accident is “an undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or loss.” Accident investigation is a vastly underrated and vital aspect of all successful safety programs, but some employers have streamlined the process to the point it is almost automated.
Regardless of fault, an accident is an undesirable event. Yet, many employers simply collect relevant information, develop a strategy to prevent a recurrence, but fail to take the opportunity to communicate the importance of preventing the next accident.
Visibility is an important element of all safety programs and taking the opportunity to let all employees know accidents must be prevented helps drive that visibility. When employees see supervisors, managers, and executives involved in the accident investigation process, it sends a strong, visible message to employees that accidents are not acceptable and will get immediate attention from the entire management team.
If it sounds too good to be true, read here about how we successfully implement this process in a case study: Driving Down Risk Through Your Most Valuable Resource.
What can you do?
Organizations should communicate their intolerance of accidents by making their executives and managers highly visible during the accident investigation process. In the same way, an executive wants answers on why an order or project was not completed on time, involvement in the accident investigation process will get the attention of all employees in the organization and send a message that accidents must be prevented.
