Question 5 of 7: Safety Audits and Accident Investigation

Question 5: Safety Audits and Accident Investigation (20 marks: 7/7/6)

Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.

(i) Steps in a Safety Audit

1. Plan and define scope — objectives, areas/systems to audit, standards and checklists, audit team.
2. Pre-audit review — examine documents: policies, procedures, prior audits, incident records, training records.
3. Opening meeting — inform management/workers of scope and method.
4. Conduct the audit — physical inspection/observation of workplace, equipment and behaviour; interviews; verify practice against documented procedures and legal requirements.
5. Record findings — note deficiencies, non-conformances and good practices with evidence.
6. Evaluate/rank findings by risk.
7. Report — written report with findings and recommendations.
8. Corrective-action plan — assign responsibilities and deadlines.
9. Follow-up — verify corrective actions are implemented and effective; close the loop.

(ii) Purpose of Accident Investigation and Selection Criteria

Purpose — to determine the root causes (not to assign blame) so that recurrence is prevented. Also: to identify unrecognized hazards, improve procedures/design, meet legal/reporting requirements, and inform training and management systems.

Criteria for which accidents to investigate — investigate on the basis of:

• Severity of actual outcome — fatalities, serious/lost-time injuries, major property/environmental loss (mandatory, often legally required).
• Potential severity — near-misses with high potential should be investigated as seriously as actual injuries.
• Frequency/recurrence — repeated minor incidents of the same type.
• Legal/regulatory reporting obligations.
• Ideally all incidents and near-misses are reported; the depth of investigation is scaled to severity and potential.

(iii) Classic Steps in Accident Investigation

1. Secure the scene / respond — care for the injured, make the area safe, preserve evidence.
2. Gather facts — collect physical evidence, photographs, position of equipment; review records.
3. Interview witnesses and involved persons promptly and separately, objectively (fact-finding, not fault-finding).
4. Analyze — reconstruct the sequence; determine immediate causes and underlying root causes (e.g., using multiple-factor or root-cause analysis).
5. Develop conclusions and corrective actions to address root causes.
6. Report the findings and recommendations.
7. Implement and follow up — verify corrective actions taken and effective.