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 the audit and define its scope, criteria and team.
2. Pre-audit review of documents (policies, procedures, previous audits, incident records).
3. Opening meeting with management and worker representatives.
4. Conduct the audit — inspect and observe, interview workers and supervisors, verify against the criteria.
5. Record findings with objective evidence.
6. Evaluate and rank the findings by risk.
7. Report to management (closing meeting and written report).
8. Agree a corrective-action plan with owners and dates.
9. Follow up to verify the actions were implemented and effective.

(ii) Purpose and Selection Criteria

Purpose — find root causes (not blame) to prevent recurrence; identify hazards; improve procedures/design; meet legal requirements.

Criteria: actual severity (fatal/serious/major loss—mandatory), potential severity (high-potential near-misses), frequency/recurrence, and legal reporting obligations; depth scales with severity/potential.

(iii) Classic Investigation Steps

1. Respond to the emergency and secure/preserve the scene.
2. Gather the facts — physical evidence, position of equipment, photographs, documents.
3. Interview witnesses and the injured worker as soon as practicable.
4. Analyze — reconstruct the sequence and find both the immediate and the root causes.
5. Develop conclusions and corrective actions.
6. Report, implement and follow up.