Questions to ask after an accident or near miss
This questionnaire has been designed in conjunction with Dossier 16, Managing Health and Safety. It has been developed for a manager who finds themselves in the position of having to investigate and accident or near miss and will be of use in most organisations.
The following checklist is not exhaustive but indicates the areas an investigator should examine, and the types of question to be asked of witnesses.
Task
- Was a safe work procedure used?
- Had conditions changed to make the normal procedure unsafe?
- Were the appropriate tools and materials available?
- Were they used?
- Were safety devices working properly?
- Was lockout used when necessary?
- Can the task be eliminated - by finding another way that does not involve people?
Material
- Was there an equipment failure?
- What caused it to fail?
- Was the machinery poorly designed?
- Were hazardous substances involved?
- Were they clearly identified?
- Was a less hazardous alternative substance possible and available?
- Was the raw material substandard in some way?
- Should personal protective equipment (PPE) have been used?
- Was the PPE used?
Environment
- Was poor housekeeping a problem?
- Was it too hot or too cold?
- Was noise a problem?
- Was there adequate light?
- Were toxic or hazardous gases, dusts, or fumes present?
People
- Were workers experienced in the work being done?
- Had they been adequately trained?
- Can they physically do the work?
- What was the status of their health?
- Were they tired?
- Were they under stress (work or personal)?
Management
- Were safety rules communicated to and understood by all employees?
- Were written procedures available?
- Were they being enforced?
- Was there adequate supervision?
- Were workers trained to do the work?
- Had hazards been previously identified?
- Had procedures been developed to overcome them?
- Were unsafe conditions corrected?
- Was regular maintenance of equipment carried out?
- Were regular safety inspections carried out?