Accident Investigation

It is a grim prospect to have the worry of a serious accident or incident to contend with. There will be many people asking many questions at the same time as you are concerned about an injured individual and have other business pressures as a result. Not least of all asking questions could be the enforcing authorities and potentially solicitors. All of this will cost time, money and trouble and fee-for intervention could apply even if a prosecution does not follow, as could a private claim for compensation.

Will you have the answers they are looking for? What information do you need to disclose to which party? Are you confident that your policy and procedures will ‘hold-up’ under such scrutiny? Do you need to report to RIDDOR? Who will you get to investigate?

Unfortunately, enforcing authority investigations are rarely short. They are trained specialists and take their time to gather and analyze all detail. Pressure builds through uncertainty during this process and can be a heavy burden.

Should you carry out your own investigation and demonstrate you have evaluated root causation and (where concerns are found) taken corrective actions to help prevent a reoccurrence, this could lead to mitigating circumstances in the event of further action; and demonstrate that you are doing all that you can to redress the situation. Cooperation with the authorities is a key aspect in this area and it would help if you understood what they are looking for.

Our course covers analysis which is a transferrable skill and useful for many areas of businesses. Undertaking investigations following an adverse event is a recognized requirement of management systems, often insurances, is considered a legal requirement, it is morally right and can be financially beneficial. It can also prevent further, or reoccurring events and improve your health and safety performance to reduce the potential for headaches and stress that follows when an enforcement officer comes calling or someone is injured.

Our course follows HSG245 requirements Investigating Accidents and Incidents, guidance which the Health and Safety Executive would consider an acceptable method of investigation. Our one-day face-to-face classroom-based course is very interactive with core exercises to stretch the mind and enable shared experiences and learning, culminating in an evaluated investigation project.

The course is run by trained accident investigators, adding their valuable experiences to the process for additional interest and learning.

Should you wish to enroll on our next course, please contact Hayley Ford.

Email: hayley.ford@hktrainingservices.co.uk

Telephone: 01233 720 113