Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

8.1 
Introduction
This chapter is concerned with the recording of inci-
dents and accidents at work; their investigation; the 
legal reporting requirements; and simple analysis of inci-
dents to help managers benefi t from the investigation 
and recording process.
Incidents and accidents rarely result from a single 
cause and many turn out to be complex. Most incidents 
involve multiple, interrelated causal factors. They can 
occur whenever signifi cant defi ciencies, oversights, 
errors, omissions or unexpected changes occur. Any 
one of these can be the precursor of an accident or 
incident. There is a value on collecting data on all 
incidents and potential losses as it helps to prevent 
more serious events. (See Chapter 5 for accident ratios 
and defi nitions.)
Incidents and accidents, whether they cause damage 
to property or more seriously injury and/or ill-health to 
people, should be properly and thoroughly investigated 
to allow an organization to take the appropriate action 
to prevent a recurrence. Good investigation is a key 
element to making improvements in health and safety 
performance.
Incident investigation is considered to be part of 
a 
reactive monitoring system
because it is triggered 
after an event.
Figure 8.1
A dangerous occurrence – fi re.
116
8
Incident and accident 
investigation and reporting

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Incident and accident investigation and reporting
117
The range of events includes:
➤
injuries and ill-health, including sickness absence
➤
damage to property, personal effects, work in pro-
gress, etc.
➤
incidents which have the potential to cause injury, 
ill-health or damage.
Each type of event gives the opportunity to:
➤
check 
performance
➤
identify underlying defi ciencies in management sys-
tems and procedures
➤
learn from mistakes and add to the corporate 
memory
➤
reinforce key health and safety messages
➤
identify trends and priorities for prevention
➤
provide valuable information if there is a claim for 
compensation
➤
helps to meet legal requirements for reporting cer-
tain incidents to the authorities.