Accident Investigation Establish an accident investigation team: Include employees who have been trained to conduct an effective investigation. A typical team might include: An employee from the work area where the accident occurred A supervisor from a work area not involved in the accident A maintenance supervisor or an employee who understands equipment or processes associated with the accident The safety supervisor A safety committee representative Gather information: Record the facts about the accident. Interview witnesses and others involved. Analyze the facts: Identify the accident’s causes and contributing factors. Determine how the accident could have been prevented. Report the findings:...

Common Sense Safety There are a number of safety problems common to most workplaces and job sites that can be solved with a little common sense.  Planning and thinking ahead can help eliminate most of these hazards.  Take a close look at your workplace with these suggestions in mind. Eliminate junk piles.  Organize a cleanup program to remove trash, broken parts, and scrap from work areas, walkways, storerooms, and neglected corners. Look for materials that have been stacked improperly.  An unstable stack is a real danger to anyone who may be near if the material suddenly falls.  Check such things as wood...

Accident Prevention Effective implementation of, and consistent compliance with, the requirements and guidelines described below are critical to the protection and well-being of everyone on the project, including our customers, vendors, and the public. Accordingly, it is your responsibility to read and fully observe all of these safety and health practices while working on this project. Basic Safety and Health Practices Daily Job Safety Analysis (JSA) is an important tool used to identify and address hazards associated with your work Tasks. The JSA is a requirement. Your supervisor will review the safety and health requirements for each work task with you prior to...

Close Calls Take a Close Look at Close Calls Close calls or accident without injury is easy to shrug off and forget. But, there is a danger in brushing off accidents that don’t hurt, harm or damage. When a “close call” happens, it should immediately send up a red warning flag that something was wrong, unplanned, unexpected, and could happen again. The next time it happens, it could result in serious damage, injury or death. For every accident there are usually several contributing factors, most of which can be controlled. The best way to prevent the reoccurrence of an accident is by looking...

Accident Investigation Accidents are unplanned and unexpected events that cause injury, property damage, and/or financial loss in the workplace. Incidents or “near misses” don’t result in loss, but have the potential to do so. Ideally, safety programs focus on preventing accidents and incidents, but if one occurs, have an accident investigation procedure ready and train your employees how to use it. Investigate ALL accidents and injuries; the severity determines the extent of the investigation. Handled properly, accident investigation helps you look at problems, solve them, improve your safety programs, and prevent future accidents. Accident investigation should prevent a recurrence. Adhering strictly to fact finding in a...