Incident Investigation Guidance

Incident Investigation Guidance for Optimal Health and Safety

Comprehensive and thorough investigations to prevent workplace accidents and promote a safe working environment.

Reporting all incidents within the workplace is vital for ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations. The term “accident” refers to when an injury or ill health occurs. Whereas the term “near-miss” is used where there is potential for injury or harm.

Our health and safety consultant will guide you through the correct incident reporting and investigation process. We provide our clients with a template for conducting a full incident investigation and offer unlimited support via email and phone calls, granting you access to expert guidance when carrying out an incident or accident investigation.

There are 4 parts to incident investigations;

• Part 1 should be filled out immediately by the manager or supervisor for the work activity involved. Part 1 includes an overview of the incident that occurs.
• Part 2 should be completed by the person responsible for health and safety within the business. This is the initial assessment of the incident, looking at if the incident is RIDDOR reportable and the level of the incident investigation (i.e. high or low).
• Part 3 should be completed, where appropriate by an investigation team.
• Part 4 should be completed by the investigation team, together with supervisors/managers who have the authority to take decisions.

Contact us today to learn more about our incident reporting and investigation services and how we can assist your business in promoting a safe and healthy workplace.

What is RIDDOR reporting?

RIDDOR stands for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, a legal obligation in the UK. This regulation mandates reporting specific types of work-related accidents, incidents, and diseases.

The RIDDOR regulations expect employers, self-employed, and persons in control of premises to report any incidents that resulted in various specific injuries or are associated with particular types of work-related tasks.

The key aspect of RIDDOR reporting is helping the Government and organisations monitor workplace health and safety and identify risks and trends. They will take this information and take action helping to prevent future incidents or injuries.

What is an incident investigation?

The goal of incident and accident investigation is to identify the underlying reasons and factors contributing to the incident. The process should begin by gathering facts and information surrounding the event, whether it was an accident or near-miss.

It should be noted, the aim of the incident investigation is not to establish blame or fault but to understand what occurred and why. This process helps to create strategies and procedures for reducing or eliminating the risk of them occurring again.

The investigation should collect the following information;

• Collecting and analysing the data
• Interviewing witnesses and those involved
• Identifying contributing factors
• Making recommendations for corrective actions

Incident investigation is a critical aspect of the health and safety management system, and frequently an essential component for safety compliance standards.

Incident investigation template

As part of our health and safety service, you will be provided with various templates including the incident investigation template. The health and safety consultant will provide you with full details on how to fully investigate an incident or accident ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations.

As part of our health and safety service, your business will have unlimited telephone and email support through this process, allowing you to speak to us when you need.

What happens if my business is not compliant with health and safety regulation?

If a UK business is discovered to be non-compliant with health and safety regulations, there may be severe consequences for business owners and their employees.

Potential consequences include;

Fines and legal action

The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) will issue fines and take legal action against the business. The HSE are responsible for enforcing regulations in the UK. Depending on the severity of the breach in HSE regulations will impact the consequence, fines may be substantial and led to imprisonment.

Compensation claims

If the failure of the company’s health and safety procedures leads to an employee being injured or falling ill, the employee may seek compensation and is entitled to this. This may be costly to businesses, finances, and to their business reputation.

Loss of business

Customers may opt to not use alternatives or competitors of the business, due to them being concerned for the health and safety of employees. Furthermore, HSE/HSENI have the right to close your business depending on how serious the breach is.

Increased insurance payments

Businesses that have been found to breach health and safety regulations may see higher insurance premiums, leading to impacting business profits with increased overheads.

Damage to business reputation

Reputation can be damaged among both customers and employees, following the health and safety breach. The breach breaks trust with employees, making them feel unsafe in the workplace.

Keep your business compliant with health and safety legislation by contacting us today!