Accident Investigation in California
Course Description:
Accidents in the workplace are unplanned but controllable events that cause injuries to workers, disruption of work, and property damage. In order to prevent accidents, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (CAL/OSHA) strongly encourages all employers to investigate all accidents in which a worker was hurt as well as close calls or near misses in which a worker might have been hurt if circumstances had been slightly different.
This course is designed to help all workplace employees in California identify the cause(s) of accidents and incidents and recognize the appropriate steps to take during the investigation process to prevent future accidents and incidents.
Why “Accident Investigation in California” Matters:
At the completion of this course, the participant will be able to:
- Identify the common causes of accidents and incidents such as unsafe conditions or unsafe acts
- Recognize near misses and take action to prevent more serious accidents. For example, report broken, damaged electrical tools or missing machine guards
- Report accidents and incidents to the appropriate parties, including Cal/OSHA, in a timely manner
- Conduct effective accident and incident investigations
- Find the root cause of an accident or incident
- Implement corrective actions to prevent future accidents and incidents. If indicated by the investigation, update procedures add supervision or assign additional workers for the task
Key Points:
- Accidents are preventable events, and incident investigations are an important part of prevention.
- All incidents and accidents should be investigated as soon as they occur.
- The purpose of an accident investigation is not to place blame but to identify the root cause and implement appropriate corrective measures to prevent future accidents.
- An investigation consists of interviewing witnesses, collecting facts, and writing a report.
- Accident investigations are an important tool to help keep your workplace safe.
