Safety Facts:

Incident Investigation

An incident investigation is a process that analyses an incident to identify the unsafe acts and conditions
that lead to the incident in order to develop control measures to prevent the recurrence of the incident.

Why do I need to complete an incident Investigation?

• Incident investigations are a legal requirement from the Workers Compensation Act
• Incident investigations help an employer identify and correct gaps within their Safety Management System
• It is through corrective control measures that risks for re-occurrence are mitigated and there is a decreased
likelihood of incurring further decreased productivity, loss or property damage

When does the investigation need to be completed?

Incidents must be investigated as soon as possible following the incident to capture
information while it is still fresh in the minds of people involved in the incident

Who conducts the investigation?

• Investigations are best done through a team approach. The more knowledge about the situation,
process and procedures the better the end result.
• The supervisor has the most to gain out of an incident investigation. Workers are the responsibility
of the supervisor and a supervisor must know what uncontrolled hazards are in their department.
• A worker representative/JHSC member typically participates in the investigation.

Investigations identify multiple levels of causes:

The more causes that are identified, the more valuable the findings of the investigation are, as it provides the
employer with multiple opportunities to improve their OHS Management system. Basic incident investigations
should seek to identify who was involved, where the incident occurred, when the incident occurred, what
happened during the incident, why the incident happened and how. Usually there are several factors that cause,
or contribute, to an incident. The investigation should seek to identify as many causes as possible.
• Unsafe Acts An unsafe act is an action or lack of action by a person under their control.
Generally speaking not following a safety rule is an unsafe act
• Inadequate procedures No policy procedure and/or standard for the identified hazard;
the standard is not adequate; or the standards are not adhered to.
• Basic Causes Job factors such as “Inadequate Engineering” or “Personal Factors” such as “Lack of Skills”
• Direct Causes Unsafe acts and conditions: unsafe or defective equipment; unsafe environment or conditions;
poor housekeeping; physical hazards; poor planning; unsafe work practices; poor training or instruction;
unusual or unfamiliar work conditions; personal factors; inadequate supervision

Regulatory reporting guidelines:

After completing the investigation, the employer must forward the incident investigation report to WorkSafeBC.
Online incident investigation form www.worksafebc.com/en/resources/health-safety/forms

To learn more about Incident Investigation

Contact us or visit online at safetyalliancebc.ca
Toolbox Talk*

Name of Supervisor: Date:

Key Learning Points

Safety Specific Training Requirements

Identified Hazards/concerns

Employee feedback/questions

Workers who attended

Name Initial Name Initial

Toolbox Talks are short, informal safety meetings led by a supervisor that are focused on a specific job-related topic or hazard.
This document is meant to support the delivery of a Toolbox Talk and not intended to replace the supervisor-guided discussion.

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