Accident Reporting and Investigation | Construction Site
Accident Reporting and Investigation system is establishing the method for notifying, reporting, investigating & monitoring all incidents until they are closed-out.
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| Accident Reporting and Investigation | Construction Site |
Accident Reporting and Investigation | Construction Site
An accident
at a construction site workplace can occur for many reasons and at the time of
the incident, the multiple factors that caused the accident may not be
immediately apparent. By reporting an accident, the cause of the accident can
be investigated. The purpose of this investigation is to find out the cause of
the accident. Environmental factors and the circumstances that existed at the
time of the accident will be taken into account, allowing investigators to
discover any underlying problem.
In the short
term, the cause of an accident can still be an immediate threat to other
personnel or visitors to the area, so it is important that managers are aware
of the risks as quickly as possible. When accidents are reported as soon as
they occur, companies know which health and safety procedures work and which do
not. Hazardous equipment can be repaired or eliminated, and areas that are not
safe can be investigated and possibly fall outside the limits. Eventually,
accident reporting offers a safer environment for staff and members of the public.
Incident/ Accident in construction workplace indicates the failure of Safety Management system. Contractual workmen are most vulnerable population to work injury in construction site. Organizations without robust Contract Safety Management policy, may have high accident frequency rate.
In many
countries, workplaces, buildings and other places are subject to legislation
that ensures that the company works safely. In the event of an accident,
companies will have to follow certain procedures to prevent these laws from
being violated; As part of these procedures, it is likely that companies will
have to report an accident after it has occurred and investigate if necessary
By not
following these procedures, companies run the risk of being taken by legal
action or being investigated by a regulatory authority; In the United States,
for example, a company can be investigated by the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration
However, if
no accident is reported, it is always possible that such an accident will
happen again. For example, if a machine or other equipment causes a minor
accident, that equipment is clearly precarious. Not reporting a very small
incident means that adequate measures are not taken to protect or replace this
equipment, so that a much worse accident could occur for a future user of the
equipment.
Lets have
look on some basic definitions;
Incident
An Incident
is an unplanned event or chain of events that has, or could have, resulted in
injury or illness or damage to assets, the environment or company reputation or
consequential business loss. The term "accident" is sometimes used
to describe an incident that has caused an actual injury, loss or damage.
Incidents do not include operations, maintenance, quality or reliability incidents which have no HSE consequence or potential. Incidents do not include degradation or failure of plant or equipment resulting solely from normal wear and tear unless this results in in-jury to persons, damage to the environment, asset loss or reputation damage.
Incidents do not include operations, maintenance, quality or reliability incidents which have no HSE consequence or potential. Incidents do not include degradation or failure of plant or equipment resulting solely from normal wear and tear unless this results in in-jury to persons, damage to the environment, asset loss or reputation damage.
The
term “Road Traffic Accident” is used when referring to incidents which are
related to road transport.
Accident
An accident
is an incident that resulted in injury to personnel, or loss of any kind,
including the loss of materials, assets and property damage.
Fatality (Death)
Fatality is
a death resulting from a work-related injury or illness, regardless of the time
intervening between injury or illness and death. For statistical purposes, a
fatality shall be recorded as a Lost Time Injury (LTI).
Medical Treatment Case (MTC)
A medical treatment case is a work-related injury that does not
result in the loss of business days or limited business days, but for which
treatment is required by or under the specific prescription of a physician.
Note 1:
Routine medical checks are not considered Medical Treatment Cases. Diagnostic
procedures like X-Rays or laboratory analysis are not considered medical
treatment, unless they lead to further treatment.
Note 2:
Examples of
MTCs are: Use of sutures or stitches, treatment of infections, treatment of
second or third degree burns, removal of foreign bodies embedded in eye or from
wound, cutting away dead skin (surgical debridement), using of prescription
medication, admission into a hospital or an equivalent medical facility for
treatment or observation for more than 12 hours.
First Aid Case (FAC)
Cases that are not serious enough to be reported as medical
treatment or more serious cases, but that still require minor first aid, for
example, each timely treatment and subsequent observation of small scratches,
cuts, first degree burns, splinters, etc. Some examples are: the use of
bandages, the removal of dirt from the eye, etc.
High Risk Incident
Incident for
which the combination of potential consequences and probability is assessed to
be in the high-risk region of the Risk Assessment Matrix.
Illness (Occupational)
Any work-related
abnormal condition or disorder experienced by an employee, other than the one
resulting from an occupational injury. It includes acute and chronic illnesses
or diseases, which may be caused by inhalation, absorption, ingestion or direct
contact (e.g. respiratory diseases such as asbestosis, skin diseases such as contact
dermatitis, etc.) Examples of reportable illnesses (diseases) are:
- Poisoning (including food poisoning),
- Skin diseases such as occupational dermatitis, skin cancer, folliculitis oil,
- Lung diseases including occupational asthma, pneumoconiosis,
- Infections such as leptospirosis, hepatitis, tuberculosis, legionella and tetanus,
- Other conditions such as occupational cancer, musculoskeletal disorders and hand-arm vibration syndrome.
Environmental Incidents
All
unplanned releases of chemicals, paints, hydrocarbons and other pollutants
are promptly reported. In addition, any significant impact on existing
vegetation, air quality, soil and water bodies should be considered as environmental
incident.
Lost Time Injuries (LTIs)
The sum of
fatalities, permanent total disabilities, permanent partial disabilities and
lost workday cases but excluding restricted work case.
Lost Time Injury Frequency (LTIF)
The Lost
Time Injury Frequency is the total number of Lost Time Injuries per million
Exposure Hours worked during the period.
Thus: LTIF = Total No. LTI 1,000,000
Cumulative Man-hours
Medium & Low Risk Incidents
Incident for
which the combination of potential consequences and probability is assessed in the yellow or greenish shaded area of the Risk Assessment Matrix.
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| Risk Matrix |
Total Recordable Cases Frequency (TRCF)
The Total
Recordable Case Frequency is the number of total recordable cases per million
exposure hours worked during the period.
Thus: TRCF = TRC x 1,000,000
Ex
Severity Rate (SR)
Severity rate is defined as the total number of lost workdays per million hours of exposure.
Severity Rate
No. of Lost Workdays x 1,000,000
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Exposure Hours
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Work related activities
Work related activities are defined as those activities for which management controls are in place, or should have been in place. Incidents occurring during such activities must be reported and will be included in performance statistics. All incidents should be considered work related and reported until proven otherwise during investigation.
Near Misses:
Near-miss are defined as "incidents that, in slightly
different circumstances, could have caused illness, injury or damage to
business assets, the environment or business reputation, but I have not done
so. All nearby accidents are treated as significant, they are informed and
investigated immediately.
Permanent Total Disability (PTD)
Permanent
Total Disability is any work-related injury, which permanently and totally
incapacitates an employee. This often results in termination of employment.
Restricted Work Case (RWC)
Any work
injury which renders the injured person unable to perform his regular job, but
is capable of resuming an alternative restricted work assignment or (light
duty) on the next scheduled workday after the day on which the injury occurred.
Significant incident
Incident
with actual consequences rating 3, 4 or 5 on the Risk Assessment Matrix
Incident
report and investigation is a reactive tool, but it still remains a vital means
of monitoring HSE performances on construction project. It is therefore mandatory that
employees report all incidents that may occur in construction site. The actual and
potential impact of the incident will be considered during investigation and
during recommendation of corrective and preventive actions.
Notification and reporting of an Incident/accident at construction site
All personnel
at construction sites from contractual worker, subcontractor and EPC staff must
report incidents/accidents to their immediate supervisor must formally
notify the construction project management team through incident notification form. Verbal reporting
must be done immediately to superior official and other regulatory body, if
applicable, and written first
information incident/ accident report must be submitted within 2 hours after finished
of first aid and other control measures.
Investigation of an Incident/accident at construction site
All
incidents and near misses must be investigated promptly. It is imperative for
effectiveness that the investigation commences immediately and not later than
24 hours after reporting.
The purpose
of the investigation includes to:
- Identify the immediate causes.
- Determine the underlying causes.
- Prevent recurrences.
- Recommend corrective actions.
- Meet statutory requirements.
The depth
and details of the investigation will be dependent on the incident severity, or
the potential for the incident to have caused harm. Careful examination of
Incident scene is an essential part of investigations.
The
following are some of the areas to consider during incident investigation.
- Positioning of victim, vehicles, plant, equipment, witnesses.
- Condition of related equipment
- Weather condition.
- Quality of work environment prior to incident
- Markings on surface which are related to the incident.
- Any other tell-tale signs
- Persons involved.
All
witnesses must be interviewed in private and in an informal manner. A recording
of any statements made must be ensured and the details must be verified by
interviewing other witnesses. Any discrepancies should then be discussed and
clarified.
Work procedures/ Permits/ Instructions
If written
procedures or work permits were in use at the time of incident, it should be
established to what extent these were followed and understood. The same applies
to any instruction given by supervisors in relation to the task where the
incident was recorded.
Areas of Concern during investigation and Reporting
For
Significant and High-Risk incidents report must contain as a minimum
- Place, time, date and description
- Details about the injured and the injuries
- Details of vehicles, drivers and passengers, if applicable
- Post incident response
- Observations during the investigation
- Immediate action taken
- Findings and recommendations
- Photographs and sketches
For Low Risk
incidents the report shall contain as a minimum
- Place, time, date and description
- Actual and potential consequences
- Barriers, active failures and action items
Construction site Incident Follow up
Assessment
and Classification
All
incidents must be assessed using the Risk Matrix set as per established company
procedure. The construction site Head must make an initial assessment of the actual
and potential severity of the incident and respond to the incident.
Recommend Corrective action & Improvements
Actions
items must address all failed and missing barriers, it must be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time
bound)
Hierarchy of Control Engineering Controls
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| Hierarchy of controls |
Eliminate or
reduce the danger
Eliminate or
reduce the severity of the danger itself by initial design and redesign,
housing, replacement, replacement and other technical modifications.
Main forces:
eliminates the danger itself. It does not depend solely on human behavior for
its effectiveness.
Important
weakness: may not be achieved if the controls cause long-term financial
problems.
Management
control: eliminate or reduce exposure
Reduce the
duration, frequency and severity of exposure to hazards, primarily through
changes and work procedures and practices, as well as through planning,
rotation and work breaks.
Major
weakness: depends on the proper design and implementation of controls and
employee behavior.
Personal
protective equipment (PPE): place a barrier
Equipment
for personal use that forms a barrier between the worker and the danger. Major
weakness: Relies on appropriate design and implementation of controls appropriate
employee behavior.
Incident review at construction site
Incident
Review follows Investigation and is principally concerned with preventing the
recurrence of incidents via discussions on underlying causes and remedial
actions. Incidents should be reviewed to a level of detail commensurate with
Risk Potential. As a minimum the following are to be investigated &
reviewed by Incident Review committee. Incidents with Actual Severity 3 and
above.
- High Risk Potential Incidents.
- Medium Risk Potential Incidents.
- Other Incidents selected for review by HSE specialist.
Construction project incident review committee may be responsible for:
- Challenging and testing investigation team to ensure all active and latent failures are identified.
- Reviewing and endorsing the actual severity and potential risk rating provisionally signed to each incident.
- Endorsing recommended corrective and remedial action items. On confirming actions, action parties and deadline for close out.
- Determining appropriate lateral learning method to ensure that all personnel are adequately informed to prevent a recurrence. Incident review can also be conducted along with Management Review Meeting.
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| Incident review committee |
Incident Management Process at construction site
If the
incident results in an emergency, the situation must be stabilized before any
other actions in line with the Construction site emergency response procedures.
If the
incident has not resulted in an emergency then on receiving the first report
the Construction head along with HSE Manager may immediately visit the site of
the incident to:
- To ensure that site is in safe condition
- Take necessary immediate actions
- Identify the immediate cause
- Have the first-hand information about the incident
- Makes initial assessment as to whether incident is work related.
- Assigns actual severity
- Assigns potential severity
- Notify Client representative.
- Top Management must initiate an investigation according to the potential of the incident. Management must appoint investigation team based on their experience, areas of expertise and type of incident.
- Investigation Team must complete the investigation report, which must contain immediate cause, root or underlying cause, probability of recurrence rating along with recommendations.
- The incident review meeting must be convened to review the incident and ascertain the correctness of the root cause and the actions.
- Close out of action point from both the investigation report and the incident review may be monitored and validate by the HSE Manager.
- All incidents and near misses may remain open and not be closed-out until all actions have been completed.
- Learning points must be prepared and communicated to all interested parties.
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| Incident reporting and investigation records |
Accident Reporting and Investigation in Construction Site Records
- Below record must be maintained for each incident/ accident and investigation
- Near miss reports
- Incident reports
- Investigation Reports
- Minutes of meetings of Incident Review Committee
- CorrectiveAction closeout record
Conclusion
Incident reporting and investigation in
construction site must be ensured for all unwanted events. Incident
investigation must be carried out for fact finding and not for fault finding.
All the evidence must be preserved at incident site to help the quality
investigation. The learning of incident must be shared with all to prevent
recurrences. Record must be maintained.
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