Investigator Safety

I recently had a couple of wake up calls about my personal safety while conducting workplace accident investigations and I think there’s a lesson here for all investigators. Because operations at accidents scenes are usually shut down or scaled back to allow investigator access it may lessen our awareness as to any potential hazards.

In one situation a worker had been knocked down by H2S gas and only thru good luck was rescued by another worker. I arrived the following day and the environmental and physical conditions that contributed to the incident, in particular, the wind direction and the work procedure were no longer a factor. While I have my H2S and Confined Space tickets I was disappointed that the person in charge of a known sour site did not ask for any proof of these, nor did he seem open to providing any type of hazard briefing.

At another location in order to reach the accident scene we climbed a forty-foot vertical ladder. So while I made the climb safely thanks to my exceptional physical condition ☺ it presented some risks not usually found in my job. I later learned that there was a staircase in the area and the vertical ladder while providing a more direct access point was something normally used as a secondary access egress.

What have I learned from these events?

I will continue my past practice of at a minimum discussing site hazards with those in charge of the site. If my questioning leaves me the least bit unsure as to whether or not there are any significant risks, I conduct a written hazard assessment using my client’s hazard assessment forms before I leave the briefing area.

Doing this accomplishes a number of things. First, it addresses hazards I may face and gets me home safely. Equally as important, it provides insight into the safety culture of the organization. In particular, the process knowledge of my assigned liaison and their comfort level in completing the Pre Job Hazard Assessment (PJHA) paperwork.

If the person in charge of the site blows off the importance of the hazard assessment and/or the site orientation, it speaks volumes about the safety culture of the site. Most often, the person assigned as my liaison is usually one of the more safety aware workers on the site. By me not performing a hazard assessment or trying to fast track the orientation process, it sends the wrong message to this person. At a minimum, he will think less of my professionalism and he may loose some of his enthusiasm as a safety champion. In addition to providing great insight into an organization these orientation and PJHA processes provide direction to me as an investigator as to potential witness interview questions. I’ve gone thru what I hope they were offered when they came on site!

Finally, if you’ve experienced a serious accident and are facing a government investigation you want to create a good first impression. By asking government investigators for their tickets (which they have!) and to take part in a PJHA or Orientation before entering the site is just good business.

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