How to go from “oops” to “aha!”

Do you assess every accident, incident, or near-miss that happens in your workplace? It’s an OSHA requirement to analyze accidents, but it’s best to also look into what happened in every incident or near-miss.

Getting to the root of the problem is a key step in prevention. An analysis can help you figure out ways to stop an incident happening again, taking you from “oops” to “aha!”

What’s the difference between a near-miss, an incident, and an accident? It depends on the level of care needed. If an employee trips in a pothole in the parking lot but catches themselves before they hurt themselves, that's a near-miss. If an employee trips in the same pothole in the parking lot, falls, and receives cuts on their knee that require first aid, that’s an incident. If another employee trips in the pothole, falls, breaks their ankle, and needs medical treatment beyond first aid, that’s an accident. 

Don’t wait for an accident, incident, or near-miss to happen. Start planning now to make sure you have all the resources you need in case one does.

The Taking ACTION approach

To get to the root cause of workplace accidents, incidents, and near-misses, you can follow a six-step process from SAIF called “taking ACTION,” which helps simplify the analysis process.

“When you are successful in having employees report near-misses, you can make corrections and prevent injuries from ever occurring,” says Michael Price, SAIF senior safety management consultant. “This also creates a boost for buy-in, accountability, and collaboration within the safety program.”

	Accident/incident scene preservation. Secure the scene as soon as possible, provide medical treatment if needed, and limit access to the area.
	Collect the facts. Focus on finding out the facts of what happened, including taking photos, talking to witnesses, and reviewing relevant records such as maintenance, training, policies, and procedures. Avoid drawing conclusions or assigning blame.
	Track sequence of events. Write down what happened before, during, and after the event. A timeline can help identify additional issues.
	Identify contributing factors. Did factors such as physical environment, working conditions, or human fatigue or stress contribute to the event?
	Organize possible solutions. Recommend possible changes, such as a safer process or wearing PPE, to prevent the accident or incident happening again. Remember, there are often multiple solutions to specific issues.
	Note corrective measures. Determine specific steps to improve the situation, identify who will be responsible for implementing them, and report them to management. Remember to keep accident records on file.

This SAIF form based on “taking ACTION” is available in English and Spanish for you to use: English Word document form, Spanish Word document form; English pdf form, Spanish pdf form.

Who should do an assessment?

A person does not need to be a safety committee member to conduct an assessment, but they must be trained in accident or incident analysis. After conducting the assessment, they will present recommendations to the safety committee.

Safety committee members are required by OSHA to:

• Be trained in the principles of accidents and incidents
• Establish, amend, or adopt accident analysis procedures
• Evaluate all accident and incident analyses
• Make recommendations to management

“Reporting and communication are really important, and leadership should encourage these at every level of an organization,” adds Michael Price. “When employees are empowered to be actively engaged with workplace safety, it can supercharge culture and create a stronger bond between policies and the work.” 

With a bit of planning and by following these action steps in case of an accident, incident, or near-miss, you can help avoid potentially dangerous ‘oops’ moments.

Resources

• SAIF webinar: Safety basics | Accident analysis, June 9, 10 a.m.
• Workplace Incident Analysis | SAIF Workers' Comp