A Five Component Approach to Incident Investigation
When an accident occurs, an investigation must commence. The purpose of asking questions is to find the facts and identify causes. The five-component approach is a way to structure accident investigation questions. This systematic approach can help you organize an accident investigation for collecting information. It is based on 5 components:
Task-related questions
Material-related questions
Environmental-related questions
Personnel-related questions
Management-related questions
The questions listed below under each component are some examples of each. This is not a full list and there are other questions that could be asked under each of the five components. In addition to these questions, there should be other general questions that should be asked regardless of the nature of the incident.
Task-related questions
Were the proper procedures used?
Were the appropriate tools and materials available and used?
Were all safety devices engaged and working properly?
Material-related questions
Was there an equipment failure? If so, what caused it?
Were hazardous substances being used?
Was PPE used? Was it the right PPE for the situation?
Environmental-related questions
What was the state of housekeeping in the area?
Was noise a problem?
Were dusts, gases or fumes present?
Personnel-related questions
Were workers properly trained to perform the tasks?
Were workers experienced or was the worker new?
Were workers overly stressed from work, personal, or other factors?
Management-related questions
Were the safety procedures enforced?
Were workers properly trained and supervised?
Were tools, equipment, and machinery properly maintained?
Using the five component approach can help in the company’s mission to find and identify facts about an accident. This can lead to identifying root causes and implementing appropriate corrective actions to ensure the accident does not occur again.
