A Practical Guide to Effective Workplace Accident Investigation

Ron C. McKinnon, CSP (1999–2016), is an internationally experienced and acknowledged safety professional, author, motivator, and presenter. He has been extensively involved in safety research concerning the cause, effect, and control of accidental loss, near-miss incident reporting, accident investigation, safety promotion, and the implementation of health and safety management systems for the last 46 years. The author received a National Diploma in Technical Teaching from the Pretoria College for Advanced Technical Education, a Diploma in Safety Management from the Technikon SA, South Africa, and a Management Development Diploma (MDP) from the University of South Africa, in Pretoria. He received a Master’s Degree in Health and Safety Engineering from the Columbia Southern University. From 1973 to 1994, Ron C. McKinnon worked at the National Occupational Safety Association of South Africa (NOSA), in various capacities, including General Manager of Operations and then General Manager Marketing. He is experienced in the implementation of health and safety management systems (SMS), auditing, near-miss incident and accident investigation, and safety culture change interventions. From 1995 to 1999, Ron C. McKinnon was a safety consultant and safety advisor to Magma Copper and BHP Copper North America, respectively. In 2001, Ron spent two years in Zambia introducing the world’s best safety practices to the copper mining industry. After leaving Zambia, he was recruited to assist in the implementation of the world’s best class safety management system at ALBA in the Kingdom of Bahrain. After spending two years in Hawaii at the Gemini Observatory, he returned to South Africa. Thereafter, he contracted as the Principal Health and Safety Consultant to Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to implement a world’s best practice safety management system, throughout its operations across the Kingdom involving 33,000 employees, 27,000 contractors, 9 consultants, and 70 Safety Engineers.

Part 1: Introduction to Accident Investigation. 1. Introduction. 2. Philosophy of Safety. 3. Loss of Causation Theories. 4. Traditional Accident Investigation. 5. Politics of Accident Investigations. Part 2: Accident Investigation Methodology. 6. The objective of the Investigation. 7. Nominated Investigators. 8. Safety Management System Standard. 9. Golden Rules of Investigation. 10. Accident Investigation Form. 11. Site Inspection. 12. Documentation Review. 13. Interviews and Interviewing Techniques. Part 3: Investigating and Analysing the Event. 14. Determining the Losses. 15. Identifying the Energy Exchanges. 16. Cause Analysis - High-Risk Behaviors. 17. Cause Analysis - High-Risk Conditions. 18. Root Cause Analysis – Personal (Human) Factors. 19. Root Cause Analysis - Workplace (Job) Environment Factors. 20. SMS Controls Malfunction. 21. Failure to Identify and Manage Risk. Part 4: Remedial Measures to Prevent a Recurrence. 22. Control / Remedial Measures Determined. 23. Action Plan for Remedial Measures. Part 5: Evaluating Accident Investigating Reports. 25. Evaluating the Efficiency of Investigations.