Guidance for implementing an environmental, safety and health assurance program. Volume 5. A model plan for institutional accident investigations

This is 1 of 15 documents designed to illustrate how an Environmental, Safety and Health (ES and H) Assurance Program may be implemented. The generic definition of ES and H Assurance Programs is given in a companion document entitled An Environmental, Safety and Health Assurance Program Standard. The Standard specifies that the ES and H Staff of an institution shall establish policy and practices for accident investigation, and this document provides guidance for establishing an accident investigation program which provides such policy and practices. Unlike most other approaches, the scheme presented here utilizes a self-limiting tree to minimize investigative effort, permits no-fault accidents to have occurred, and does not automatically lead to the need for corrective action. The two appendixes include a standard ES andH audit checklist for use in the accident investigation program and an institutional routine accident investigation form.