Learning from Safety Failure
RoSPA Accident Investigation Challenge supported by TUC, CBI, IOSH and ABI
Looking ahead
Since 1997 RoSPA has been pursuing a 'key issue' project on accident investigation in pursuit of its mission which is '...to save lives and reduce injuries'.
RoSPA believes that refocusing attention on accident investigation will provide a further stimulus for organisations to improve their approach to organisational learning about health and safety generally. Some of the challenges include:
- providing training for senior managers to help them to develop a much richer understanding of accidents as complex multi-factorial events and to avoid over-simple explanations such as 'operator error';
- improving training for employees and others involved in investigation work, for example, training in essential investigation skills such as witness interview techniques and using structured methods . (Many of these skills are transferable beyond accident investigation into other areas such as investigating failures in quality, environment and business management failures generally.);
- improving access to necessary support services such as photography (particularly digital photography which can be quickly networked) to help capture accident scene data;
- encouraging insurers to improve support services to their clients so they can learn lessons from accidents and incidents, focusing on their shared, long term goal of improving standards of OS&H management; and
- finding new ways to help small firms to learn from the accident experiences of other similar businesses, for example, through web-based case studies.
RoSPA would welcome feedback from organisations which are reviewing their current approach to learning from accidents. We are also keen to hear from organisations and individuals who may wish to be associated with RoSPA's work on 'team based' investigation, further information on which can be obtained from RoSPA, Edgbaston Park, 353, Bristol Road, Birmingham B5 7ST (tel 0121 248 2095 or fax 0121 248 2001 or Email rbibbings@rospa.com)
Roger Bibbings
Occupational Safety Adviser
27th September 2001
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RoSPA is a registered charity: Registered Charity No: 207823 Patron: Her Majesty the Queen RoSPA Head Office: Edgbaston Park, 353 Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7ST, UK |
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