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Construction & Built Environment Level 3: Accidents
Construction & Built Environment Level 3: Accidents
Accidents
Definitions
Accident is an unplanned, unwanted event that causes
harm, damage or injury to people or property.
This information is from Summary of Injury, Illness and Fatality Statistics 2005-2006: Health and Safety Authority
Root Causes for Construction Accidents
Financial consequences
Payment of an employee off duties due to injuries, pause of work
due to the accident etc.
The cost of an accident can be split into the insured costs that can
be recovered from an insurance company and the uninsured costs
that cannot be covered by insurance e.g court fines, loss of
reputation, cost of accident investigation, overtime or additional
labour required.
How Can You Prevent Accidents?
- you are fully aware of the safety rules on site (attend initial site
induction and any subsequent toolbox talks)
- you are aware of the risk assessment for a task and understand the
method statement to be used prior to completing a task
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How Can You Prevent Accidents?
Ensure that your working area is kept clean and tidy (Help prevent slips,
trips and falls)
Watch for
nails!
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If You Witness An Accident
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If You Are Involved In An Accident
If you are injured or feel ill in any way always report it to a first aider
Make sure any cuts or lacerations are cleaned and treated by a first
aider
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Accident report procedures
Company Objective ZERO Accidents
PERSON HAS ACCIDENT / INCIDENT they MUST : SERIOUS INJURY / INCIDENT
IMMEDIATELY
Must be filled in if you are injured in any way, no matter how minor
The following details should be recorded in the Accident Report Book:
- The date and time of the accident
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Reporting Accidents
Who should carry out the investigation?
For an investigation to be worthwhile, it is essential that the
management and the workforce are fully involved.
supervisors
line managers
health and safety professionals
union safety representatives
employee representatives
senior management/directors
Benefits of accident investigations
Accident investigation is the process of analyzing what went wrong. The process must be
thorough and methodical.
If the accident is a fatality or major, it may be conducted by the HSE/ HS Representative.
So that the accident may not reoccur in the future injuring another person.
Because it is a legal requirement under RIDDOR.
To provide defensive evidence in a civil claim from the injured party.
What personal protective equipment was being worn at the time of the accident?
What was the injury and how did it occur?
Were any first aid measures taken and, if so, by whom?
Who was the site supervisor?
Were there any witnesses?
Stages of an Accident Investigation
3.Analyzing the Information
Root causes, an initiating event or failing from which all other causes or
failings spring. Root causes are generally management, planning or
organisational failings (lack of training, inadequate funding made
available for maintenance etc)
To prevent accidents, you need to provide effective risk control measures which address the
immediate, underlying and root causes.
Stages of an Accident Investigation
4. Identifying Risk Control Measures
Risk control measures are workplace precautions put in
place to reduce the risks to an acceptable level to prevent
accidents and cases of ill/poor health.
After the accident has been examined and the root causes
have been identified, control measures can be identified
that will cut off the root.
Control measures can include:
staff refresher training
providing personal protective equipment
implementing simple procedures for doing the job
providing better equipment
improved maintenance etc.
Stages of an Accident Investigation
5. Action Planning and Implementing
The final stage of the accident investigation is to ensure that a plan is put together for implementing the
control measures that have been identified.
The employer should:
Provide an action plan with SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic and Time
scaled).
Ensure that the action plan deals effectively not only with the immediate and underlying causes, but also
the root causes.
Include lessons that may be applied to prevent other adverse events, e.g. is there a training need which
can be applied in other areas of the organisation?
Provide feedback to all parties involved ensuring the findings and recommendations are correct, address
the issues and are realistic. The employer must also inform them of the results of your investigation.
Carrying out your own health and safety investigations will provide you with a deeper understanding of the
risks associated with your work activities.
The role of the individual in accident recording and reporting
procedures
The following procedure outlines what you should do following an
accident:
1. A trained first aider should administer first aid to the injured person.
2. If required, an ambulance must be called to take the injured person
to hospital or to the site facility.
3. Rescue teams may be on site to assist if it is too dangerous to
approach the injured person.
4.The accident scene must be left intact if at all possible.
5. The injured persons supervisor must be informed immediate.
6. The companys health and safety department must be informed.
7. The HSE/ HS Rep. must be informed by phone if it is a fatal
accident.
8. A full accident investigation must be carried out.
Injury report form
Incident investigation, reco
rding and
reporting
Case study:
So how should you report an accident? You must follow any company
procedure that is in place; you will this outlined in the companys
health and safety policy. Now, imagine that a rough terrain fork truck
on your construction site has just hit a worker. Write out the
procedure you would follow from the point of giving first aid to the
injured person.