CAF Construction Site

Safety Certificate Program

Class 3 - Risk Assessment and Accident
Investigation

This material was produced under grant number SH-22224-11-60-F-18

from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department
of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S.
Department of Labor, nor does mention trade names, commercial
products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
 CAF Construction Site
Safety Certificate Program
Unit 1-
Investigating Workplace Injuries
DEFINITIONS
ACCIDENT - The National Safety Council defines an accident as an
undesired event that results in personal injury or property damage.

INCIDENT - An incident is an unplanned, undesired event that adversely

affects completion of a task.

NEAR MISS - Near misses describe incidents where no property was

damaged and no personal injury sustained, but where, given a slight shift in
time or position, damage and/or injury easily could have occurred.
When do you conduct an investigation?
• All incidents, whether a near miss or an actual injury-related event, should be
investigated.

• Near miss reporting and investigation allow you to identify and control hazards
before they cause a more serious incident.

• Accident/incident investigations are a tool for uncovering hazards that either were
missed earlier or have managed to slip out of the controls planned for them. It is
useful only when done with the aim of discovering every contributing factor to the
accident/incident to "foolproof" the condition and/or activity and prevent future
occurrences.

• The objective is to identify root causes.

Who Should Investigate?
• Management - The usual investigator for all incidents is the supervisor in charge of the
involved area and/or activity.

• Employees- Accident investigations represent a good way to involve employees in safety

and health. Employee involvement will not only give you additional expertise and insight, but
in the eyes of the workers, will lend credibility to the results. Employee involvement also
benefits the involved employees by educating them on potential hazards, and the
experience usually makes them believers in the importance of safety, thus strengthening the
safety culture of the organization.

• Safety Representative- The safety department or the person in charge of safety and
health should participate in the investigation or review the investigative findings and
recommendations.

• Safety Committee- Many companies use a team or a subcommittee or the joint

employee-management committee to investigate incidents involving serious injury or
extensive property damage.
 Training accident investigators
• Investigators need basic training; No one should investigate incidents without
appropriate accident investigation training.
• Field Supervisors
• Office Personnel
• Newly appointed or assigned Safety Representatives
• Ability to recognize “Root Cause”; A good investigation is likely to reveal several
contributing factors, and it probably will recommend several preventive actions.
• Technical Skills;
• Understanding of task being performed at the time of the accident.
• Understanding of environmental influences on the accident.
• Investigator answers the six basic questions; who, what, when, where, why, and
how
Investigation Traps
Blame without proof; The error made by the employee may not be the most important contributing
cause. The employee who has not followed prescribed procedures may have been encouraged
directly or indirectly by a supervisor or production quotas to "cut corners."

Policies that miss the mark; The prescribed procedures may not be practical, or even safe.
Sometimes where elaborate and difficult procedures are required, engineering redesign might be a
better answer.

Lack of Accountability; Supervisors and others who investigate incidents should be held
accountable for describing causes carefully and clearly. When reviewing accident investigation
reports, the safety professional should be on the lookout for catch-phrases, for example, "Employee
did not plan job properly." While such a statement may suggest an underlying problem with this
worker, it is not conducive to identifying all possible causes, preventions, and controls. Certainly, it is
too late to plan a job when the employee is about to do it. Further, it is unlikely that safe work will
always result when each employee is expected to plan procedures alone.
Results of an accident investigation
• The primary purpose of accident investigations is to prevent future occurrences. For
example, the “Job Hazard Analysis” should be revised and employees retrained to the extent
that it fully reflects the recommendations made by an incident report. Implications from the root
causes of the accident need to be analyzed for their impact on all other operations and
procedures.

• Recommended preventive actions should make it very difficult, if not impossible, for the
incident to recur.

• The investigative report should list the ways to "foolproof" the condition or activity.
The Interview
• Take Notes!
• Ask open-ended questions
• “What did you see?”
• “What happened?”

• Do not make suggestions

• If the person is stumbling over a word or concept, do not help them out
• Use closed-ended questions later to gain more detail.
• After the person has provided their explanation, these type of questions can be used to
clarify
• “Where were you standing?”
• “What time did it happen?”
The Interview
• Don’t ask leading questions
• Bad: “Why was the forklift operator driving recklessly?”
• Good: “How was the forklift operator driving?”
• If the witness begins to offer reasons, excuses, or explanations,
politely decline that knowledge and remind them to stick with the
facts
• Summarize what you have been told.
• Correct misunderstandings of the events between you and the witness
• Ask the witness for recommendations to prevent recurrence
• These people will often have the best solutions to the problem
Record the Facts
• Interview witnesses as soon as possible.
• If Possible - Document the accident scene before changes are made.
• Take photos
• Draw scaled sketches
• Record measurements
• Collect support documents
• Keep all notes and remarks in a bound notebook or three ring binder.
• Record:
• Pre-accident conditions
• Accident sequence
• Post-accident conditions
• Document victim location, witnesses, machinery, energy sources and other
contributing factors.
• Even the most insignificant detail may be useful!
Investigation Report
• An accident investigation is not complete until a report is prepared and submitted.
• Background Information
• Where and when the accident occurred
• Who and what were involved
• Operating personnel and other witnesses
• Account of the Accident (What happened?)
• Sequence of events
• Extent of damage
• Accident type
• Agency or source (of energy or hazardous material)
• Recommendations (to prevent a recurrence) for immediate and long-range action remedy
• Basic causes
• Indirect causes
• Direct causes
Accident Investigation Exercise
• Break into teams
• Read the scenario handout
• Complete the investigation report
• Identify the unsafe acts or conditions
that caused the injury
Accident #1
Accident Type:
Explosion
A laborer was killed when a gasoline storage
Weather Conditions:
Clear tank he was cutting with a portable power saw
Type of Company:
Removal/Installation/Junking exploded. The worker's company was
of Gasoline Pumps and
Underground Tanks
involved in installing, removing and junking
gasoline pumps and underground tanks.
Size of Work Crew:
2

Union or Non-union:
Non-union Although he had experienced working with
Worksite Inspection Conducted
(1926.20(b)(2)):
No the saw and scrap materials, the worker did
not adequately purge the tank and test for
vapors before beginning to cut. The 18 x 6
Designated Competent Person
No
on Site (1926.20(b)(2)):
foot, 3000 gallon tank had been used recently
for underground storage at a service station.
Employer Safety Health
Program:
No At the time of the explosion, the mechanic
was cutting on the tank with a gasoline
Training and Education for
Employees Designated
No powered portable saw equipped with an
(1926.21(b)):

abrasive epoxy disk for cutting metal. The

explosion propelled the worker 10 to 15 feet
Craft of Deceased Employee(s):
Laborer from the tank into another tank.
Age & Sex
27; Male

Time on the Job:

2 years

Time on Task:
1 hour
Accident #2
Accident Type:
Fall,
Different Two employees were painting the
Level
exterior of a three-story building
Weather Conditions:
Clear,
Warm when one of the two outriggers on
Type of Operation:
Painting
their two-point suspension scaffold
Contractor failed. One painter safely climbed
back onto the roof while the other fell
Size of Work Crew:
2
approximately 35 feet to his death.
Collective Bargaining
No
The outriggers were inadequately
Competent Safety Monitor on
No
Site:
counterweighted with three 5-gallon
Safety and Health Program in
Effect:
No
buckets containing sand and were
not secured to a structurally sound
Was the Worksite Inspected
Regularly:
No portion of the building. Neither
Training and Education Provided:
painter was wearing an approved
Inadequate
safety belt and lanyard attached to
Employee Job Title:
Painter an independent lifeline.
Age & Sex:
29-Male

Experience at this Type of Work:

Unknown

Time on Project:
1 month
Accident #3
Accident Type:
Electrocution
Weather Conditions:
Indoor Work

Type of Operation:
Installing and Trouble-shooting
overhead lamps

Size of Work Crew:

15
Competent Safety Monitor on Site:
Yes

Safety and Health Program in Effect:

Inadequate

Was the Worksite Inspected Regularly:

Yes

Training and Education Provided:

No

Employee Job Title:

Electrician
Age & Sex:
53-Male
Experience at this Type of Work:
Journeyman

Time on Project:
1 Month

The employee was attempting to correct an electrical problem involving two non-operational lamps.
He proceeded to the area where he thought the problem was. He had not shut off the power at the
circuit breaker panel nor had he tested the wires to see if they were live. He was electrocuted when
he grabbed the two live wires with his left hand and then fell from the ladder.
CAF Construction Site Safety
Certificate Program
Unit 2-
Root Cause Analysis
Root Cause Analysis
Root Cause Analysis seeks to identify the origin of a
problem. It uses a specific set of steps, with associated
tools, to find the primary cause of the problem, so that
you can:
• Determine what happened
• Determine why it happened
• Figure out what to do to ensure it will not happen again
3 Main Root Causes
• Physical causes (Work Factors) - Tangible, material items failed in
some way (for example, a car's brakes stopped working).

• Human causes (Unsafe Acts) - People did something wrong. or did not
doing something that was needed. Human causes typically lead to
physical causes (for example, no one filled the brake fluid, which led to the
brakes failing).

• Organizational causes (Unsafe Conditions) - A system, process, or

policy that people use to make decisions or do their work is faulty (for
example, no one person was responsible for vehicle maintenance, and
everyone assumed someone else checks the brake fluid level in the
service trucks).
Root Cause Analysis
Define the Problem
• What is the negative result?
• What are the specific symptoms?
Collect Data
• How long has the problem existed?
• What is the impact of the problem?
Identify Possible Causal Factors
• What sequence of events leads to the problem?
• What conditions allow the problem to occur?
Identify the Root Cause(s)
• Ask “Why”
• What is the real reason the problem occurred?
Recommend and Implement Solutions
• What can you do to prevent the problem from happening
again?
• How will the solution be implemented?
The “5 Whys”
By repeatedly asking the question "Why" (five is a good rule of thumb), you can
peel away the layers of symptoms which can lead to the root cause of a
problem.

Very often the reason for a problem will lead you to another question. Although
this technique is called "5 Whys," you may find that you will need to ask the
question fewer or more times than five before you find the issue related to a
problem.
“5 Why” Scenario #1
Problem: The Washington Monument was disintegrating

1.) Why is the monument disintegrating?

Use of harsh chemicals

2.) Why are harsh chemicals used?

To clean pigeon droppings

3.) Why so many pigeons?

They eat spiders and there are a lot of spiders at monument

4.) Why so many spiders?

They eat gnats and lots of gnats at monument

5.) Why so many gnats?

They are attracted to the light at dusk.

Root Cause Solution: Turn on the lights at a later time.

“5 Why” Scenario #2
Problem Statement: Employee fell from a 6’ folding step ladder while painting.

1. Why did the employee fall from the ladder?

Employee reached beyond the ladders balance point and the ladder tipped over.

2. Why did the employee reach out and not reposition the ladder?
Because there were several pallets of material in the way and he couldn’t move the ladder into the correct
position.

3. Why were pallets stored in an area being painted?

The materials being stored on the pallets were not scheduled to installation for several weeks but due to weather
conditions the materials had been moved inside.

4. Why where the pallets not moved so the painter could appropriately access the work are?
The controlling and creating contractor was not contacted and the painting work was not rescheduled. The hazard
was not identified during the JHA and the employee proceeded with his assigned tasks in a manner he thought
was expected.

5. Why was the JHA not completed?

Supervisor was not appropriately trained and did not conduct a JHA as required by site and employer requirement.

Root Cause Solution: Insure all supervision are appropriately trained to conduct JHA and action
plans communicated to affected personnel.
Root Cause Exercise
• Get original teams

• Identify the Root Cause of the injury in

your accident investigation

• Will your Root Cause Analysis change

your original corrective actions?
CAF Construction Site Safety
Certificate Program
Unit 3-
Job Hazard Analysis
Purpose of a Job Hazard Analysis
A means of systematically identifying workplace hazards as they
occur is needed so that hazards can be eliminated before
accidents occur. The greater the number of ways that problems
are brought to management's attention, the less likely is it that an
accident will occur when one of the protective systems fail
JHA 5 Step Process
Step 1 - Watch the work being done
• What are some effective methods to watch the work being done?
• Is it important to involve the employee performing the task?
Step 2 - Break the job down into steps
Step 3 - Describe the hazards in each step of the task
• The primary purposes of the JHA is to make the job safer. The information gathered in
this step will be valuable in helping to eliminate and/or reduce hazards associated with
the job, and improve the system weaknesses that produced them.
Step 4 - Control Measures
Step 5 – Documentation, Write it up
Identify the Type Hazard
Mechanical - Ergonomic -
• Caught in • High Frequency
• Caught between • High Duration
• Falls • High Force
• Electrical • Posture

• Temperature • Point of Operation

• Environmental Hazards • Mechanical Pressure

• Flammability/Fire • Vibration

• Confined Space • Environmental Exposure

Special Hazards
• Explosives
• Explosions result in large amounts of gas, heat, noise, light and over-pressure.

• Electrical Contact
• Inadequate insulation, broken electrical lines or equipment, lightning strike, static
discharge etc.

• Chemical Reactions
• Chemical reactions can be violent, can cause explosions, dispersion of materials
and emission of heat.
The Hierarchy of Controls
• Engineering controls
• Administrative Controls - Work Practice

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Engineering Controls
• The first and best strategy is to control the hazard at its source.
Engineering controls do this, unlike other controls that generally focus on
the employee exposed to the hazard. The basic concept behind
engineering controls is that, to the extent feasible, the work environment
and the job itself should be designed to eliminate hazards or reduce
exposure to hazards.
• Engineering controls can be simple in some cases. They are based on the
following principles:
• If feasible, design the facility, equipment, or process to remove the hazard or
substitute something that is not hazardous.
• If removal is not feasible, enclose the hazard to prevent exposure in normal
operations.
• Where complete enclosure is not feasible, establish barriers or local
ventilation to reduce exposure to the hazard in normal operations.
Administrative Controls – Work Practices
While safe work practices can be considered forms of administrative controls,
OSHA uses the term administrative controls to mean other measures aimed at
reducing employee exposure to hazards. These measures include:
• Additional relief workers
• Exercise breaks
• Rotation of workers
These types of controls are normally used in conjunction with other controls that
more directly prevent or control exposure to the hazard.
Personal Protective Equipment
• When exposure to hazards cannot be engineered completely out of normal
operations or maintenance work, and when safe work practices and
management controls cannot provide sufficient additional protection from
exposure, personal protective clothing and/or equipment may be required.

• A supplementary method of control is the use of protective clothing or

equipment. This is collectively called personal protective equipment, or PPE.
PPE may also be appropriate for controlling hazards while engineering and
work practice controls are being installed. For specific OSHA requirements on
personal protective equipment, see OSHA’s standard, 1910 Subpart I.
JHA Exercise
• Get back in your original groups
• Use your completed accident investigation form and Root
Cause Analysis to create a Job Hazard Analysis for the task
being conducted in your assigned injury scenario
CAF Construction Site Safety
Certificate Program
Unit 4-
Near Miss &
Hazard Reporting
Near Miss Incident
• An unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness, or damage - but
had the potential to do so.

• Only a fortunate break in the chain of events prevented an injury, fatality

or damage.

• Although human error is commonly an initiating event, a faulty process or

system invariably permits or compounds the harm, and should be the
focus of improvement
Near Miss Reporting
• Near Miss is a Zero Cost Learning Tool.

• A near miss reporting system includes both mandatory (for incidents with high loss
potential) and voluntary, non-punitive reporting by witnesses. A key to any near
miss report is the "lesson learned". Near miss reporters are in a position to
describe what they observed about genesis of the event, and the factors that
prevented loss from occurring.

• A Root Cause Analysis should be used to identify the defect in the system that
resulted in the error and factors that may help eliminate a reoccurrence.

• Near misses are smaller in scale, relatively simpler to analyze and easier to
resolve.
Incident Pyramid
CAF Construction Site Safety
Certificate Program
Unit 5-
Risk Management
& Cost Control
Experience Modification Rate
While the formula may appear complex, it
If you are at the industry average, your Experience Mod
is a 1.0. If your experience is 20% better then average
your Experience Mod would be a .80 or 20% worse would
be 1.20.

It makes sense to reward companies that practice

effective safety and claims management techniques over
those who do not. In effect, the Experience Mod does just
that.
How do claims affect your EMR?
Medical-only claims
Claims that require medical treatment only are usually less severe so employers should
not be penalized when they occur. Consequently, any medical only claims are reduced
by 70% before they enter the formula. You can take advantage of this by ensuring that
injured employees remain at work when possible or return to work within the waiting
period. This is where an effective claims management and return to work program can
have a dramatic effect.

Lost time claims

In most cases, the first $5,000 of a lost time claim is counted at full value. The dollar
amounts after $5,000 is discounted. There is also a large claim cap limit to protect you
from a catastrophic loss. Because the first $5,000 of each loss goes into the formula
dollar-for-dollar, severity is a factor. A single claim valued at $20,000 has less effect on
your Experience Mod then 10 claims valued at $2,000.
Tips for Managing Claims
To minimize claims:
 Investigate incident immediately to avoid second occurrence
 Develop a Return to Work program. Have light duty jobs available if possible
 Get the injured worker back to work ASAP, retrain if necessary
 Manage the claims process; be proactive
 Develop a Kept-On-Salary policy

Key business decisions to better manage your EMR:

 Report all employee hours worked
 Track incidents from office personnel, field personnel, and subsidiary divisions
independently
 Do not lump subsidiary companies under one EMR rate
 Take a proactive approach to training, avoidance, and claim management
 Designate a Safety Director and give that person the proper authority to affect policy,
decisions, and personnel
 Work with Washington State Labor and Industries and OSHA representatives when they
visit the jobsite
 Realize that the money spent now on safety can save you much more later on.
Why Safety Programs Fail
• Safety is a priority, not a value!
• Safety is not managed in the same manner as
production, quality, and cost issues!
• Safety is not driven through continuous improvement!
Risk Management Terms
• Hazard
A Condition With the Potential for Causing Injury or Damage
• Risk
An Expression of possible loss in terms of severity and probability
• Risk Assessment
Using sound concepts to Detect, Hazards and Estimate the Risk they
Pose.
• Gambling
Making risk decisions without reasonable or prudent assessment or
management of the risk involved
Risk Management Benefits
• Reduction in Material and Property Damage.
• Effective Project Accomplishment.
• Reduction in Serious Injuries and Fatalities.
Experience Modification Rates
• The base premium is calculated by dividing a company's payroll in a given job classification by 100, and then by
a 'class rate' determined by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) that reflects the inherent
risk in that job classification. For example, structural ironworkers have an inherently higher risk of injury than
receptionists, so their class rate is significantly higher.

• A comparison is made of past claims history to those of similar companies in your industry. If you've had a
higher-than-normal rate of injuries in the past, it is reasonable to assume that your rate will continue to be higher
in the future. Insurers examine your history for the three full years ending one year before your current policy
expires. For example, if you're getting a quote for coverage that expires on January 5, 2008, the retro plan will
look at 2004, 2005 and 2006.

• NCCI has developed a complicated formula that considers the ratio between expected losses in your industry
and what your company actually incurred, as well as both the frequency of losses and the severity of those
losses. A company with one big loss is going to be 'penalized' less severely than a company with many
smaller losses, because having many small losses is seen as a sign that you'll face larger ones in the
future.

• The result of that formula is your EMR, which is then multiplied against the manual premium rate to determine
your actual premium (before any special discounts or credits from your insurer). Essentially, if your EMR is
higher than 1.00, your premium will be higher than average; if it's 0.99 or lower, your premium will be less.
EMR Affects
How does a high EMR affect costs?
An EMR of 1.2 would mean that insurance premiums could be as high as 20%
more than a company with an EMR of 1.0. That 20% difference must be
passed on to clients in the form of increased bids for work. A company with a
lower EMR has a competitive advantage because they pay less for insurance.

How do I lower EMR?

The good news is that EMR can be lowered. An effective safety program that
eliminates hazards and prevents injuries is the starting point. No injuries equal
no claims.
Controlling Accident Costs
Proactive Approach
• Establish medical provider(s)
• Conduct detail investigation and accompany injured employee to Doctor
• Establish modified duty tasks
• Insure Nurse/Case Manager is working with injured employee
Reactive Approach
• Delayed injury reporting
• Investigations are delayed or incomplete
• Employee is left to find own medical provider and work with insurance
• Return to full work status is delayed by others – employee left without
income