Incident investigation, reporting and emergency preparedness
What this domain tests
This domain - incident investigation, reporting and emergency preparedness - tests the difference between incidents, accidents and near misses, the investigation process, root-cause analysis, corrective action and emergency planning. Questions often ask what to do first or why an investigation failed.
Core rules
- Definitions. An incident is an undesired event; an accident causes injury or damage; a near miss had potential but no loss. Near misses are free lessons and should be reported.
- Reporting. Internal reporting and external reporting have different thresholds and timeframes. Serious injuries, dangerous occurrences and specified occupational diseases may be reportable to the regulator.
- Investigation. Secure the scene and people first, preserve evidence, record the timeline, interview witnesses separately, and distinguish immediate causes from underlying and root causes. Use 5 Whys, fishbone, fault tree, barrier analysis or ICAM as appropriate.
- Corrective action. Actions need an owner, date, priority and verification. Correcting the person is not a system correction.
- Emergency preparedness. Plans should be risk-based and cover roles, alarms, evacuation, shelter, first aid, spill response, crisis communication, drills and business continuity. Drills need debriefs and corrective actions.
Worked example
A worker slips on oil near a machine. The supervisor records careless behaviour and retrains the worker. That investigation stops at the immediate cause. A proper review finds a leaking seal, no drip tray, no routine inspection, and a reporting system that discourages near-miss reports. Root causes include maintenance planning and a culture of blame. Corrective actions: repair the seal, fit a drip tray, add the leak to the inspection route, relaunch near-miss reporting, and verify after one month. The worker still receives information, but the system changes.
Traps that cost marks
- Blaming the injured person and closing the case.
- Stopping at the immediate cause or the nearest person.
- Failing to secure the scene and preserve evidence.
- Interviewing witnesses together so stories converge.
- Writing corrective actions with no owner or verification.
- Having an emergency plan that has never been drilled or reviewed.