NEBOSH Incident Investigation study guide
NEBOSH Incident Investigation · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation is a short, entry-level qualification aimed at people who may be called on to take part in workplace incident investigations - supervisors, line managers, safety representatives, and small-business owners without a dedicated HSE function. It is also a common first step for those considering a longer NEBOSH health and safety award. The NEBOSH Incident Investigation study guide has 4 sections and about 1,222 words.
01Incident Investigation 1: Definitions, Purpose and Selecting the Investigation Level
Domain 1 of 4 tests whether you can define an incident, justify investigating it and select a proportionate investigation level. Incident : an undesired event that caused or could have caused harm.
336 words, about 2 min02Incident Investigation 2: Immediate, Underlying and Root Causes
Domain 2 tests loss causation: separating immediate, underlying and root causes, and applying human-factors thinking rather than settling for blame. Immediate causes are the unsafe acts and unsafe conditions at the moment of the event: an unguarded machine, an unsecured ladder, a person standing under a suspended load.
293 words, about 1 min03Incident Investigation 3: Scene Management, Evidence and Witness Interviewing
Domain 3 tests evidence handling: securing the scene, gathering documentary and physical evidence, and interviewing witnesses without contaminating their account. Three evidence families: people (injured person, witnesses, supervisors), paperwork (risk assessments, permits, training and maintenance records, CCTV, telemetry) and physical/position (damage, positions, measurements, photographs, sketches, samples).
299 words, about 1 min04Incident Investigation 4: Analysis, Report Writing, Recommendations and Follow-up
Domain 4 tests analysis, reporting and closure: proving causes from evidence, writing a report a busy manager can act on, and making recommendations that stick. Analysis tools include 5 whys, cause-and-effect (fishbone) diagrams grouped by people, equipment, procedure, environment and management, events-and-causal-factor timelines, fault trees and barrier analysis.
294 words, about 1 min