Workplace Inspection and Accident Investigation
Domain 5 tests planned inspection technique and the discipline of moving from immediate cause to root cause without blaming individuals.
Inspection practice
Plan inspections by area, activity and previous findings; use a checklist that matches the site, not a generic form. Record findings with location, photograph and risk rating; allocate each action an owner and date; verify close-out; trend findings across months to find systemic issues.
Investigation sequence
- Make the area safe, give first aid, preserve the scene.
- Notify internally and to the regulator within the statutory timeframe where required.
- Gather facts: photographs, CCTV, documents, permits, training records, witness statements taken separately and early.
- Build a timeline, then separate immediate causes from underlying and root causes.
- Use 5 Whys or a fishbone (people, plant, method, material, measurement, environment).
- Recommend actions that address root causes, with owner and date, then share lessons.
Worked example
A dumper reverses over a worker's foot. Immediate cause: no segregation or banksman on that route. Five Whys: the route changed when a spoil heap moved; the traffic management plan was not updated; no change-control step existed; supervision did not verify the new route. Recommendation is a physical barrier and one-way route plus a change-review step, not merely retraining the driver.
Traps
Blaming the injured person and stopping there; moving equipment before photographs; interviewing witnesses together so stories converge; missing reporting deadlines; writing recommendations with no owner, date or verification.