Site Inspection, Auditing, Incident Investigation and Reporting
Inspection, audit, investigation
An inspection is a planned, structured walk-through that checks physical conditions and behaviour against standards at a point in time. An audit is a systematic, evidence-based check of the management system against a defined standard, sampling records, interviews and observations. Inspection finds the broken guardrail; audit finds out why guardrails keep being removed.
Both must end in a corrective action loop: finding, risk rating, root cause, action, responsible person, due date, verification and close-out. Track repeat findings as a trend; repetition is a system failure, not bad luck.
For incidents, separate near miss, first aid, medical treatment, lost-time and fatal outcomes. Investigate to find causes, not culprits: establish a timeline, preserve the scene, interview witnesses separately, and distinguish immediate causes (unsafe act or condition) from contributing and root causes in the management system. Use 5 Whys, fishbone or barrier analysis. 'Worker was careless' is never a root cause; ask why the system allowed the error to become harm.
Reporting: s24 incidents (death, unconsciousness, loss of a limb, likely death, or absence of 14 days or more) go to the chief inspector within seven days; s25 requires recording and investigation with records kept at least three years; COIDA requires the employer's report to the Compensation Fund.
Traps: only reporting fatalities; closing actions on paper; interviewing witnesses together; treating a high audit score as proof of safety.
Worked example
A worker lacerates a hand and is off 20 days. This is s24 reportable (14 days or more) and COIDA reportable. Investigation shows the guard was removed to speed up material handling, so the root cause is production pressure with no interim control, not the worker.