Using Incident Investigations to Build a Better EHS Program

When incidents happen, no matter whether they result in injuries or near misses, it’s important to investigate every detail. The safety of your workers depends on it. 

As an EHS professional, you’re probably aware of the importance of tracking safety data. One of the main reasons is so when an incident occurs, you have resources to draw from when investigating. Whether it’s a root cause analysis or a near miss investigation, you’ll need reliable data, and lots of it.

And as you’re probably also aware, investigations are de rigueur as far as OSHA and other regulatory institutions are concerned. In that regard, incident investigations become not only a safety factor but a factor in compliance as well.

But what do incident investigations really do for you and your workforce? Here are four ways they benefit everyone involved.

1. They help you discover why an incident occurred. When you’re able to track the right data, and create clear and concise reports, you’re worlds ahead of the game when it comes to figuring out why incidents occur.
2. They help you uncover underlying problems in the system. Incident reports can be viewed individually but combined with other types of reports, they can also give insight into systemic problems.
3. They help you correct the actual problems on the floor. If you’re chasing one incident after another and merely putting out fires, you’re not really fixing problems. You’re simply fixing symptoms. Tools that help you create insightful incident investigations are your key to positive change.
4. They help you improve your safety culture, not just your safety procedures. When you discover the deeper causes of your incidents, which is possible when you have the right tools, you begin to see your workplace safety culture from a wider perspective. Data helps you unearth issues at the managerial and procedural levels that often cause safety concerns at work.

As you can see, incident investigations are vital for maintaining a safe workplace where everyone thinks actively about how to improve their health and safety environment. And none of those four benefits described above are possible without the right safety software.

EHS Insight has industry-tailored, integrated platforms you can use to make your EHS culture the best it’s ever been. Try it for free with our trial offer.