| Accident Investigation is something that is carried out | | | | performed, they can be split into three different |
| to determine the causes or cause of an accident, this | | | | categories.i. Organisational Analysis – is purely reliant |
| can also be the investigation of a series of accidents. | | | | on the systemic theories of organisation. The theory |
| Accident investigation is performed by a range of | | | | goes that if the person stays within the guide or ideals |
| experts; these include health and safety advisors, | | | | of the organisation then accidents simply cannot occur. |
| forensic engineers and or forensic scientists and are | | | | The results from Organisational Analysis can be |
| done to prevent accidents of a similar nature occurring | | | | analysed and checked for objectivity and from there |
| again. | | | | they can be falsified. Assuming that the person |
| Accident Investigation is also known as Accident | | | | (system) to be analysed conforms to that theory then |
| Analysis. | | | | choosing Organisational Analysis can be the preferred |
| The sequence in which Accident Investigation is | | | | choice.ii. Causal Analysis – Causality is the principle |
| performedi. Fact Gathering – When an accident has | | | | used in Casual Analysis to determine the events that |
| occurred police or forensics (depending on the | | | | took place and the causes of that event. The 'Chain of |
| seriousness and nature of the accident). The Officer | | | | Events' is what people usually speak of however the |
| or Forensics team will start off by gathering all the | | | | form of results when Causal Analysis is used tends to |
| relevant facts they can obtain which will contribute the | | | | have the form of a direct a-cyclic graph / graphs. The |
| Accident Investigation.ii. Fact Analysis – The 'big | | | | edges of the graph are the cause-effect relation and |
| picture' is put together at this point. A reconstruction of | | | | the nodes are the events that took place. Respective |
| the events that took place leading to the accident is | | | | notion of causation can cause the method of Causal |
| performed, this will check for plausibility and | | | | Analysis to differ.iii. Expert Analysis – Field experts |
| consistency. This cannot take place however until the | | | | will be required during this process, their knowledge, |
| Fact Gathering has been completed and some results | | | | expertise and experience are relied upon during Expert |
| has been delivered (enough reliable facts to create the | | | | Analysis. Their field must correspond to that of the |
| big picture'iii. Conclusion Drawing – Conclusions about | | | | accident under investigation. A rigorous methodological |
| the contributing factors and causation can be formed if | | | | approach is usually lacking in Expert Analysis, this can |
| the accident history is sufficiently informative.iv. | | | | effect objectivity of analysis and the falsify-ability. This |
| Countermeasures – To prevent this type of | | | | becomes very important when disputes among |
| accident from re-occurring recommendations have to | | | | experts take place, conclusions must be made but |
| be issued and in some cases required | | | | implications of falsify-ability and objectivity must be |
| countermeasures are to be laid down or developed. | | | | addressed. |
| The Methods of Accident Investigation | | | | Another method for of Accident Investigation is a |
| There are various ways Accident Investigation can be | | | | method called WBA (Why-Because Analysis). |