Development of an Incident Investigation Process

Abstract

In many industries a traditional approach to incident investigation is still used, especially in incidents with limited consequences, and near-misses. The systematic identification of underlying and root causes is often limited to accidents with more serious consequences. While it is widely acknowledged that human error plays a role in a large number of incidents across all industries, many still rely on methods such as the International Safety Rating System for classifying the causes of incidents. In such systems, factors which can influence human performance, such as training, procedures, work systems, etc., are only superficially addressed. This results in data which are of little value in developing remedial actions to prevent reoccurrence. This paper outlines a simple but systematic incident investigation process, which is aimed at identifying the human and organisational causes of everyday incidents in the offshore petroleum industry.