Published: May 2024
Reading time: 5 minutes
Suitable for: Business Owners, Directors, Managers and Supervisors
Topics: Incident Investigation | Accident Prevention | Root Cause Analysis | Continuous Improvement
At a glance
Main goal: Understand why incidents happen so they can be prevented in the future.
Who should be involved? Managers, supervisors and anyone responsible for health and safety, with input from those involved in the incident.
Key action: Investigate incidents promptly and implement improvements.
Benefits: Fewer repeat incidents, improved compliance and a stronger safety culture.
Why this matters
When an accident happens, it’s natural to focus on what went wrong. However, simply recording the incident isn’t enough.
Every accident, near miss or dangerous occurrence provides an opportunity to learn. By carrying out a thorough incident investigation, businesses can identify the underlying causes, prevent similar incidents from happening again and continually improve workplace safety.
An effective investigation isn’t about assigning blame—it’s about understanding what happened and making meaningful improvements.
What is an incident investigation?
An incident investigation is a structured process used to understand why an accident, near miss or dangerous occurrence happened.
The purpose is to identify both the immediate causes and the underlying factors that allowed the incident to occur.
These findings can then be used to improve working practices and reduce future risks.
Which incidents should be investigated?
Not every investigation needs to be lengthy, but all incidents should be reviewed to determine whether lessons can be learned.
This includes:
- Workplace accidents
- Near misses
- Dangerous occurrences
- Property damage
- Environmental incidents
- Cases of work-related ill health
Investigating near misses is particularly valuable because they often highlight weaknesses before someone is seriously injured.
The four stages of an effective investigation
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommends a structured approach to incident investigation.
1. Gather Information
Collect as much relevant information as possible, including:
- Witness statements
- Photographs
- CCTV footage where available
- Equipment involved
- Risk assessments
- Safe systems of work
- Training records
- Environmental conditions
The sooner information is collected, the more accurate the investigation is likely to be.
2. Analyse the Information
Look beyond the immediate cause.
Ask questions such as:
- Why did the incident happen?
- Were existing control measures effective?
- Were procedures followed?
- Was training sufficient?
- Have similar incidents happened before?
The objective is to identify the root causes rather than simply the obvious ones.
3. Identify Risk Control Measures
Once the causes have been identified, consider how similar incidents can be prevented.
Possible improvements may include:
- Updating risk assessments
- Introducing safer equipment
- Improving workplace layouts
- Providing additional training
- Revising procedures
- Improving supervision
- Increasing inspections
The most effective solutions remove or reduce the risk wherever possible.
4. Create and Implement an Action Plan
An investigation should always lead to action.
Your action plan should:
- Clearly identify improvements
- Assign responsibilities
- Set realistic completion dates
- Monitor progress
- Review whether the actions have been effective
Without follow-up, investigations rarely lead to lasting improvements.
What does the law say?
While not every incident is legally reportable, investigating workplace incidents is recognised by the HSE as an important part of effective health and safety management.
Related resources
Documents
You can also report incidents directly via the Incident Reporting Tool on the Portal.
E-learning
Need more help?
Investigating incidents is one of the most effective ways to improve workplace safety. Rather than focusing on blame, a good investigation identifies what happened, why it happened and what can be done to prevent it happening again.
The Health & Safety Portal provides practical resources to support every stage of the investigation process, including incident investigation templates, corrective action records, risk assessment templates and e-learning courses to help your business develop a proactive approach to accident prevention.
By learning from every incident—whether it results in injury or not—you can strengthen your health and safety management system and create a safer workplace for everyone.