Element element element element element what should be investigated?

THOUGHT PROVOKER
Thinking of your own workplace, what barrier controls does your organisation have in place?
Analyse the information
1
Gathering the 
information
2
Analysing the 
information
3
Risk control 
measures
4
The action 
plan
An analysis involves examining all the known and unknown facts and evidence relating to the incident. When reviewing the 
evidence, the incident team should do this in an objective and unbiased way. They should review only the evidence in front of 
them and not make suppositions.
y
Look at what is relevant to the incident, in a timely, 
structured manner.
y
Have all reasonable lines of enquiry been followed? Is 
there any information missing? If so, why?
y
Establishing a timeline of the sequence of events and any 
unsafe conditions or acts in the lead up to the incident 
can help the structure of the investigation.
y
Analysis of interview statements should be undertaken 
and common themes from these interviews recorded, 
such as factors that contributed to the incident such as environmental conditions, housekeeping issues, etc.
y
All possible causes and consequences of the incident should be considered during this stage of the investigation.
Barrier to stop further adverse effects

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NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation
36
1.3
ELEMENT 1.1
ELEMENT 1.3
ELEMENT 1.2
ELEMENT 1.4
ELEMENT 1.5
ACTIVITY
Note down some of the findings you would expect an incident investigation to uncover after all information 
has been gathered and analysed. 
After gathering all the information, you can then organise your findings in a systematic way. It is important to take account of 
specific organisational tools or procedures when carrying out the analysis. Generally though, the analysis should:
y
Identify all causes of the incident:
–
the immediate causes (the blade, the substance, the dust, etc);
–
the underlying causes (the guard removed, the ventilation switched off, etc);
–
the root cause (failure to identify training needs and assess competence, low priority given to risk assessment, etc).
y
Record all causes and risk control measures.
y
Ensure that control measures (existing and any additional control measures required) are identified for each cause found 
during the investigation.
A sequenced timeline can really help in determining relevance of information gathered and also assist in ensuring nothing is 
forgotten during the investigation.
It is important to realise that not all of the findings from the investigation may have further actions and/or recommendations. 

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NEBOSH HSE Introduction to Incident Investigation