Course Outline

Module 1: Introduction to Incident Investigation

• Why investigate? The philosophy of learning from events.

• Definitions: accident, incident, near-miss, unsafe act, unsafe condition.

• Immediate notification and initial response procedures.

• Exercise: Differentiating between direct causes, contributing factors, and root causes in a case study.

Module 2: The Investigation Process: Scene Management and Evidence Collection

• Securing the scene and preserving evidence.

• Evidence types: physical, documentary, testimonial.

• Photography, sketching, and note-taking at the scene.

• Workshop: Documenting a simulated incident scene.

Module 3: Effective Witness Interviewing Techniques

• Planning and conducting interviews. Building rapport and reducing bias.

• Questioning techniques to gather factual information.

• Role-Play: Conducting a witness interview in a non-accusatory manner.

Module 4: Root Cause Analysis Methods

• The "5 Whys" technique: drilling down to the root cause.

• Cause and Effect (Fishbone/Ishikawa) Diagram: organizing contributing factors.

• Workshop: Applying the 5 Whys and Fishbone diagram to a simple incident.

Module 5: Report Writing, Corrective Actions, and Follow-up

• Structuring an investigation report: findings, causes, recommendations.

• Developing SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) corrective actions.

• Tracking implementation and verifying effectiveness.

• Final Project: Conducting a full investigation of a detailed case study, from analysis to a final report with actionable recommendations