What is incident investigation?
Incident investigations collate all information relevant to an incident to determine root causes. This enables organisations to implement corrective actions that reduce the likelihood or consequence of recurrence, and ensure they are solving the real causes of the event.
For less serious events, organisations can conduct internal investigations using their own staff. However, more serious events—especially those involving lost time injuries or system failures—require a full investigation by trained professionals. Independent investigators remove the internal barriers and narrow field of vision that often limit in-house teams. We also don’t just pick the first and obvious cause, we dig deeper.
Why incident investigation matters for a SME in NZ
Incident investigations matter as they are opportunities for improvement in your health and safety management system. They serve as signposts that there is an issue. The key is ensuring events are investigated and the root cause is identified rather than the most obvious cause. Experienced investigators will look beyond the obvious, which is critical as you do not want to be addressing a cause which is not really the thing causing the event.
How to go about an incident investigation
We use standard incident investigation tools and techniques to produce a through and professional evaluation of root causes and develop recommendations to address any issues.
Our Investigation Methodology
Initial Response: Secure the scene, notify key personnel, and provide necessary medical care.
Data Collection: Gather information through interviews, photographs, and the preservation of physical evidence.
Expert Analysis: Determine causal factors and identify the root cause of the incident using established methodologies.
Formulate Corrective Actions: Develop and implement strategies to prevent recurrence and assign responsibilities.
Reporting: Document findings, communicate lessons learned, and file required reports.
When to call in experts in health and safety incident investigations
Serious Harm & Fatality Investigations: High-level support for the most critical events, particularly if Worksafe are involved (which they normally will be for critical risk related events.
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Near-Miss Analysis: Investigating “close calls” before they become actual injuries.
Regulatory Liaison: Managing communication with health and safety inspectors and government bodies such as Worksafe.
Plant or systems failure: Supporting determination of cause and consequence of significant failures.
Case study – Warkworth near miss
Initially, a Main Contractor engaged a civil works company to lay services and recontour land on a large-scale building site. However, because the site was a former farm, access relied on an unstable and unsafe farm track. To address this, the contractor attempted to widen the track; consequently, during the work, a piece of earthmoving equipment slid down a bank. Although the operator escaped physical injury, the event exposed significant safety gaps.
Subsequently, when the contractor’s initial investigation yielded limited results, the client commissioned Winsland to conduct a review. By applying the ICAM approach to lead our own investigation, we were ultimately able to deliver a comprehensive report to all parties. In doing so, our findings uncovered numerous root causes that the internal review had missed, thereby proving that a formal, independent process is vital for true organizational learning.