What does an incident investigation aim to achieve?

An incident investigation primarily aims to identify the root causes of workplace accidents. This process involves a systematic examination of the circumstances surrounding an incident to uncover underlying issues that may have contributed to the event. By focusing on root causes, organizations can implement corrective actions that address these fundamental problems, thus preventing similar incidents from occurring in the future.

While identifying equipment failures, recognizing employee performance levels, and gathering general feedback on workplace safety can be components of an overall safety program, they do not capture the core objective of an incident investigation. The effectiveness of safety practices hinges on understanding why an incident happened in the first place, enabling organizations to create a safer work environment through targeted interventions and improvements based on the insights gained from thorough investigations.