Accident Investigation

The 6 phases of a defensible accident investigation

(1) Secure the scene and preserve evidence. (2) Capture witness narratives within 24 hours. (3) Build a verified factual sequence. (4) Identify the Top Event — the moment control was lost. (5) Analyse contributing factors against a chosen methodology (Tripod Beta, BowTie, ICAM, STEP). (6) Generate recommendations that address latent organisational failures, not just unsafe acts. Skipping any phase is the single biggest cause of incident recurrence.

Why 5-Whys fails for accident analysis

5-Whys produces a linear chain that ends at the most convenient cause — usually 'human error'. Real accidents are systemic: the same unsafe act, repeated by different people across different shifts, points to an organisational weakness 5-Whys cannot reveal. Tripod Beta, by contrast, classifies every precondition under eleven General Failure Types (GFTs), making organisational failures impossible to hide.

Mandatory accident investigation under ISO 45001 and HSE law

ISO 45001:2018 clause 10.2 requires organisations to investigate every incident, identify root causes and implement corrective action. UK RIDDOR, OSHA 29 CFR 1904, EU Seveso III and Brazilian NR-1 all require documented investigations for reportable accidents. A defensible report needs: a verified factual sequence, methodology trace, evidence matrix, recommendations register and review sign-off.

How RISKOPILOT compresses weeks into minutes

A manual Tripod Beta investigation takes 8–16 hours of analyst time spread across 3–5 days. RISKOPILOT runs the same methodology, applied by an AI engine, in under five minutes — then routes the draft to a certified practitioner for 24–72h review. The investigator spends time on judgement and stakeholder interviews, not on drawing diagrams in PowerPoint.

How RISKOPILOT delivers

1. 1

   Secure and document the scene

   Photograph, preserve physical evidence, isolate equipment. Capture before anything changes.

2. 2

   Capture the narrative

   Interview witnesses within 24h; record control-room logs, permits, CCTV and timestamps verbatim.

3. 3

   Pinpoint the Top Event

   Identify the exact moment control was lost — the single event from which causation branches backwards.

4. 4

   Apply the methodology

   Build the Tripod Beta tree, BowTie barriers and STEP timeline. Classify failures by GFT.

5. 5

   Issue recommendations + close the loop

   Generate SMART recommendations tied to specific latent failures. Track to closure. Verify effectiveness.