bizSAFE Incident Investigation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a 'near-miss' incident and why is it important to investigate in WSH?
- An event that could have resulted in injury but did not, and investigating it helps prevent future actual incidents (Correct answer)
- A minor injury that does not require medical attention and has no investigation value
- An incident that occurred near a worksite boundary but outside the employer's premises
- An incident where injury was avoided because a worker acted quickly to avert danger
Correct answer: An event that could have resulted in injury but did not, and investigating it helps prevent future actual incidents
A near-miss is an unplanned event with the potential to cause injury but which did not result in actual harm. Investigating near-misses is valuable because they reveal hazards and system failures before they cause actual injuries.
Question 2: What is a 'fault tree analysis' used for in incident investigation?
- To systematically trace back from an incident to identify all contributing causes in a logical, structured diagram (Correct answer)
- To analyse which departments are at fault for contributing to the incident
- To assess the financial impact of different types of workplace faults
- To create a tree diagram showing all employees responsible for safety tasks
Correct answer: To systematically trace back from an incident to identify all contributing causes in a logical, structured diagram
Fault tree analysis is a structured, top-down method that traces an incident back through all contributing causal factors in a logical diagram. It helps identify multiple root causes and the relationships between them.
Question 3: After completing a workplace incident investigation, what is the next most important step?
- Implement corrective actions and verify their effectiveness within set timelines (Correct answer)
- File the report with MOM and consider the matter closed
- Circulate the report to all staff as a reminder to be careful
- Wait for the injured worker to return before making any changes
Correct answer: Implement corrective actions and verify their effectiveness within set timelines
Completing an investigation is only useful if the findings lead to effective corrective actions that are implemented on time and verified for effectiveness. Follow-up is essential to actualise the accident prevention purpose of the investigation.
Question 4: How does a positive safety culture support workplace incident reporting?
- A positive safety culture encourages workers to report incidents and near-misses without fear of blame or punishment (Correct answer)
- A positive safety culture means workers are not held accountable for incidents they report
- A positive safety culture ensures that all incidents are investigated by external auditors
- A positive safety culture requires that all incident reports be made anonymously
Correct answer: A positive safety culture encourages workers to report incidents and near-misses without fear of blame or punishment
In a positive safety culture, workers feel safe to report incidents and near-misses because they trust that the purpose is to improve safety, not to punish individuals. This increases the volume of useful safety information available for investigation.
Question 5: What is the legal obligation of an employer in Singapore after a serious workplace accident is reported to MOM?
- The employer must cooperate fully with MOM's investigation, preserve evidence, and provide all requested information (Correct answer)
- The employer must suspend all operations until MOM completes its investigation
- The employer must hire an independent safety consultant to investigate on MOM's behalf
- The employer is only required to provide a written statement if specifically requested by MOM
Correct answer: The employer must cooperate fully with MOM's investigation, preserve evidence, and provide all requested information
Following a serious workplace accident, the employer has a legal obligation to cooperate fully with MOM's investigation, preserve the incident scene, provide access to records, and make witnesses available. Obstruction of an investigation is an offence.
Question 6: What does the 'hierarchy of corrective actions' mean in post-incident follow-up?
- Prioritising engineering controls over administrative controls, and both over PPE, when implementing fixes (Correct answer)
- Implementing the cheapest corrective action first before more expensive ones
- Addressing senior management failures before worker-level failures
- Assigning corrective actions in order from the most to the least senior employee
Correct answer: Prioritising engineering controls over administrative controls, and both over PPE, when implementing fixes
The hierarchy of corrective actions mirrors the hierarchy of risk controls: engineering solutions that eliminate or isolate the hazard are preferred over administrative changes, and both are preferred over PPE because they offer more reliable, lasting protection.
bizSAFE Incident Investigation 2
What is a 'near-miss' incident and why is it important to investigate in WSH?