PROACTIVE INCIDENT INVESTIGATION METHOD

Abstract

Purpose of this article is to determine the role of incidents in the occupational health and safety management system (hereinafter referred to as OHSMS) of an enterprise as a tool for preventing occupational injuries and accidents, managing occupational risks, improving the occupational health and safety management system, forming a positive culture of safety and health for employees at work, as well as justifying the application of international standards and approaches to investigating incidents in order to find effective solutions and methods for preventing them.

Methodology. The author proposes a methodology that focuses not on the fact of the event, but on the potential harm of the incident, even if there are no consequences. The incident is considered a risk signal, not an event that has already caused harm. The main stages of the methodology include:

-    identification of incidents, including near misses, dangerous behavior, and procedural non-compliance;

-    assessment of the potential severity of consequences that could have occurred in the worst-case scenario;

- analysis of root causes (organizational, technical, behavioral, managerial, psychophysiological, man-made, natural, environmental, social, and others);

- connection with the occupational risk register (adjustment with risk assessment and management);

- development of systemic preventive and protective measures;

- feedback and staff training.

This will allow incidents to be linked to risk management and occupational safety culture at the enterprise in accordance with the requirements of the national standard DSTU ISO 45001:2019 "Occupational health and safety management systems. Requirements and guidelines for use" (hereinafter referred to as the Standard) as a necessary tool for ensuring the effectiveness of the OHSMS. It can also be easily adapted to any sector of the economy in various hazardous industries.

Results. The results of implementing proactive incident investigation methods in the enterprise's OHSMS will ensure early detection of hazards and potential accident scenarios. Identification of incidents, including near misses, allows for the detection of unknown (hidden) hazards and potentially hazardous working conditions at an early stage, before occupational injuries or accidents occur. It will improve the effectiveness of occupational risk and opportunity management. The results of incident investigations are integrated into the enterprise's occupational risk register, which makes it possible to update risk assessments and corrective actions based on identified OHSMS non-conformities and helps to justify management decisions when responding to potentially dangerous situations and accidents. Reduce the level of industrial injuries and accidents. Eliminating the root or systemic causes of incidents helps prevent the recurrence of dangerous or potentially dangerous situations, which in the medium and long term leads to a reduction in the frequency of accidents and incidents. Improve and enhance the OHSMS. Ensures the identification of non-conformities in planning, control, and analysis procedures. Implements the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle of continuous improvement. Creates a positive culture of safety and health at work. Introduces a policy of non-retaliation, non-punishment, and non-application of administrative measures against employees who have identified and reported non-conformities (opportunities), incidents, accidents, and/or emergencies that have occurred at the enterprise. This will contribute to increased employee engagement, increased trust in the OHSMS, and the development of a responsible attitude towards occupational safety. It will increase compliance with international standards. The results of the methodology will ensure the practical implementation of the Standard's requirements in terms of risk management, analysis of hazardous events, corrective and preventive actions, and continuous improvement of the OHSMS. It provides arguments for management decision-making. Provides an information base for senior management to make management decisions, plan occupational safety measures, conduct OHSMS audits, and perform management reviews.

Scientific novelty it consists in developing a proactive methodology for investigating occupational safety incidents, where an incident is considered not only as an event that has occurred, but as an indicator of potential harm, regardless of the presence of injuries or material damage. It allows assessing the danger of an incident based on the principle of “What could have happened?” rather than “What happened?”, which is a transition to proactive management methods in the OHSMS.

Practical significance lies in the possibility of directly using the proactive incident investigation methodology in the activities of enterprises in various sectors of the economy in order to improve the level of occupational safety and health and improve the OSHMS. The implementation of a unified approach to responding to incidents and improving the effectiveness of occupational risk management creates a unified classifier of hazards, dangerous events, and incidents, reduces the level of occupational injuries and losses, increases the level of employee responsibility, ensures compliance with international standards during certification, and is used during training and management decision-making.