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Quick Look Course Summary:Incident and Accident Investigation Training (1 day)
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Next Public Course Date:
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Length: 1 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 5,654 EX VAT 3 Person R 3,982 EX VAT 10 Person R 2,954 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Incident and Accident Investigation Training (1 day)
Supervisors and safety officers learn a structured way to investigate any incident, find the real root cause and write a report that stands up to scrutiny.
When something goes wrong at work, what happens in the first hour often decides whether the business is protected or exposed. A disturbed scene, a witness nobody spoke to, or a report that blames the injured person without asking why can turn a manageable incident into a legal and financial problem – and leaves the real cause in place to hurt someone else. This incident investigation training gives supervisors, safety officers and managers a clear method for getting it right.
Over one practical day, delegates follow a sample incident from start to finish: securing the scene and preserving evidence, interviewing witnesses, separating immediate causes from root causes with the 5 Whys and a fishbone diagram, and writing a report that keeps fact, opinion and recommendation apart. The final session covers reporting duties under section 24 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, recording incidents, notifying the Department of Employment and Labour, and turning findings into corrective actions that are actually closed out.
Delegates apply each step to the scenario as it is taught, and leave with an investigation checklist, a witness interview guide and a report template they can use the next time something happens on site.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Incidents investigated the same way, whoever is on shift
- Root causes fixed, so the same incident does not happen again
- Reports and records that hold up to an inspector's or insurer's scrutiny
- Reporting duties under the OHS Act met correctly and on time
For your delegates
- A step-by-step method for the first hour after an incident
- Interview techniques that produce accurate, fair witness statements
- Root-cause tools practised on a realistic scenario
- A report template and checklist to use straight away
What delegates will be able to do
- Take the right immediate actions at an incident scene and control access
- Preserve, photograph and record physical evidence
- Plan and conduct fair, accurate witness interviews
- Distinguish immediate causes from underlying root causes
- Use the 5 Whys and a fishbone diagram to analyse an incident
- Write a clear incident report that separates fact, opinion and recommendation
- Identify which incidents must be reported to the Department of Employment and Labour and how incidents are recorded
- Turn findings into corrective actions and track them to close-out
Who should attend
Supervisors, team leaders, safety officers, SHE representatives and managers who respond to workplace incidents or sign off investigation reports, in any sector. Members of health and safety committees who review incident reports will also find it useful.
Course outline
Day 1 – Investigating an incident from scene to close-out
Why investigations matter
- Investigation beyond compliance: preventing the next incident
- What a poorly handled incident costs
- Incidents, accidents and near misses
- The investigator's role and an open, fair mindset
- Introducing the day's sample scenario
Securing the scene and preserving evidence
- First actions: care for the injured and make the area safe
- Isolating the area and controlling access
- When the scene may not be disturbed without an inspector's consent
- What to photograph, measure, sketch and collect
- Chain of custody basics
- Scene-preservation mistakes to avoid
Witness statements
- Deciding who to interview, and in what order
- Structuring an interview
- Open questions versus leading questions
- Recording statements accurately and fairly
- Handling reluctant or distressed witnesses
Finding the root cause
- Immediate causes versus root causes
- The 5 Whys, worked through on the sample scenario
- Building a fishbone (cause-and-effect) diagram
- Looking at the system, not only the person
- Group exercise on the scenario
Writing a defensible report
- The structure of a sound investigation report
- Separating fact, opinion and recommendation
- Clear, neutral language that holds up under scrutiny
- Common weaknesses that undermine a report
- Drafting the scenario report
Reporting duties and corrective action
- Which incidents must be reported to an inspector under section 24 of the OHS Act
- Recording and investigating incidents under the General Administrative Regulations
- Reporting an injury on duty under COIDA as a separate process
- Turning findings into specific corrective actions with owners and dates
- Follow-up, close-out and sharing lessons learned
How it is delivered
One day, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; the scenario can be replaced with an anonymised incident from your own site. Workbook, investigation checklist, witness interview guide and report template included.
What our clients say
“BOTI demonstrated professionalism, sound subject knowledge, and effective facilitation throughout the training. The programme was well organised, relevant and beneficial to our delegates.”
“All training programmes were delivered in a highly professional manner, with effective coordination and strict adherence to our scheduling requirements. The facilitators demonstrated a commendable level of expertise, and the quality of delivery consistently met our expectations.”
“BOTi has consistently and expertly delivered quality training services in respect of our Soft Skills requirements. We feel confident in recommending BOTI as a training services provider par excellence.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
Do delegates practise on a real case?
Yes. The whole day runs on one sample incident. If you prefer, send us an anonymised incident from your own site and the facilitator will build the exercises around it.
Does the course cover the legal reporting requirements?
Yes, as general guidance: which incidents must be reported to the Department of Employment and Labour under section 24 of the OHS Act, how incidents are recorded, and how this differs from a COIDA claim. It is not legal advice on a specific case.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
How does this fit with your other safety courses?
The two-day Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Course covers the Act, hazards and risk assessment broadly. This course goes deep on one task: investigating and reporting an incident. Managers with a Section 16.2 appointment should also consider OHS Act Legal Liability.