Incident to insight: Mastering investigation for safer workplaces

This article was created in partnership with Avetta.

Despite efforts over the last century, initiatives from Canada’s workers compensation and regulatory agencies have not resulted in the true change that workplaces need. What can safety professionals do? Shift their thinking, says Peter Sturm, chair of the CSA Incident Investigation Standard CSA Z1005-202.

“Let’s not wait for others,” he urges. “Our health and safety systems, safety practitioners, and investigation standards are leading edge — and they provide a pathway to success and prevention of workplace events.”

With 993 fatalities and 348,747 lost time claims in Canada in 2022 — numbers that are increasing when they should be decreasing, Sturm notes — the data is clearly telling us that incident investigations are not being done well or effectively. To put the figure in perspective, many commercial aircraft hold about 200 passengers. If five aircraft a year were going down (993 people) there would be an outcry, but there’s been no uproar over workplace fatalities.

Though there are regulatory investigations and prosecutions that include penalties, these measures do not impact on long term prevention. As a profession, the lens is focused from the outside of the organization without the introspection required to effect real change. That’s why these numbers continue to not only hold steady, but even climb. Research shows that when investigations are done well — i.e. using the systems approach outlined in CSA Z1005 Incident Investigation standard — they can prevent future fatalities and lost time claims.

“Do we need to change how we address workplace safety? I would argue yes, absolutely, we do,” Sturm says, adding that when safety professionals step into the role of leader and change agent, they drive sustainable business value.

“We need to integrate passion and engagement and build up a culture that trusts our overall OHS management system and makes investigations a business imperative and solution. This innovative perspective gets to business results that value the people in the workplace and engage them to be part of the change.”

To that end, Sturm will share his insight, expertise, and most importantly his suggestions as host of an upcoming webinar, From Incident to insight: Mastering investigation for safer workplaces. Safety professionals will learn to steer away from the traditional “doing things to people/workplaces” and embrace the reinvented approach where “workplaces/people are doing things (that the incident investigation process identifies) to prevent workplace events and eliminate fatalities, illnesses, injuries and losses.”

Sturm hopes to shift health and safety away from easy compliance — following rules in the regulations — that are clearly not working and see a movement to proactive use of investigation tools that identify issues early on, provide real-world solutions, and is viewed as a value add to the bottom line rather than a dreaded event post-incident that drains the organization emotionally and financially.

Ultimately, Sturm hopes to inspire dialogue that focuses on incident investigations as the route to success — defined in this context as a workplace that is healthy, profitable, and safe through prevention initiatives — for all stakeholders. The incident investigation standard in CSA Z1005 is able to help any size business, in any industry, with any kind of workplace, regardless of its challenges and issues. But to do that, it must be fully woven into the fabric of the organization.

“We cannot continue to have health and safety and incident investigations as a ‘bolt on’ to the business — it needs to be positioned as an integral part of business success,” Sturm says.  “When people feel and know they are safe, they are happy with work that defines them, and they are creating value, then we get to prevention success.”

Ready to challenge and change your mindset — and make your workplace safer? Secure your place at the webinar today.