Conducting an Accident Investigation
Course 102
Safety Certified Supervisor Series

MODULE 2: DOCUMENTING THE ACCIDENT SCENE

Methods to document the accident scene (continued)

Take photos of the accident scene.

Make sure you start with distance shots, and move in closer as you take the photos. Also make notes about the photos you took. Some important points to remember about taking photos include:

• Take photos at different angles (from above, 360 deg. of scene, left, right, rear) to show the relationship of objects and minute and/or transient details such as ends of broken rope, defective tools, drugs, wet areas, containers.
• Take panoramic photos to help present the entire scene, top to bottom - side to side.
• Take notes on each photo. These will be included in the appendix of the report along with the photos. Identify the type of photo, date, time, location, subject, weather conditions, measurements, etc.
• Place an item of known dimensions in the photo if hard-to-measure subjects are being photographed.
• Identification of person taking photo.
• You may indicate the locations photos were taken on sketches.
• Finally, do not use a digital camera as the photo may not be considered legally admissible. The digital photo can be easily "touched up." Use a standard print camera.