Conducting an Accident Investigation
Course 102
Safety Certified Supervisor Series

MODULE 5: DETERMINING SURFACE AND ROOT CAUSES

Time to analyze for cause

Let's take a look at some examples describing the direct cause of injury:

• If a harsh acid splashes on our face, we may suffer a chemical burn because our skin has been exposed to a chemical form of energy that destroys tissue. In this instance, the direct cause of the injury is harmful a chemical reaction. The related surface cause might be the acid (condition) or working without proper face protection (unsafe behavior).
• If our workload is too strenuous, force requirements on our body may cause a muscle strain. Here, the direct cause of injury is a harmful level of kinetic energy (energy resulting from motion), causing injury muscle tissue. A related surface cause of the accident might be fatigue (hazardous condition) or improper lifting techniques (unsafe behavior).

The important point to remember here is that the "direct cause of injury" is not the same as the surface cause of the accident. To summarize:

• The direct cause of injury is the harmful transfer of energy. The direct result is injury.
• The surface cause of the accident describes a condition or behavior. The result of the condition and/or behavior is the direct cause of injury.. .a harmful transfer of energy.