Conducting an Accident Investigation
Course 102
Safety Certified Supervisor Series

MODULE 5: DETERMINING SURFACE AND ROOT CAUSES

The surface causes of accidents

The surfaces causes of accidents are those specific hazardous conditions and unsafe employee/manager behaviors that have directly caused or contributed in some way to the accident.

Unsafe behaviors:

• are actions we take or don't take that increase risk of injury or illness.
• may also be thought to be errors in a process
• may occur at any level of the organization.

Some example of unsafe employee/manager behaviors include:

• Failing to comply with rules
• Using unsafe methods
• Failing to train
• Allowing unsafe behaviors
• Failing to supervise
• Failing to correct
• Scheduling too much work
• Ignoring worker stress
• Failing to report injuries
• Failing to report hazards
• Horseplay
• Taking shortcuts