Accident Investigation Principles Flashcards
7 cards from real COSS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Accident Investigation Principles flashcards as text
The 'Swiss Cheese Model' of accident causation, developed by James Reason, illustrates that accidents occur when:
Answer: Holes in multiple defensive layers align, allowing a hazard to reach a victim
Reason's Swiss Cheese Model shows that accidents occur when holes (failures) in multiple defensive layers temporarily align, creating an unobstructed path from hazard to harm.
Which of the following is an example of a 'latent condition' in an accident investigation?
Answer: A machine guard that was removed and never replaced months before an injury
A latent condition is a pre-existing, dormant weakness (like a long-removed guard) that lies hidden until it combines with other factors to cause an accident.
After completing an accident investigation, which action BEST ensures that corrective measures are actually implemented?
Answer: Establishing a tracking system with assigned responsibilities and due dates
A tracking system with assigned owners and due dates ensures accountability and verifies that recommended corrective actions are completed rather than left undone.
When interviewing multiple witnesses to the same accident, an investigator discovers conflicting accounts. The BEST approach is to:
Answer: Triangulate accounts with physical evidence and documented facts to determine what occurred
Investigators should triangulate conflicting witness accounts with physical evidence and documented facts to construct the most accurate picture of what occurred.
Which of the following root cause categories is addressed when an investigator finds that a new employee was never trained on a hazardous procedure?
Answer: Management system failure
Failure to provide required training is a management system failure, reflecting a breakdown in the organization's procedures for onboarding and hazard communication.
A company consistently has high accident rates despite investigating each incident individually. This pattern MOST likely indicates:
Answer: A systemic management system failure not identified by single-incident analysis
Persistently high accident rates despite individual investigations suggest systemic management system failures that single-incident RCA misses — trend analysis and systemic review are needed.
The 'change analysis' method of accident investigation focuses primarily on:
Answer: Identifying what changed from the normal, intended condition prior to the accident
Change analysis systematically compares what existed and how things were done before the accident versus the changed conditions or actions that occurred, identifying deviations that contributed to the event.