What is the prescribed process for incident investigations?

• A. Interview the supervisor and driver.
• B. Collect facts, interview involved parties, perform root-cause analysis, implement corrective actions, and document results.
• C. Immediately escalate to top management.
• D. Wait for external audit before acting.

Answer: (B)

A good incident investigation follows a clear, structured sequence that uncovers what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent it from repeating. Start by collecting facts to establish the event timeline and gather objective evidence. Next, interview those involved or affected to capture multiple viewpoints and fill in gaps. Then perform root-cause analysis to identify the underlying factors that allowed the incident to occur, not just immediate symptoms. After that, develop and implement corrective actions aimed at addressing those root causes and reducing recurrence. Finally, document the results so there’s a verifiable record of findings and actions taken, which supports accountability and future improvement.

Interviews of only a narrow subset miss essential evidence and reasoning, delaying true understanding. Escalating to top management without conducting the investigation ignores the need to address root causes and implement timely fixes. Waiting for an external audit before acting stalls improvements and isn’t a practical internal process.