Proper documentation is important during an investigation into an accident to comply with legal obligations and to support any potential claims or lawsuit down the line.

For the key documents you’ll need:

1. As for documentation, first, there should be an accident report detailing the accident, such as when/where/how it happened, witness statements, and statements from employees who were there, describing what occurred.

2. Medical records, which will include an injury report by medical personnel and workers compensation documentation if it’s a work-related accident. 

3. Photographs and/or video, which should include pictures of the scene of the accident, the injuries suffered, and any video of the incident.  And without forgetting to check if any video surveillance was available.

4. Maintenance and safety records, such as inspection records, maintenance records, and documentation of whether the equipment or premises were maintained appropriately. 

5. Safety policies and training that need to be reviewed to determine if appropriate safeness measures were in place for employees, along with the training employees received. 

6. Incident investigation forms to be completed, which will include an accident investigation report as well as a root cause analysis for any underlying factors that contributed to the incident. 

Employers must also issue an incident notification, including submitting a workers’ compensation claim form (DWC-1) in addition to reporting serious accidents to Cal/OSHA within 8 hours. In addition to the report, a corrective action plan and follow-up report should include a description of anything done to prevent similar accidents. 

It is also important to comply with Cal/OSHA requirements and ensure that employees’ rights under the workers’ compensation laws are protected. Accurate documentation during the investigation will help identify and prevent future incidents through corrective action, and help with legal and workers’ compensation claims.