When there has been an accident on business property in Georgia, depending on the industry, who is involved and the severity of the accident, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration could get involved. Their own, independent accident investigation may help to provide insight into what could have been done differently to prevent the accident from happening at all. It could also help business leaders to make determinations about improvements that can be made to better the safety of their workers.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, their purpose for conducting an investigation at all is to uncover the root cause of the accident. Contrary to what many people believe, the OSHA is not tasked with finding and placing blame on certain people or entities, but helping to find and implement solutions that can lessen employee risks, increase productivity and boost morale among employees that may have been affected by the accident.
Safeopedia suggests that when companies are aware that the OSHA will be coming to conduct an investigation, they consider designating one person to represent the company and its employees. This person will be responsible for communicating with OSHA, providing a timeline about what happened and acting as a liaison between the OSHA and company leaders.
The spokesperson for the company should refrain from giving information unless they are asked to answer questions and should accompany the OSHA officials throughout their entire visit. They may also take photographs to document the investigation for their own company records. If asked to provide records of the company’s operations, the spokesperson should also be able to share the requested documentation.