Incident Investigation Services
When an incident occurs, the immediate focus is often on treating injuries, making the area safe and restoring operations. What happens next is equally important.
A strong investigation identifies what happened, why it happened and what must change to prevent recurrence.
AMH Safety provides independent incident investigation services for injuries, near misses, high-potential events, environmental incidents, property damage and significant workplace concerns.
Our investigations are objective, evidence-based and focused on practical improvement.
Incidents We Investigate
The investigation process is scaled to the seriousness and complexity of the event.
- Workplace injuries
- Near misses
- High-potential incidents
- Falls
- Plant & equipment incidents
- Manual task injuries
- Vehicle & mobile plant events
- Contractor incidents
- Hazardous chemical exposure
- Environmental incidents
- Property damage
- Procedural failures
- Repeated incidents
- Significant psychosocial events where a WHS investigation is appropriate
Why Incident Investigations Matter
Incidents rarely result from one action or one person.
They often involve several contributing factors, such as:
- Inadequate planning
- Poor communication
- Equipment design
- Limited supervision
- Time pressure
- Training gaps
- Unclear procedures
- Contractor coordination
- Fatigue
- Workplace layout
- Maintenance failures
- Weak risk controls
An investigation that stops at “worker error” is unlikely to prevent the same event from happening again.
AMH Safety looks beyond the immediate event to identify the system and organisational factors that allowed it to occur.
Independent support may be appropriate where
- The incident is serious
- The potential consequences were significant
- A contractor is involved
- There are conflicting accounts
- Similar incidents have occurred
- Internal relationships may affect objectivity
- A client has requested a formal investigation
- The business lacks internal expertise
- Regulatory scrutiny is possible
- Management requires independent assurance
Independent support may be appropriate where
- The incident is serious
- The potential consequences were significant
- A contractor is involved
- There are conflicting accounts
- Similar incidents have occurred
- Internal relationships may affect objectivity
- A client has requested a formal investigation
- The business lacks internal expertise
- Regulatory scrutiny is possible
- Management requires independent assurance
At AMH Safety, we can assist with:
Immediate response support
The quality of an investigation can be affected by what happens in the first hours. We help preserve the scene, identify witnesses, record conditions, secure relevant documents, prevent further exposure, define the scope and manage initial corrective actions.
Evidence collection
Reliable investigations are based on evidence. This can include incident reports, witness statements, photographs and videos, SWMS, risk assessments, training records, procedures, maintenance and inspection records and any relevant medical information.
Witness interviews
Witness interviews should be structured, respectful and focused on facts. The objective is not to assign blame, but to understand what they observed, what happened, and any controls, conditions or instructions that were provided or expected.
Causal analysis
Most incidents have several causes. We distinguish between immediate causes, contributing factors, failed or missing controls, underlying system weaknesses and organisational factors. This prevents the business from relying on superficial conclusions.
Investigation reports
Reports are written clearly, objectively and professionally. The report may include an incident overview, scope, methodology, evidence, timeline, factual findings, causal analysis, system gaps, recommendations and corrective actions.
Corrective actions
Potential actions may include hazard elimination, improved controls, revising procedures, strengthening communication, updating training or modifying plant or equipment.
Close-out and verification
An action is not complete simply because it has been added to a register. AMH Safety can assist with action tracking, close-out and verification, confirming actions have been implemented.
ICAM Investigations
AMH Safety can conduct Incident Cause Analysis Method (ICAM) investigations for serious, complex or high-potential incidents. ICAM examines the event beyond immediate actions to identify contributing factors across task conditions, individual and team actions, failed or absent controls, and underlying organisational systems.
This structured approach helps businesses move beyond blame, understand why the incident occurred and develop corrective actions that address the real causes. The outcome is a clear, evidence-based investigation report with practical recommendations designed to prevent recurrence and strengthen safety performance across the organisation.
AMH Safety provides structured investigations that help businesses understand incidents, address underlying causes and strengthen controls.
Contact AMH Safety for independent incident investigation, corrective action planning and close-out support.