ICAM Investigation

Have you had a serious incident on-site? We can help!

Even with great planning and training things can still go wrong. Mother nature can throw curve-balls at us, workers can do stupid things, and people from outside your organisation can cause incidents. When an incident’s occurred, our defences have failed. Something in our safety management system hasn’t done its job. Northland Safety ICAM investigations provide a robust structured approach to learn from incidents to make sure they don’t happen again.

PEEPO

An Incident Cause Analysis Method (ICAM) investigation allows us to look at all of the contributing factors, identify causal factors and ultimately identify the root cause of the incident.

ICAM Investigations focus on five key elements: People factors, Environment, Equipment, Processes and Organisation. This is referred to as PEEPO. The purpose of a PEEPO ICAM investigation is to provide a structured approach to incident investigation by collecting and analysing data across these five key areas:

This method aims to:

• Identify all contributing factors, including underlying and organizational causes, involved in an incident.
• Prevent recurrence of similar incidents by understanding what went wrong from multiple perspectives.
• Improve workplace safety by addressing gaps and failures identified in these five areas.
• Guide investigation teams on who to talk to and what aspects to explore to ensure no contributing factor is overlooked.

Independent investigations

The benefit of an independent investigator is that they provide an unbiased, objective, and confidential investigation free from internal conflicts or preconceived notions. Independent investigators can ensure:

• Impartiality: They have no prior relationships or connections to the organization or individuals involved, so the investigation is based purely on facts without influence or bias.
• Confidentiality and Anonymity: They can better protect witnesses' identities, encouraging honest participation without fear of retaliation or workplace consequences.
• Credibility and Trust: Their neutrality increases the credibility of the investigation results with all stakeholders, including employees, regulators, and the public.
• Address Systemic Issues: They are more likely to identify organizational or leadership problems, not just individual faults, enabling effective corrective actions.
• Expertise and Efficiency: Independent investigators bring specialist knowledge and experience, ensuring thorough investigations follow proper protocols and legal requirements.
• Restoring Confidence: They help restore confidence among employees and external parties by demonstrating transparency, fairness, and a commitment to resolution.

Independent investigations lead to fairer outcomes, improved organizational governance, reduced risk of litigation, and strengthened workplace culture and safety. They demonstrate to work teams and others such as principal contractors, sub contractors, WorkSafe etc. that incidents are taken seriously and there is a genuine commitment to ensure they don't happen again and learnings are put in to practice.