BACKGROUND: A public accident investigation is carried out when the consequences of the incident are significant or the accident has occurred in unusual circumstances.
OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the quality of the official accident investigations being conducted by Safety Specialists of the Labour Authorities in Andalusia.
METHODS: To achieve this objective, we analysed 98 occupational accident investigations conducted by the Labour Authorities in Andalusia in the last quarter of 2014. Various phases in the accident investigation process were examined, such as the use of the Eurostat variables within European Statistics on Accidents at Work (ESAW), detection of causes, determination of preventive measures, cost analysis of the accidents, identification of noncompliance with legal requirements or the investigation method used.
RESULTS: The results of this study show that 77% of the official occupational accident investigation reports analysed were conducted in accordance with all the quality criteria recommended in the literature.
CONCLUSIONS: To enhance glogal learning, and optimize allocation of resources, we propose the development of a harmonized European model for the public investigation of occupational accidents. Further it would be advisable to create a common classification and coding system for the causes of accidents for all European Union Member States.