5.4 The Incident Investigation Toolkit
Creation of an investigation kit is also an important pre-incident task. An incident investigation kit is a pre-assembled box or tote containing the tools, forms, and material needed in an investigation. It is recommended the employer place a piece of sealing or tamper proof tape around the investigation kit. This sealing tape can easily be cut open and it allows the employer to quickly identify when the kit has been used in order to re-stock any missing items. Investigators can then act quickly by grabbing the kit and beginning their work. The following graphic illustrates some of the materials that should be included in an employer’s investigation kit.
| Flashlight | Pens | Paper |
| Clipboard | Measuring Tape | Calculator |
| Camera | Laptop (if resources allow) | Caution tape |
| Blank incident investigation forms | Blank witness statement forms | Emergency contact list |
| Hazardous Materials disposal bag | Gloves | Masks |
Don’t forget to:
(1) Train everyone so they know where to find the incident investigation kit.
(2) Add the investigation kit to the safety checklist so the employer knows the kit is in the designated location and to do a visual check to see if it has been opened.
(3) Replace any necessary items once the incident investigation kit has been opened.
“Incident Investigation” in Health and Safety in Canadian Workplaces by Jason Foster and Bob Barneston, published by AU Press is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, unless otherwise noted.
