On any construction site, preventing the untoward is always a primary goal. However, with all the will in the world, even the most adept safety program will never be entirely infallible. Around 150,000 construction workers are injured on the job each year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and that’s just one of the things can potentially go wrong. If you find yourself in the tricky situation of navigation the fallout of an incident—whether it’s an accident, injury, fatality, or even a heart-pounding near miss—you’ll want to have a dedicated construction site investigator in your corner. Time is likely of the essence, so let’s explore why bringing in a third-party professional is so important whenever construction work takes a turn for the worst.
The Role of a Construction Site Investigator
Whenever something serious happens in a construction setting, a prompt and thorough worksite incident investigation is a must. Why? Because if the conclusions drawn after such an occurrence are sloppy, inaccurate, incomplete, or show any sign of bias, the legal fall out can be substantial. If you want to mitigate potential liability, there can be no corner cutting. Bringing in a seasoned construction site investigator from a corporate investigations firm is the smartest move, because they will not only visit the scene and obtain the facts, but they will also be able to advise you on how to best protect the integrity of your company.
A corporate investigator tackling a worksite incident investigation will efficiently identify the cause of the incident, uncovering and documenting evidence as they go. They will interview all personnel involved, whether they are an injured party, a witness, or potentially those responsible for an error. Their goal will be to present you with an air-tight conclusion composed of the facts. One that paints a clear picture of the state of compliance, aids you in determining the cost of the incident, and covers you legally. They will also provide the necessary information to address worker’s compensation claims, and crucially, allow you to prevent the same happening again down the road—because if it was a near miss, you’d better bet that you won’t get that lucky twice.
Why You Need an Experienced Third-party Construction Site Investigator
If you’re weighing up whether you can handle your worksite incident investigation in-house, consider a word of caution. Even if yours is a large business and you have a substantial HR department, can you really assign a responsible person who is truly impartial? The chances are that your employees all know each other. In fact, your human resources team will have been along for the ride when your site team were recruited, promoted, and given raises, inevitably creating relationships along the way. It may even be possible that your support staff are going to be considered witnesses as the investigation progresses.
Simultaneously, your HR staff are paid by your company, giving them an obvious motive to be bias in your favor. While there is nothing wrong with any of these realities, if your worksite incident investigation should ever result in litigation, they may begin to stack up against you. The solution is a third-party construction site investigator who can lift that burden from your team, and get the job done fairly and quickly without taxing your labor force resources. Getting morale back on track, your team will find confidence in knowing that you’re taking the matter seriously—while you can enjoy peace of mind that the conclusions drawn will be bullet-proof.
Are you looking for a corporate investigator with the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to mount an efficient and effective worksite incident investigation? A construction site investigator from Lauth Investigations International will transform a chaotic and stressful situation into a proactive course of action. Don’t leave your business vulnerable to the consequences of handling a construction incident poorly. Reach out to our team today.