Incident Management: Turning Post-Incident Reviews Into Improvement Opportunities

Every near-miss or incident reminds us of the hazards of working in the mining industry. Within these occurrences though are valuable lessons to be explored in the form of post-incident reviews (PIRs). 

PIRs aren’t bureaucratic exercises; they’re powerful tools for understanding causes, gauging the effectiveness of current risk controls, and enacting preventative solutions. 

Let’s see how your operation can use PIRs to turn every incident into an improvement opportunity.

Incident Management Power Lies in Reviews

Incidents rarely happen in isolation, and PIRs dig deep to ascertain underlying contributing factors. Was it a communication breakdown or faulty equipment? Risk controls are meant to be safety nets, but were they strong enough? PIRs are the opportunity to assess the effectiveness of existing approaches. Did they work as intended? Were they adequate? 

We learn from our mistakes, and incidents are teachers that can provide shareable knowledge for the entire operation. Identifying weaknesses and strengthening risk controls helps prevent future occurrences, protect lives, and reduce downtime.

What makes a PIR genuinely effective?

• Clear scope and focus on the specific incident, near-miss, or trend analysis
• Involve personnel from different roles to capture various perspectives
• Encourage honest dialogue without blame
• Dig deep beyond immediate causes to uncover underlying factors
• Develop practical steps to address root causes and prevent recurrence
• Track progress on recommendations and ensure implementation.

Overcoming Common Challenges in Post-Incident Reviews

Even with the best intentions, there will still be challenges when conducting effective PIRs in mining operations. One of the most common which can discourage honest participation is fear of repercussions or disciplinary action. There may also be pressure to resume operations promptly, leading to rushed or incomplete reviews and neglecting thorough analysis. A lack of resourcing in enough available dedicated personnel, training, and time commitment needed for comprehensive PIRs can also affect achieving a detailed review.

PIRs can sometimes become too broad or lack focus, leading to irrelevant information and diluted actionable steps, which is why a clear scope from the outset is essential. There can sometimes be issues integrating data from different sources like equipment sensors and human observations. PIR accuracy is also affected when personnel haven’t been trained adequately or lack experience conducting or participating in PIRs.

Other challenges include barriers to communication between departments, hindering comprehensive information gathering and analysis. Recommendations might get lost without proper tracking and accountability for implementation. A lack of transparency around events and review outcomes can erode trust and reduce buy-in from workers. Language and cultural differences within diverse workforces can also affect gathering accurate information and ensuring clear communication.

Ensuring Incident Management Action

• Move beyond “what happened” to “why it happened”.
• Encourage an environment where honesty drives learning and improvement.
• Include perspectives from various roles to capture the whole picture.
• Refrain from letting insights gather dust. Craft clear, practical steps to address root causes and create actions.
• Establish accountability by tracking progress on recommendations and ensuring implementation.
• Share lessons learned and progress made to help integrate a more widespread commitment to safety.

Opportunities For Growth And Prevention

Post-incident reviews are about understanding and improvement, and through thorough and collaborative investigation, they can transmute any incident into an essential step towards a safer, more productive mine. Openness and honesty are cornerstones of a strong safety culture, so when conducted collaboratively and transparently, PIRs build trust among workers and management. 

Contact us for our support in showing you how.