Independent, structured investigation of workplace accidents and near misses — root cause analysis, RIDDOR reportability assessment and defensible documentation for HSE, insurers and legal. CMIOSH consultants, UK-wide. Since 1984.
Incident investigation is the structured process of establishing what happened when a workplace accident or near miss occurs, why it happened, and what must change so it does not happen again. A good investigation is blame-free — its purpose is to find the underlying causes, not a person to fault, because only the causes can be fixed.
Investigation often runs alongside a separate legal duty: RIDDOR — the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 — which requires certain workplace incidents to be reported to the HSE. Deaths and specified injuries must be reported without delay; over-seven-day injuries must be reported within fifteen days. Getting reportability right matters: under- or over-reporting both carry consequences.
KeyOstas provides independent investigation by CMIOSH consultants: securing the scene and evidence, interviewing witnesses, carrying out root cause analysis, assessing RIDDOR reportability and supporting the submission, and producing defensible documentation you can put in front of the HSE, your insurer or your legal team. We are also there for clients who simply want a competent partner on call for when an incident happens.
RIDDOR — the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 — requires responsible persons to report specified workplace incidents to the HSE. Deaths and specified injuries must be reported without delay; over-seven-day injuries within fifteen days. Failure to report is itself an offence.
A complete, independent investigation — from securing the scene to a defensible report — delivered by a CMIOSH consultant.
Prompt action to preserve the scene, photographs, equipment and physical evidence before it is lost.
Structured, fair interviews with those involved and those who saw what happened — recorded properly.
We work past the immediate cause to the underlying management and system failures — the things that can actually be fixed.
A clear assessment of whether the incident is RIDDOR-reportable, and support making the submission correctly and on time.
Practical, prioritised recommendations — owned and dated — so the same incident does not recur.
A written investigation report fit to put in front of the HSE, your insurer or your legal advisors.
Four reasons UK employers call KeyOstas after an incident — or keep us on call for when one happens.
Five CMIOSH-grade consultants — Chartered Members of IOSH, the highest grade IOSH awards. Most one-person UK consultancies hold no Chartered grade at all.
Our lead consultant is listed on the Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register — the cross-body register endorsed by HSE, IOSH and IEMA. Verify us directly on OSHCR.
No junior account managers, no offshored advice lines. The Chartered consultant who scopes your engagement on the free call is the consultant who delivers it.
Findings closed, not just listed. Documents your team will actually use. The benchmark is whether this made your business safer.
From first call to delivery, the Chartered consultant you meet is the consultant who does the work — no handoffs, no junior advisors.
After an incident, call straight away. The sooner we are involved, the more evidence can be preserved. A Chartered consultant scopes it with you.
Scene and evidence, witness interviews, root cause analysis and a RIDDOR reportability assessment — carried out independently.
A defensible written report with a prioritised corrective action plan — and support with the RIDDOR submission if required.
A single investigation is fixed-scope project work; a retained package keeps a competent investigator on call for when you need one.
An independent investigation of a specific incident — scene, evidence, interviews, root cause analysis and a defensible report. Scoped and quoted rapidly given the time-sensitivity.
Keep a competent investigator on call. A retained package gives you priority response when an incident happens, plus ongoing competent-person support.
The questions UK buyers ask us most about this service. Tap any to expand.
RIDDOR is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013. It places a duty on “responsible persons” — usually the employer, the self-employed, or someone in control of premises — to report specified workplace incidents to the HSE.
Work-related deaths; specified injuries (such as fractures other than to fingers, thumbs or toes, amputations, serious burns and more); over-seven-day injuries; certain occupational diseases; and defined dangerous occurrences. Whether a specific incident is reportable can be finely balanced — which is why a reportability assessment matters.
Deaths and specified injuries must be reported without delay (and within ten days for the formal record). Over-seven-day injuries must be reported within fifteen days of the incident. Missing the deadline is itself a breach.
It is an injury to a worker that results in them being unable to do their normal work for more than seven consecutive days (not counting the day of the accident, but counting weekends and rest days). Over-seven-day injuries are reportable to the HSE within fifteen days.
Secure the scene and gather evidence; interview witnesses; establish the sequence of events; analyse the immediate, underlying and root causes; identify corrective actions; and document the findings. A competent, independent investigation follows this structure and stays focused on causes rather than blame.
It is strongly advisable. A near miss is a free warning — the same failures that caused it could cause a serious injury next time. Investigating near misses is a recognised mark of a mature safety culture and is exactly the proactive monitoring HSE expects.
Services and courses UK employers most often combine with this one.
Had an incident? Call us as soon as you can — the sooner we are involved, the stronger the investigation. Free scoping call, CMIOSH consultants, UK-wide.
Book a scoping call →