Accidents and incidents — the full investigation workflow without spreadsheets

In most plants accident records start with a file someone created for their own use. While there are a few events a year the file works. The trouble starts when you need a fast answer to how many events occurred on one line in the last six months, which investigations are still open and whether the actions set after the previous accident were actually completed.

The second weakness is the gap between the record and the evidence. Photos stay on the coordinator's phone, witness statements on paper, the report in another folder and the conversation with the supervisor nowhere at all. Months later, reconstructing the full picture takes longer than the investigation itself.

The VIMS incident module merges all of that into one record. Report, classification, evidence, investigation team, root cause analysis, actions and the closure decision describe one event in one place, and every change leaves a trace with a date and an author.

The event record walks the team through securing the scene, establishing the circumstances, collecting statements from the injured person and witnesses, inspecting the area, photographing it and determining the causes. Even someone running their first investigation will not miss a key element.

Attachments live with the event rather than in a separate folder on a network drive. Reports, statements, workstation diagrams and photos stay available years later, when a question arrives from an authority or an insurer.

A status view shows where each open investigation stands and which one is approaching its deadline. Management does not have to ask at a meeting, because it is visible in the system.