October 28, 2014 | Mark Paradies

8 Reasons to Ask for Help with an Investigation

People who attend TapRooT® Training know that trainees are expected to go back to work as self-sufficient investigators. They should be able to perform an excellent root cause analysis without an outside facilitator.

But there can be times when an investigator needs to ask for help. When should you ask for help with an investigation?

Here are eight examples that could help you decide when to ask for help:

1. LEGAL ISSUES

Could this accident end up in court? If so, you need the help of your company’s attorney.

They may need to be involved BEFORE the investigation starts to establish “attorney/client privilege.” In these cases, the attorney may want to hire an outside expert to review the company’s investigation and help spot potential weaknesses before legal action starts.

2. CUSTOMER DISPUTE

It’s always tough when a customer has a problem and blames your product. What do you do if you think that the product was OK but, instead, the customer’s actions caused the problem? Root cause analysis could be a big help.

But will the customer believe the results of your employees’ investigation? This is a good time to get an outside facilitator to provide an independent perspective or lead a joint customer/supplier investigation.

3. UNION ISSUE

Ever had an investigation that gets contentious with a union?

This may be time to ask for help. An outside facilitator provides an independent perspective and can help both sides see how to achieve improvement. This can be a win-win investigation.

4. COMPLEX ACCIDENTS

TapRooT® Training is a great start for a new investigator. But, as we say in the course, get your feet wet when you go back to work by performing some easy investigations.

What if a complex accident happens when you are newly training? Ask for help! Get an experienced investigator to help you facilitate the investigation or to review your work and coach you.

What if you don’t have any experienced investigators at your site? Call SI at 865-539-2139. We have experienced investigators who can help.

5. INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION / NEW SET OF EYES

Sometimes management may want a fresh set of eyes to look at a problem. An independent investigator may bring a different background, new knowledge, and the ability to see beyond “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” This can challenge “common knowledge” and go beyond groupthink.

6. CONTROVERSIAL INVESTIGATION

I’ve seen investigations that might result in someone in upper management losing their job. Nobody wanted to be on the investigation team because they didn’t want to be the one who got a senior manager fired. (Payback from friends of the one fired is a real problem.) So an independent investigator could step into this controversial situation without fear of retribution.

7. COACHING

Even if your investigations aren’t too hard, you may want to hire our experienced investigators to provide feedback (coaching) on your “everyday” investigations so that your investigators constantly improve. If this sounds helpful, once again, give us a call.

8. OVERWHELMED

Too many accidents to investigate? Augment your staff with facilitators to help investigate incidents and provide your investigators with valuable feedback.

Again, we can help. Our 40+ experienced TapRooT® Investigators from around-the-world provide help when you need it.

Still not sure? Contact us at: http://www.taproot.com/contact-us for more information.