ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AND REPORTING

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STANDARDS: IAW AR 385-40 & DA PAM 385-40.

PURPOSE OF ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

DEFINE ARMY ACCIDENT

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION RESPONSIBILITIES

CLASSIFICATION OF ACCIDENTS

REPORTING AND RECORDING ARMY ACCIDENTS

CATEGORIES OF INVESTIGATION REPORTS

INVESTIGATION PROCEDURES

ACCIDENT REPORTING TERMINOLOGY

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
AND REPORTING
PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION / REPORTING
THE INVESTIGATION DETERMINES:

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
AND REPORTING
PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION/REPORTING:

Prevention only (not to be used for litigation, claims, disciplinary action, or adverse administrative actions)

ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION
AND REPORTING
LEGAL / REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS:

DA PAM 385-40

DEFINITION – ACCIDENT

ACCIDENT – an unplanned event that causes personnel injury or illness, or property damage.

DEFINITION – ARMY ACCIDENT

ARMY ACCIDENT – an accident that results in injury / illness to either army or non-Army personnel, and/or damage to Army or non-Army property as a result of Army operations (caused by the Army).

PERMANENT TOTAL DISABILITY – Any nonfatal injury or occupational illness that in the opinion of the competent medical authority, permanently and totally incapacitates a person to the extent that he or she cannot follow any gainful employment. The loss, or loss of use of both hands, feet, eyes, or any combination thereof as a result of a single accident.

PERMANENT PARTIAL DISABILITY – Any injury or occupational illness that does not result in death or permanent disability but, in the opinion of the competent medical authority, results in the loss or permanent impairment of any part of the body with the following exceptions:

Loss of teeth

Loss of fingernails or toenails

Loss of tip of finger or tip of toe

Hearing loss

LOST-TIME CASE- A nonfatal traumatic injury that causes any loss of time from work beyond the day or shift on which it occurred or a nonfatal non-traumatic illness / disease that causes loss of time from work or disability at any time.

LOST-WORKDAY CASE- Cases in which an accident results in Army personnel missing one or more days of work. Days away from work are those workdays (consecutive or not) on which Army personnel would have worked but could not because of injury, occupational illness, or job-related physical deficiencies detected during medical surveillance examinations.

NONFATAL CASE WITHOUT LOST WORKDAYS – (Light duty / restricted work activity) – cases other than lost workday cases where army military, civilian personnel, because of an injury or occupational illness, experienced one or more of the following:

Permanent transfer to another job or termination.

Loss of consciousness

Restricted duty (profile)

INJURY- A traumatic wound or other condition of the body caused by external forces, including stress or strain. The injury is identifiable to time and place of occurrence and member or function of the body affected, and is caused by a specific event or incident or series or events or incidents within a single day or work shift.

OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS – Nontraumatic physiological harm or loss of capacity produced by systemic infection; continued or repeated stress or strain; exposure to toxins, poisons, fumes, etc., or other continued and repeated exposures to conditions of the work environment over a long period of time. A condition that does not meet the definition of an injury.

MEDICAL TREATMENT- Any treatment (other than first aid) administered by a physician or by registered professional medical personnel under orders of a physician

FIRST AID – One-time medical treatment for minor scratches, cuts, burns, and similar injuries that do not ordinarily require medical attention, plus any follow-up visits for observation. Such one-time treatment and follow-up visits will be considered first aid, even if provided by a physician.

WHAT TO INVESTIGATE / REPORT –
Commanders will investigate / report:

Damage to Army property.

Injury (fatal or nonfatal) to military personnel

Injury to on-duty civilian personnel

Occupational injury or illness (fatal or nonfatal) to military personnel or Army civilian employees

WHAT TO INVESTIGATE / REPORT –
Commanders will investigate / report:

Injury / illness to non-Army personnel as a result of Army operations.

Damage to non-Army property as a direct result of Army operations.

Class E Aviation incident

FOD incidents (class F)

OCCURRENCES –
NOT AN ARMY ACCIDENT

Combat losses

Directly caused by enemy action

Due to evasive action taken to avoid enemy fire

Failure to return from a combat mission

Malfunction or failure of component parts

OCCURRENCES –
NOT AN ARMY ACCIDENT (CON’T)

Expected damage (testing)

Property damage as a result of vandalism, riot, civil disorder, felony

Deliberate damage to aircraft or equipment or to occupants

Accidents occurring during transport by commercial carrier

NONOCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS / INJURY – Injury / illness is not proximate cause. Example -excessive bleeding of hemophiliac

SELF-INFLICTED INJURIES – Suicide or self-inflicted injury

CRIMINAL ASSAULT – Fist-fight or brawl

PRIOR-SERVICE INJURIES – Injury prior to service entry

INFECTIVE AND PARASITIC DISEASE – Example – respiratory disease or food-poisoning

STRAINS – Resulting from pre-existing musculoskeletal disorder (strain occurs during sneeze)

HOSPITALIZATION (OBSERVATION ONLY)

ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY – Injury occurring while attempting escape

DEATH DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES – Example – heart attack

ADVERSE REACTION- Reaction to alcohol or drugs not administered by medical authority

PRE-EXISTING INJURIES OR ILLNESSES

Notification requirements,

Site security requirements,

Investigation procedures and responsibilities,

Required accident reports

The resulting total cost of property damage is $1,000,000 or more;

An injury and/or occupational illness results in a fatality or permanent total disability.

The resulting total cost of property damage is $200,000 or more,

When five or more personnel are inpatient hospitalized from a single occurrence.

CLASSIFICATION OF ARMY ACCIDENTS

NOTIFICATION, SECURITY, INVESTIGATION

NOTE:

Class A & B accident investigations are conducted by an accident investigation board (CAI or IAI Board).

Immediate notification is required through chain of command to USASC

If possible, unit must secure the accident site for the accident board to see. (May not be possible for traffic accident)

The resulting total cost of property damage is $10,000 or more,

Or a nonfatal occupational illness that causes loss of time from work (e.g. 1 work day) or disability at any time (lost time case).

The resulting total cost of property damage is $2,000 or more,

Note: An Army accident resulting in less than $2000 property damage and no lost time injury are reported using local procedures.

An Army incident in which the resulting damage cost and injury severity do not meet the criteria for Class A-D accident ($2,000 or more damage; lost time/restricted activity case).

A Class E aviation incident is reportable when the mission is interrupted or not completed.

Recordable incidents are confined to aircraft turbine engine damage only as a result of internal or external FOD

ARMY ACCIDENT TYPES

ARMY AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT

ARMY MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT (AMV)

ARMY COMBAT VEHICLE (ACV)

ARMY OPERATED VEHICLE

OTHER ARMY VEHICLE

PRIVATELY OWNED VEHICLE (POV)

PERSONNEL INJURY – OTHER

MARINE ACCIDENT

FIRE

CHEMICAL AGENT ACCIDENT

EXPLOSIVES ACCIDENT

IONIZING AND NONIONIZING RADIATION ACDT & INCIDENT

NUCLEAR

BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE MISHAP

DRONE AIRCRAFT (RPV)

FRATRICIDE

COMMAND RESPONSIBILITIES
PRELIMINARY ACCIDENT SITE PROCEDURES:

Initiate actions IAW unit pre-accident plan

First priority – safety of victims, personnel involved, and the general public

COMMAND RESPONSIBILITIES
PRELININARY ACCIDENT SITE PROCEDURES:

Neutralize accident site hazards:

Bloodborne pathogen

COMMAND RESPONSIBILITIES
PRELININARY ACCIDENT SITE PROCEDURES:

Take action to secure / preserve the accident scene

Protect physical evidence – ground markings / scars, placement of wreckage / equipment

COMMAND RESPONSIBILITIES
PRELIMINARY ACCIDENT SITE PROCEDURES:

Notify the commander of personnel involved

Provide information from Notification Worksheet DA Form 7306-R

COMMAND RESPONSIBILITIES
INVESTIGATION / REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES:

Commanders at all levels (installation level down to company or detachment) are responsible for investigating and reporting accidents.

Class A & B On-duty – CAI / IAI board

Class A & B Off-duty – Unit prepares AGAR / follow MACOM /installation procedures for fatal accidents.

Class C & D – unit prepares AGAR

Accident report submitted through chain of command / installation safety to USASC

REPORTING – Report all accidents to the unit safety officer / installation safety office

Local reporting procedures for:

Property damage less than $2000

Military personnel injury – no lost time / restricted duty only

Military personnel injury – first aid only

Class A-D Accidents

Class E & FOD Aviation

Damage exceeds $2000

Soldier injury results in 1 or more lost workdays

SAFETY ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT – Used for prevention purposes only

Limited Use Report

General Use Report

COLLATERAL INVESTIGATION REPORT – Used to determine accountability, liability, claims, disciplinary action

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION (MP / CID)

SAFETY ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORTS
Limited Use Safety Accident Investigation Report

Selected accidents involving other complex weapons systems as determined by Cdr, USASC

SAFETY ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORTS
Limited Use Safety Accident Investigation Report

Purely factual information – pictures, drawings, tests may be released / shared with collateral investigator

SAFETY ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORTS – AR 385-40, 1-7
General Use Safety Accident Investigation Report

USE – To record data concerning all reportable accidents not covered by limited use reports.

Used for accident prevention

Not for administrative or disciplinary action within DoD

Not generally releasable – need to know for the purpose of accident prevention

Witness statements not exempt from disclosure in response to a request under FOIA

USE – Record facts for use in litigation, claims and administrative and disciplinary actions

Required on all on-duty Class A accidents (LOD will suffice for off-duty fatality)

Public Interest

Safety personnel do not conduct, review, or store collateral investigations.

Accident investigation has priority

Collateral investigation covered by: AR 27-20 or AR 15-6

MP / CID – Investigate to determine if criminal activity is involved.

Safety accident investigation board has access to MP / CID evidence, photos, witness statements

Accident investigation will halt if criminal activity is discovered. (Other than negligence, dereliction of duty or disobedience of an order)

Purpose of accident investigation

Define Army accident

Accident investigation responsibilities

Classification of accidents

Reporting and Recording Army accidents

Categories of investigation reports

Reporting Procedures- AGAR

Accident reporting terminology