A theoretical model of industrial accidents investigations: a conceptualization of the mental processes that trigger and control investigative activities

Abstract

Humans strive to understand and respond to abnormal changes that occur within their surrounding contexts. Current literature is yet to discuss the process of triggering an enquiring process within the human cognition after the occurrence of an unforeseen change event or an accident, to explain what behavioral response can follow, and to recognize what factors shape such a response. This article presents a new theoretical model – tagged as the ‘Slammed Adjacent Door (SAD)’ model that addresses the behaviour of an individual responder to a simple change event, which is expanded to discuss the wider social and organizational behaviour relevant to an accident. The model establishes the link between the preliminary cognition of potential investigators and their following practical response to an accident, by discussing the dynamic interactions of various endogenous and exogenous factors that trigger and control their post-event investigative actions. According to the SAD model, an industrial accident investigation is a six-phased sequence of mental manipulations, decisions, and physical actions that are initiated, motivated, and sustained by complex mutually-influencing personal, organizational, and wider set of input factors. The model has consequential set of theoretical and practical implications relating to organizational or other incidents and accidents investigations.