Accident Prevention, Reporting and Investigation
Immediate control, RIDDOR boundary, human factors, evidence, underlying causes and learning.
How to prepare for SMSTS
Connect each legal and technical topic to a manager's planning, communication, verification and learning decisions, then practise the resource-timing and two-mark focus-area boundaries.
Core concepts
Concept 1
The first priorities are life safety, emergency response and prevention of further harm.
Exam cue: Preserve evidence when compatible with rescue and risk control.
Concept 2
Internal reporting captures injuries, ill health, dangerous events and near misses; the responsible dutyholder decides statutory reporting.
Exam cue: Use factual timelines and reliable witness information.
Concept 3
Investigation should identify immediate, underlying and organisational causes and verify corrective action.
Exam cue: Share learning across contractors and project phases.
Risk pitfalls and guardrails
Assigning blame before understanding conditions.
Guardrail: Do not use a signed form, course certificate or personal experience as a substitute for a missing competent plan or physical control.
Assuming the injured worker makes the RIDDOR report.
Guardrail: Do not use a signed form, course certificate or personal experience as a substitute for a missing competent plan or physical control.
Closing an investigation at operator error.
Guardrail: Do not use a signed form, course certificate or personal experience as a substitute for a missing competent plan or physical control.
Memory anchors
Safe, Help, Preserve
Control danger, assist casualties and protect evidence where possible.
Facts Before Fault
Build the timeline before judging cause.
Immediate, Underlying, Root
Look beyond the last unsafe act.
Learn and Verify
Corrective action must work at the workface.
Checkpoint rule
Do the check-up only after you can summarize each concept in one sentence and identify one dangerous pitfall from memory.
Knowledge Check (after reading)
Short check-up to confirm understanding of this module.
Check-up Questions
Next step personalized recommendations
Continue learning
Move forward only after this module is stable.
What is Pass Harbor?
Completely free exam prep for 247 UK exams.
- Practice questions
- Flashcards
- Study guides
- Mock exams
- No registration
- No paywall
- Start instantly
“No more expensive exam prep. Quality study tools should be accessible to everyone.”