Reframing How We Analyze Incident Investigations With Visual Literacy

What level of confidence do you have that your incident analysis tells you what REALLY happened? Are you certain you are getting the whole story? Are events being recreated accurately?  And is your event analysis reflecting the inputs, and the eyes, of all those who have insight?

Safety professionals struggle with these questions because the factors that lead to unplanned incidents are hard to see in retrospect. This is a function of several things including our ability to ‘re-see’ the conditions, hazards, and circumstances that existed at the time.

Visual Literacy helps us to improve how we reconstruct our understanding of events. No matter if it’s an incident, a near miss, a spill or release, finding an effective way to engage our teams in understanding what was and what was not seen is fundamental to learning from incidents and taking the appropriate corrective actions. Using Visual Literacy tools and techniques allows us to improve the quality of the incident analysis itself. It also helps us appreciate what workers may have seen, interpreted and reacted to in the moment. Rebuilding the visual elements of the incident helps us properly understand the whole picture and the correct responses.

Watch Webinar: Reframing Event Analysis – Visual Literacy In Incident Investigation

The challenges of incident investigation and analysis and how to build Visual Literacy into your processes and improve how you and your teams learn from safety incidents and events.

Doug Pontsler

Doug is Chairman and Managing Director for COVE, the Center of Visual Expertise. Launched in 2018 by the Toledo Museum of Art, COVE is dedicated to the application of visual literacy for industrial and service applications with an emphasis on safety. In this leadership role he is responsible for all aspects of the enterprise including thought leadership, product development and client satisfaction. Prior to his current role, Doug was the former vice president of operations sustainability and EHS for Owens Corning. He joined Owens Corning in 2002 and held leadership positions including director of corporate services and vice president of global sourcing. Doug also served as a member of the National Safety Council Board of Directors and as the Chairman of the Campbell Institute at the National Safety Council. He is a recipient of NSC’s 2019 Distinguished Service to Safety Award. Follow Doug on LinkedIn

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