What do incident investigations document besides facts?

• A. They solely determine blame
• B. They document facts, detect trends, provide cost information, promote safety
• C. They replace safety training
• D. They are optional

Answer: (B)

Incident investigations are about learning and preventing recurrence, not just recording what happened. Beyond documenting the facts, a good investigation analyzes the data to detect trends across incidents, which helps identify systemic issues and root causes. It also collects cost information to understand the financial impact and to support prioritizing corrective actions. The ultimate goal is to use those findings to promote safety—updating policies, procedures, training, and controls to reduce the likelihood of future incidents.

The other options miss the bigger purpose: investigations aren’t primarily about assigning blame, even though accountability may be addressed; they don’t replace safety training (finding training gaps is a result, not the function), and they’re not optional in a mature safety program that seeks to manage risk and comply with requirements.