An industrial mishap is an accident occurring in an industry leading to the death or injury and/or loss of property. They can be prevented in a number of ways including alarms, accidents exits like fire exits, mishap fighting equipment like the cut out systems of electricity and such other mishaps.

The traditional approach of accident investigation looks into how the accident occurred that is the several steps to the occurring of the accident in addition to trying to identify the several errors that could have led to the mishap. It may involve any of the many techniques in identifying how the events followed each other to the accident occurrence. These techniques include the domino effect, Hartford EMP, known precedents, technique of operations review, multilinear events sequencing and change analysis (Ferry, 2004).

According to Pacific.net, the domino effect considers the errors of the management including the possible cause(s), the manifestations of the accident, the accident itself in addition to the various implications in the property and lives loss. This is very easily applied in comparison to the following other methods. These events are what are called dominoes and they must follow each other for the mishap to occur. The Hartford EMP examines the items and persons involved in the mishap.

Known precedent on the other hand involved juggling the literatures and prior mishaps to compare the similarities and differences. This helps to identify the causes of a mishap. The technique of operations review is a investigative training to find out the cause of a mishap. This includes stating of a cause, tracing, eliminating and seeking (Pacific.net).

Ferry (2004) further notes that multi-linear events sequencing involves the listing of the mishap events. The events are performed by a certain individual. This individual performs that event and therefore those events follow each other simultaneously. Therefore this process involves the investigation to learn the contribution of an individual to the mishap. Finally change analysis methods to troubleshoot and get the areas where the changes have completely made the mishap to occur, in addition to the applications to the solving of the problems quickly. These are the methods used in the accident analysis or if a certain alteration to the system caused the mishap.

However, from the above methods the ones mostly used are the domino effect and change analysis. Systems safety approach investigation of mishaps involves prior planning for the investigation like the use of kits for the investigation, involving prior training to the investigation personnel. This investigation should strive as much as possible to preserve the evidence on the ground and also its processing and analysis. In the modern investigation equipments like sound and picture recorders are involved in the data collection and analysis. The data collection and analysis must be done as fast as possible to ensure the evidence is not tampered with. It also involves the witness location, ensuring that the suspects are well placed to explain the mishap and their interviewing. The evidence may also involve carrying out some sketches and diagrams (Ferry 2004).

In comparing the two approaches, several stark differences stand out between the two of them. System safety approach investigation uses an investigation kit which contains the several equipment to be used in the investigation whereas the traditional method does not involve the use of investigation kit like cameras and recording equipment. System approach also includes the interviewing of the suspects whereas traditional method does not. Also system approach involves the proper and prior training of the personnel to be involved in the investigation but traditional approach does not involves so much of prior training to the investigation personnel.