This assessment has been based on appraisals of 20 serious incidents in 2019-21 conducted by the PSA and the companies concerned.

The results show that the industry considers it very important that the PSA conducts independent investigations of serious incidents, and that these have the biggest effect on work with safety and the working environment at the company investigated.

These findings confirm that both the PSA and the companies themselves have important roles to play in investigating incidents.

For these inquiries to have an effect, a crucial requirement is that they lead to good measures and that the latter are implemented and followed up.

Principal findings from the study

The PSA’s investigations have an effect on work at companies with safety and the working environment by contributing to the following.

  • More effective implementation of measures: Orders from the PSA and identified nonconformities are prioritised when following up measures and therefore generally speaking to more efficient implementation of related measures identified.
  • More effective implementation of measures: The PSA’s orders and nonconformities can put weight behind the prioritisation and execution of measures related to known issues. These could involve action which has not been given priority earlier owing to demanding processes and expensive changes. The weight of the PSA’s findings could have an influence on both internal and external partners.
  • Greater objectivity: The PSA’s objectivity has several effects, including challenging a company’s management more than an internal investigation. Furthermore, an objective investigation provides security for society, the industry and the workforce  
  • Increased compliance with procedures: The PSA follows up practice closely with regard to the company’s own procedures, and helps to concentrate more attention on compliance with procedures.
  • Greater understanding of the regulations: The way the PSA links findings with regulatory requirements helps to improve knowledge and understanding of the regulations and establishes expectations of how they are complied with.

However, the effect of the PSA’s investigations must be viewed in relation to the impact of internal inquiries.

  • A PSA investigation largely provides the same description of the incident and its underlying causes as the internal inquiry.
  • It largely presents the same findings as the internal inquiry.
  • Measures are largely identified on the basis of findings by the internal inquiry.
  • Measures from the internal inquiry are largely initiated or implemented before the PSA report is published.

Other effects which have been mentioned include:

  • concentrating attention on sharing information about important and serious incidents
  • increasing motivation to work on attitudes and behaviour
  • providing security by “verifying” the internal investigation
  • conducting several investigations in the same company means the PSA is well placed to perceive trends over time.