Preventing accidents in your dance studio

Implementing corrective action plans
Equipped with the above information, you can now move forward with proactive action steps to help maintain a safe studio environment. Accident Investigation Techniques – Second Edition, offers the following steps that may help support your efforts.

To be effective in preventing future accidents, corrective actions should be implemented using a three step process:

1. Develop the corrective actions after the investigation produces causal factors. A causal factor is an event or circumstance that helped to cause an accident.
2. Track the corrective actions. A database is useful for organizing and tracking information about the corrective actions.
3. Follow-up to ensure that the corrective actions have been followed as initiated. If a corrective action is not used, accident prevention is not ensured.

Preventing Accidents further outlines more specific actions to help guide each step.

Tips for developing corrective actions:

• Every accident should have at least one causal factor.
• Develop at least one corrective action for each causal factor.
• Communicate corrective actions clearly.
• Make causal factors and corrective actions very specific so that the worker, supervisor, or manager knows exactly what the problem is and how to fix it.

Tips for tracking corrective actions:

• Establish a timetable for each corrective action. If all the actions are assigned to a specific department or individual, they are usually implemented in a timely manner.
• Consider using a database to track corrective actions. Include fields for a description of the action, an anticipated completion date, and the party responsible for carrying out the action.
• Conduct a follow-up to make sure the corrective actions are in place and working correctly.

Follow-up steps:

• Check that the corrective action has been completed correctly.
• Make certain the corrective action works to prevent accidents.
• Ensure that the corrective action is being used.
• Be proactive. A follow-up is an excellent opportunity to observe hazards in the field. When performing the follow-up, check to see if any other hazards could cause an accident. Any hazard that has the potential to cause injury, illness, or damage should be analyzed and corrected.

Ref: Oakley, Jeffery S. Accident Investigation Techniques, Second Edition. Des Plaines, IL. The American Society of Safety Engineers. 2012