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A focused 15–30 minute review to identify program gaps and your best path forward.
Incident Investigation — Alberta
A serious incident happened. Now what?
Alberta OHS requires a written investigation for every serious workplace incident. We conduct thorough investigations — root cause analysis, corrective actions, and reports that hold up under OHS review.
What Alberta OHS requires
After a serious incident — fatality, critical injury, or dangerous occurrence — Alberta employers must investigate immediately, preserve the scene, report to OHS, and produce a written investigation report identifying causes and corrective actions. The report must be kept on file and available to OHS officers.
Time-sensitive situation?
Call 780-473-4772 directly. We respond to urgent inquiries as fast as we can. Outside office hours? Leave a message — we prioritize urgent callbacks.
What does incident investigation include in Alberta?
Scene assessment and documentation
Immediate on-site or remote assessment to document conditions, preserve evidence, and ensure the scene is properly secured before any disturbance.
Root cause analysis
We go beyond the immediate cause to find the management system failure behind the incident — the gap that allowed it to happen and will allow it to happen again if not addressed.
Worker and supervisor interviews
Structured interviews conducted by an experienced investigator — not a supervisor interviewing their own crew. Objective, thorough, and documented.
Written investigation report
A complete written report meeting Alberta OHS requirements — incident description, findings, causes, and corrective actions. Written to hold up under OHS officer review.
Corrective action planning
Specific, actionable corrective actions tied to each root cause — not generic recommendations. We help you put them in place and track them, not just list them.
OHS officer liaison
If an OHS officer is investigating the same incident, we help you understand the process, prepare for interviews, and respond to any orders that result.
Alberta Infrastructure
Government · Zero medical injuries
“The project required expertise in executing effective safety requirements within a short preplanning period. It was completed with the injury frequency well below industry standard and with zero reported medical injuries.”
Gerry Babish, Project Manager
Allan Head — CHSC · NCSO · COR Auditor · 48 years Alberta construction & safety
Safety Ahead is a senior-led team, anchored by founder Allan Head's 48 years in Alberta construction and safety. Our investigators have conducted incident investigations across Alberta's construction and industrial sectors, from near misses through serious incidents and dangerous occurrences. We know what Alberta OHS officers look for, how to conduct root cause analysis that holds up under review, and how to support employers through a process that can feel overwhelming.
The path forward
What it looks like when we investigate together.
After a serious incident, having experienced support alongside you means the investigation is thorough, the report is defensible, and you're not navigating the OHS process alone.
- 1You begin the investigation as quickly as possible, balancing it against ongoing operations.
- 2Scene documentation and evidence preservation require immediate attention and specific knowledge of what OHS will look for.
- 3Worker and supervisor interviews need to be structured and objective — which is harder when there are existing relationships.
- 4Root cause analysis goes deeper than the immediate cause — identifying the management system gap takes experience.
- 5The written report needs to meet Alberta OHS requirements and be ready for officer review.
- 6If an OHS officer is also investigating, navigating that process simultaneously adds significant pressure.
- 1We're available the same day — advising on scene preservation and immediate obligations while we arrange to attend.
- 2We document the scene, photograph evidence, and secure conditions before anything is disturbed.
- 3We conduct structured interviews with workers and supervisors — objective, thorough, and documented.
- 4We work through the causal chain to the management system failure behind the incident.
- 5We produce a complete written report — findings, causes, corrective actions — written to hold up under OHS review.
- 6If an OHS officer is involved, we help you understand the process and prepare your responses.
How it works
Call us — same day
Incident investigation is time-sensitive. Call (780) 473-4772 as soon as the immediate emergency is addressed. We will advise on scene preservation and immediate obligations while we arrange to get involved.
Scene assessment
We attend the scene (or conduct a remote assessment if on-site is not possible) to document conditions, photograph evidence, and interview witnesses while memories are fresh.
Root cause analysis
We work through the causal chain from the immediate cause back to the management system failures — using a structured methodology that OHS officers recognize.
Written report and corrective actions
We produce a complete written investigation report with findings, causes, and specific corrective actions. You get a report you can file, share with OHS, and actually use.
Related services
An incident rarely stands alone. These are the next steps employers most often need once the investigation is underway.
OHS orders & compliance
If an OHS officer is investigating too, we help you respond to any orders that result.
WCB claims management
A serious incident usually means a claim — manage it well to control cost and your rating.
Safety system assessment
Find and close the management-system gap the root cause analysis points to.
Safety program development
Turn corrective actions into permanent program changes, not one-off fixes.
Fractional safety manager
Ongoing senior oversight so corrective actions actually get implemented and stay implemented.
Internal investigation vs. Safety Ahead
| What you need | Internal investigation | With Safety Ahead |
|---|---|---|
| Objectivity | Conducted by someone with existing relationships to the crew and site | Independent external investigator with no prior involvement |
| Root cause methodology | Depends on the investigator's training and experience | Structured methodology recognized by Alberta OHS officers |
| Report quality | Reflects the investigator's writing experience and OHS familiarity | Written to meet Alberta OHS requirements and hold up under review |
| OHS officer interaction | Employer manages the process directly | Guidance on obligations, process, and how to respond |
| Corrective actions | Based on the investigator's knowledge of root cause analysis | Specific, tied to each root cause, and implementable |
| Time to complete | Completed alongside ongoing operations | Dedicated focus — typically completed in days |
Incident investigation — common questions
Straight answers about how this works.
A thorough investigation is your best protection.
Call us as soon as the immediate emergency is addressed. We'll advise on scene preservation and your immediate obligations while we arrange to get involved. Time matters here.
Talk to our team about your incident