🔍 SOP-MIN-010: Incident Reporting and Investigation

Rule zero: Report every incident and near miss, and never blame. Find the cause, fix the system.

Field	Detail
Company / site	Ridgeline Copper Operations (fictional sample company)
Document No.	SOP-MIN-010
Revision	1.0 (approved)
Effective	2026-10-06
Next review due	2027-10-06 (or after any incident or change)
Applies to	All personnel, contractors and visitors
Owner	Site Safety Manager
Approved by	Mine Manager and Site Safety Manager

1. Purpose

To make sure every incident and near miss is reported, investigated for root cause, and turned into actions that stop it from happening again.

2. Scope

Injuries, illnesses, near misses, property damage, environmental releases, and any high-potential event.

3. Roles and responsibilities

Role	Responsibilities
Anyone	Reports immediately and secures the scene if safe.
Supervisor	Starts first aid, notifies management, records the facts.
Investigation team	Finds the root causes and recommends actions.
Mine Manager	Approves actions, notifies the regulator, closes the report.

4. Hazards and controls

Hazard	Control
Delayed or under-reporting	Easy reporting, no-blame culture, feedback to reporters
Weak investigation (blaming the person)	Use a structured method (for example five whys or ICAM) focused on system causes
Repeat events	Track actions to closure and share lessons

5. Site-specific parameters

Parameter	Value at Ridgeline Copper Mine
Report within	Immediately by radio; written report within 24 hours
Regulator notice	Fatality, serious injury or major release: immediate notice as required by law
Investigation team	Chaired by the Site Safety Manager with an operator, a supervisor and an engineer
Investigation targets	Preliminary report in 72 hours, full report in 14 days
Method	ICAM or five whys; focus on the failed controls and system causes
Action tracking	In the incident system with owner and due date; overdue actions reviewed in the weekly safety meeting
Targets	Zero lost-time injuries; every near miss reported and closed

6. Procedure

Report and respond

Make the scene safe, treat injured people and call emergency services if needed.
Report to the supervisor at once and record the basic facts.
Preserve the scene and evidence unless doing so adds risk.

Classify

Classify by actual and potential severity. Anything with high potential gets a full investigation.
Notify the regulator and authorities within the legal time limits.

Investigate

Collect evidence: photos, equipment data, statements, procedures and training records.
Build the timeline and identify the root causes, including the controls that failed.
Interview with respect and focus on what happened, not who is to blame.

Act and learn

Set corrective actions with owners and due dates, prioritising stronger controls.
Share lessons across the site and similar operations.
Review closed actions to confirm they work.

7. Stop-work triggers

Stop the job, make the area safe and call the supervisor if any of these happen:

An unsafe condition remains after an incident
A critical control has failed
The same incident repeats

8. Emergency response

Follow SOP-MIN-007 first for any emergency. Reporting and investigation start once people are safe.

9. Records

Incident reports and investigation reports
Action register with closure evidence
Regulator notifications

10. Related documents

Emergency response (SOP-MIN-007)
Equipment isolation (SOP-MIN-014)
Job hazard assessment (JHA) template
Incident reporting and investigation SOP (SOP-MIN-010)
Applicable regulations for your jurisdiction, for example MSHA 30 CFR Parts 56 and 57 in the United States

Controlled document. The current version lives in this library. Printed copies are uncontrolled: check the revision before you use one. Questions or improvements go to the document owner.

11. Revision history

Rev	Date	Author	Change
1.0	2026-10-06	Site HSE department	First issue, approved for use

Was this page helpful?

Previous SOP-MIN-009: Tailings and Water Management Inspections