RIVM Report 110010001: The development of Storybuilder - Background and justification
[Source: RIVM, https://www.rivm.nl/publicaties/ontwikkeling-van-storybuilder-achtergrond-en-verantwoording ]
Summary
Storybuilder is a tool for analysing the root causes of serious accidents at work. This analysis can help companies to take measures to prevent such accidents. This is important because in the Netherlands between 80 and 90 people are still killed at work every year, which is almost two deaths per week. The tool was developed by the RIVM and is available online at rivm.nl. It is a database with information about serious occupational accidents that is linked to a specially developed computer program. This report describes how the Storybuilder database was created. This report describes how the Storybuilder database came into being, includes important discussion points and concepts and explains the choices made.
The Storybuilder database was created using information from the Inspectorate SZW (formerly the Labour Inspectorate) on 23,000 serious incidents it has investigated since 1998. Based on this information a distinction is made between 36 types of accidents. The type of accident that occurs most frequently is people falling from a height (from a ladder, roof, scaffold, etc.), because there is no edge protection or fall protection present and/or they make a thoughtless movement. The second most common type of accident is becoming trapped between moving parts of machinery because of inadequate guarding.
Each accident is represented in the computer programme by a graphical storyline, which gives a step-by-step insight into the occurrence and course of a particular type of accident and its consequences. What was the victim doing when the accident occurred? What resources, such as machinery or scaffolding, were involved? What was the direct cause of the accident (where did it go wrong) and what were the underlying causes (how and why did it go wrong).
Serious accidents at work have to be reported to the Inspectorate SZW, after which the causes of the accident are investigated and whether it is a result of a violation of the law. With Storybuilder, the Inspectorate's information is made accessible so lessons can be learned. Storybuilder is unique because of its detailed information and description of accidents from a wide range of sectors.
