Accident Investigations: Finding and eliminating root causes Accidents don’t just happen. Something causes them, and usually more than one thing. An investigation should identify those causes, but the cause of an accident is not the same as the cause of an injury. Injuries may be caused by over-exertion, falls, and being struck by objects. Factors that caused the accident, however, are more complex. For example, a wet floor may cause a fall, but determining why the floor was wet and why the hazard wasn’t addressed gets at the root causes. An accident or near-miss investigation should not stop upon finding an obvious cause; it should continue until all underlying factors are identified. If those root causes are not identified and addressed, they will continue to generate accidents. Effectively addressing the root causes should help prevent recurrence, which translates to fewer injuries.