The transformational impact of RoSPA’s Accident Investigation training

Staff from Equans Sci-Tech took our Accident Investigation course, boosting safety culture and performance.

Accidents and incidents in the workplace can have serious consequences, affecting both individuals and organisations. Equans Sci-Tech is a specialist partner for mission-critical environments who define, design and deliver end-to-end, technology-agnostic facilities through a fully integrated approach. The company recently invested in RoSPA’s Accident Investigation course for two of its staff to strengthen the consistency and quality of its incident‑learning processes.

Why did you initially decide to take the Accident Investigation course?

Simon Millward, Health, Safety & Quality Director, said: “I chose the RoSPA Accident Investigation course as a standard training module for our operational leads to ensure that we have a consistent, professional and structured approach to incident learning across all parts of the business. As our work spans mission‑critical environments, it was important that our leaders have a recognised and reliable framework for understanding root causes, driving improvements and strengthening our overall safety culture.

“Our business operates in complex, high‑hazard environments, so we face a wide variety of health and safety challenges. These range from managing construction and engineering risks, to ensuring effective control of contractors, safe systems of work and strong design‑stage risk reduction. We also place a major focus on occupational health, mental wellbeing, human factors and ensuring our people have the right competence and behaviours to work safely. Because of the specialist nature of our operations, learning from incidents and near misses is essential, and we work hard to ensure strong reporting, robust investigations and meaningful corrective actions.”

What did you think of the course?

Tony Shaw, Deputy Project Director, said: “I found the course informative and practical. The most useful aspect was learning structured approaches to accident investigation, including identifying root causes rather than just immediate causes. I particularly enjoyed the real-world case studies, as they helped me understand how to apply the theory in practice.”  

Simon Millward said: “The course exceeded my expectations. It provided a structured, practical framework for incident investigation that is rooted in real-world application rather than theory alone. The most valuable aspect for me was the focus on identifying root causes, linking them back to organisational factors rather than simply stopping at the immediate actions. The case study exercises were particularly effective, as they encouraged critical thinking and allowed us to practise applying the methodology in realistic scenarios.

“I found the course engaging, well-paced and genuinely beneficial something that I could immediately translate back into operational practice.”

Would you recommend studying with RoSPA?

Simon Millward said: “Absolutely. RoSPA has a long-established reputation for high‑quality, trusted safety training, and the professionalism of the course delivery really stood out. Their trainers bring a wealth of experience and the course content is practical, relevant and aligned with industry best practice. For any organisation or safety professional looking to strengthen competence, build consistency or improve safety leadership capability, RoSPA’s training is an excellent investment.”

Tony Shaw said: “Yes, the course was well-structured and relevant to real workplace scenarios.”

What impact has taking the Accident Investigation course had?

Tony Shaw said: “Studying the course has had a positive impact on my work and professional development. It has helped my organisation reduce repeat incidents and improve overall safety performance.”

Simon Millward said: “The course has had a meaningful impact on both my personal practice and on Equans Sci Tech as an organisation. It has strengthened the way I support our investigations, bringing greater structure, clarity and consistency to the process. We have seen improvements in the quality of our root cause analysis, better identification of organisational learnings and more meaningful corrective actions that address systemic issues rather than symptoms. The training has also influenced our safety culture by encouraging open reporting, reflective learning, and a Just Culture approach.”

The experience of Equans Sci-Tech demonstrates the powerful impact that structured, evidence‑based investigation training can have on both individuals and organisations. RoSPA’s practical methodology - emphasising human factors, root cause analysis, and real‑world application - supports organisations in building clearer, more consistent and more effective incident‑learning processes.