statement/interview after an accident 5

[JOM]

Here's a hypothetical.

Let's say you find yourself implicated in a serious incident (accident). You're the person who has made the "unsafe act" that may have directly lead to the accident. You may not be the only party involved, but you are the one that stands out. The consequences of the accident are severe and the authorities are investigating as well as the employer.

Now, the question is - would you voluntarily make a statement to the investigators? Would you submit to interview? I'm not asking what you would advise an employee to do, but rather what you would do if you were in the hot seat yourself. I'm more interested in pragmatism, not so much in idealism.

Even though this is hypothetical, it is of course a situation many employees find themselves in. Cheers,
John.

 

[JOM]

NauticalMike,

"Responsibility transfer unjustly to another? In the situation that you described I was given the impression that you played a central role and your involvement in the situation would inevitably be known by the investigators."

Yes, that's the scenario I was thinking of - have we drifted from that? I'm talking about human error, rather than malicious or grossly negligent acts. Of course, there's a whole range of scenarios in the real world.

I agree with curvbridger that our efforts at justice is an approximation to the ideal. I feel there is no need to give other parties "ammunition" to use against you. And there will be parties who will have an interest in you taking all the blame. They're not interested in "justice".
Cheers,
John.

 

[heyram]

Dear JOM

IF I were in such a situation, the first thing i uwd have done was to sit down calmly for five minutes, take a deep breath and say to myself - son, things that happended is happened - no point in brooding over what have happened.- Fialures are necessary path to success. No man is failure proof or no machine is.
I wud just make out a statement of what I had done and what was the rationale for doing it. Ofcourse any thing I had ommitted has, but not ignored, and that had weighed the scale towards the mishap, will also be a part of my statement. I shall also express my regrets for such an ommission, but not repent for it. Afterall I am not a man from the moon. Tune into nice music and go in for a vacation. If the boss is convinced of my genuity, let him retain me. Else I will have a new job, perhaps more intresting and challenging than the present. The rest will be history.
But I wish and pray that such a situtaion never happens in any of my fellow engineers carrer.

Ramesh.A

 

[dik]

Heyram:
I agree with your comments about sitting back for a few minutes to relax. I would caution you strongly about making any sort of statement prior to talking to a lawyer... Contrition is not necessarily good for the soul...

 

[JOM]

Hello Heyram,

Might I say your response is most "Eastern"? I mean that most politely.

I had not been thinking about how different countries and cultures approach this issue. In my country - Australia - finding someone to blame seems to be almost mandatory. That is why I think it unwise to submit to interview without legal advice.

I think it is a difficult problem without a clear answer, but I like your suggestions - nice music and go for a vacation. That cannot hurt.

Cheers,
John.

Cheers,
John.

 

[heyram]

helo John and Dik
Nice to see ur replies.
I am from India, where the legal framework is so tedious and frustrating as would be the decision of the management to chuk out the person on fault. Its like choosing between the devil and deep sea.
Any how, I wish you and all my fellow engineers a good and happy times now and ever.
Bye for now

Ramesh.A