Using PEEPO for Data Collection

This blog concerns data collection during an incident investigation and the structured tools used for this purpose in Incident Cause Analysis Method (ICAM) investigations.

Data Collection

This article concerns the structured data collection phase utilised during an incident investigation following the on-scene inspection.

The data collection phase of an investigation is where Investigators gather all relevant facts to fully understand the lead-up to the incident, the incident itself, and post- incident recovery. It is critical that all three phases of the incident sequence are understood in order to identify all of the contributing factors.

A Structured Approach

Without a structured approach to data collection, Investigators can easily focus on one area of concern without considering other possible factors that may have contributed. Part of the Incident Cause Analysis Method (ICAM) process is having a structured approach to data collection where all areas are considered.

To aid Investigators and provide a disciplined, structured approach to data collection, the ICAM process advocates collecting data under five key areas, referred to as PEEPO, which refers to:

• People - who can provide more information about the incident, the process, the equipment, the lead-up to the incident, etc. List roles / people who will be spoken to or interviewed.

• Environment - what environmental impact was present at the time (both external, such as weather) as well as internal (stress, time pressures, etc.)

• Equipment - what equipment, tools, and plant were involved / of interest in relation to the incident?

• Procedures – what relevant procedures, documentation/paperwork are relevant to understand the operator / plant / process, etc.

• Organisation - policies and processes in relation to underlying organisational issues.

The goal of PEEPO Mark #1 is to coordinate data collection very quickly rather than stand around at the incident scene discussing what the investigation team is “going to” collect and then find two hours later that no actual data or evidence has been collected.

It is important to note that the PEEPO process has two distinct uses, which are used at different stages of the investigation process (referred to by ICAM Australia as PEEPO Mark #1 and PEEPO Mark #2). This particular issue has been found to be misunderstood by many organisations using the ICAM process, where there is apparent confusion about how and when to use the PEEPO process.

• PEEPO Mark #1 is used at the very beginning of the investigation to provide a structured plan of attack of what the Investigators are going to collect.
• PEEPO Mark #2 is used as a categorisation tool as data is collected and reviewed. It displays the collected data, which is sorted into contributing and non-contributing factors.

The benefit of using PEEPO for data collection is that it disciplines the Investigator to consider data across all five areas, mitigating assumptions, bias, and early conclusions.

Guidance checklists and check questions for these five areas are provided in our ICAM Training to assist in completing PEEPO Mark #1 efficiently and effectively.

Common Challenges

Some of the common challenges we often find our clients have in relation to data collection include:

• Failing to clarify the scope / Terms of Reference for the investigation resulting in going too far or not far enough with data collection.
• Not examining all available data sources.
• Making assumptions based on prior knowledge of the operator/equipment or previous incidents.
• Relying on anecdotal evidence.
• Focusing on the incident itself, without realising the value of collecting pre-incident and post-incident information to better understand the incident sequence.
• Not validating information with hard data wherever possible.
• Misunderstanding that PEEPO is used at the start of the investigation as a brain-storming tool (not at the end to simply classify data collected).
  

Best Practice Tips

• Clarify/review the scope or Terms of Reference (ToR) to ensure that the appropriate level of detail is gathered dependent on the level of the incident.
• Do not guess what data to collect and guard against assumptions, bias, and prior knowledge.
• Ensure that PEEPO Mark #1 is used for data planning and PEEPO Mark #2 is used to categorise findings / information.
• Collect evidence and data in relation to three distinct phases, including the lead-up, incident, and post-incident recovery.
• Be aware of limitations in relation to witness testimony.
• Ensure that, as far as possible, all information collected is validated against hard data sources.