Not all incidents require a formal investigation — but when they do, Serenity provides tools to support a structured, thorough review process that ensures findings are well-documented and corrective actions are clearly assigned.
When is a Formal Investigation Necessary?
Serenity allows EHS users assigned to each incident to decide when a formal investigation is necessary. Typically, this is based on incident severity and type:
🚨 For High-Severity Incidents or Cases Involving:
Injury or illness
Chemical release
Property or vehicle damage
Or other critical impacts
A formal investigation is recommended to:
Perform root cause analysis (RCA)
Gather structured evidence and interviews
Identify systemic failures or gaps
Issue a formal investigation report
Document detailed findings and long-term corrective/preventive actions (CAPAs)
Launching a Formal Investigation
To launch a formal investigation:
Open the incident record
Click the “Launch formal investigation” button at the top right
A modal will appear where you can:
Provide a short description and details
Assign the investigation to a specific group or user
Click Create to generate a new investigation task
🔁 The investigation will be linked to the incident, but will exist as a separate task. This helps track progress independently and avoid cluttering the base incident record.
Why Is the Investigation a Separate Task?
This is a deliberate design choice to:
Allow dedicated tracking of investigation progress and ownership
Enable investigations to be assigned to specialists, regardless of who owns the base incident
Keep the original incident record clean and auditable
You’ll still be able to view and manage the investigation directly from the incident record — and findings or actions from the investigation will flow back into the incident record for reporting and auditability.
✅ Benefits of Using a Formal Investigation
Drives consistency and accountability
Supports root cause methodology (e.g., 5 Whys, fishbone, etc.)
Creates a permanent record of findings and responses
Improves data for future trend analysis and audits
Reinforces a culture of continuous improvement