The Lead Investigator: A Practical Course in Accident Investigation

About Course

Most incident investigation courses teach you a method. This one makes you run an investigation.

At 06:58 on Tuesday, 14 April, a fire broke out at the Bay 3 loading gantry of Delta Flow Terminal. You are the investigator. A head office delegation arrives at 10:45, the vacuum truck is due to start clearing the scene, the union has written, the legal adviser has concerns, and the Managing Director wants answers.

Across a start-here module, nine working modules and a capstone, you lead the Delta Flow investigation from the first thirty minutes on site to the final report. You secure the evidence, read the documents, interview the witnesses, rebuild the timeline, find the causes and write the actions and the report yourself. Every module ends with real Case Work. Check your decisions with an instant self-check, then compare your work with a model answer and score it against the self-marking guide. Your capstone is marked personally by your instructor.

Why this course is different

One real-world case from start to finish. A loading arm, an interlock, an overtime roster, a gate log, CCTV and witnesses who remember things differently. The evidence arrives in the order it would on a real site, so you make decisions before you have the full picture.
The 6-Step Investigation Path. A simple, repeatable method you can use on any incident, from a near miss to a major fire, with pocket cards to keep on site.
Interviews done properly. Learn how memory works, use the PEACE model, and watch two interviews with the same witness to see what difference the approach makes.
Two branching scenarios. Lead the first hour after an LPG release at Onne and run a difficult witness interview, then see what each decision costs or gains you.
Causes, not blame. Barrier analysis, three levels of cause, the Five Whys and the substitute test, so your findings point at the system and stand up to challenge.
Actions that work, and a report that survives a hostile reader. Write strong, SMART actions with restart criteria, an executive summary for leadership and a lessons-learned alert people will read.
Learn from real disasters. Optional case studies from the US Chemical Safety Board, including BP Texas City and the ITC terminal fire, show the same failures at full scale.

If you have ever been told to “investigate and report back by Friday”, this is the course that shows you how to do it well.

Your instructor: Ola Akanji

Senior HSE professional

Ola has more than 17 years of hands-on HSE experience across oil and gas, manufacturing and environmental operations. He has managed HSE at terminals, LPG plants, aviation depots, lubricant plants, jetties and hundreds of retail sites, and has led teams through ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 implementation and certification.

His specialist work covers incident investigation, HAZOP facilitation, risk management, process safety management, emergency response and regulatory compliance. He holds NEBOSH International General and Oil and Gas certificates, is a Project Management Professional (PMP), and is a Lead Auditor for ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001.

Ola has an M.Sc. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Ibadan. He has also completed executive programmes at Harvard Business School Online and the Wharton School, which shape how he teaches HSE as a leadership and business discipline, not only a compliance one.

He founded The HSE Exchange to give African HSE professionals training that is practical, local and tested against real incidents.

7-day refund promise

If the course is not right for you, request a refund within 7 days of purchase, provided you have completed 25% or less of the course and no certificate has been issued. Read the full refund policy.

Questions before you enrol

Is the course self-paced?

Yes. You start when you like and work at your own speed. Modules unlock in order, because each one builds on the evidence from the last.

How long does it take?

Allow about 25 hours in total, including the Case Work and the capstone. Most learners spread it over several weeks around work.

How is my work marked?

Each module has an instant self-check and a model answer with a self-marking guide, so you can score your own Case Work. The capstone is marked by your instructor, with a pass mark of 70 and a distinction at 85.

Will I get a certificate?

Yes. You receive a certificate of completion for The Lead Investigator, and anyone can verify it on the certificate verification page linked in the footer.

Can my company enrol a team?

Yes. Use the contact page to request team pricing, with your company name and the number of seats.

Lead an incident investigation from the first call to the final report using the 6-Step Investigation Path
Separate facts from opinion, and recognise and manage bias in yourself and others
Take control of the first hour: secure volatile evidence, make the right notifications and decide how deep to go
Build an investigation team, agree the rules of engagement and write an investigation plan that holds under pressure
Control a scene, photograph, sketch and measure it, and collect physical and digital evidence properly
Read documents critically, weigh and triangulate evidence, and keep an evidence register
Plan and run fair witness interviews using the PEACE model, including the difficult ones
Rebuild the event with a timeline, resolve conflicts and gaps, and use change analysis
Find immediate, underlying and root causes with barrier analysis, the Five Whys and the substitute test
Write strong, SMART corrective actions with interim controls, restart criteria and verification
Write a fair, defensible report and executive summary, brief leadership and share the learning

Course Content

Module 0: Start Here

Welcome, and the 6-Step Investigation Path

02:58
Pre-Test (Form A)
Meet Delta Flow Terminal, and how each module works

03:02
Case Release: The Delta Flow Terminal Incident
Your capstone, and your first task

01:25
Your Investigation Toolkit and Pocket Cards
Your first task: first impressions

Module 1: The Investigator’s Mindset

Module 1 Case Release: Your First Thirty Minutes on Site
Introduction: what an investigation is, and is not

03:59
Smoke and fire

03:52
Bias: the enemy in your own head

02:29
Just Culture, language and trust

03:46
Ethics under pressure, and knowing when to escalate

04:02
Your Case Work, and module summary

01:57
Module 1 Case Work
Module 1 Self-Check
Module 1 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide
In the wild (optional): Anatomy of a Disaster (BP Texas City)
Module 1 Knowledge Check

Module 2: The First Hour and Planning

Module 2 Case Release: The Situation Report and Your Plan
Module introduction: the first hour

03:10
Volatile evidence, and who must be told

04:14
How deep should you go?

02:50
Building the team, and the rules of engagement

03:31
The investigation plan, and handling pressure

03:54
Practice scenario: The First Hour at Onne
Your Case Work, and module summary

01:39
Module 2 Case Work
Module 2 Self-Check
Module 2 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide
In the wild (optional): Terminal Failure: Fire at ITC
Module 2 Knowledge Check

Module 3: At the Scene

Module 3 Case Release: On the Gantry
Module introduction, and your investigator’s kit

02:24
Entering the scene, and controlling it

03:38
Photographs, sketches and measurements

03:32
Seeing versus thinking, and collecting physical evidence

03:18
Digital evidence, and what the scene cannot tell you

03:06
Your Case Work, and module summary

01:50
Module 3 Case Work
Module 3 Self-Check
Module 3 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide
In the wild (optional): Ignored Warnings: Explosion in St. Louis
Module 3 Knowledge Check

Module 4: Gathering Evidence

Module 4 Case Release: The Documents
Module introduction, and the five evidence types

03:17
Reading documents, and when the blank is the evidence

02:57
Weighing evidence, and triangulation

03:01
The evidence register, and common mistakes

01:51
Your Case Work, and module summary

01:33
Module 4 Case Work
Module 4 Self-Check
Module 4 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide
In the wild (optional): Filling Blind (CAPECO)
Module 4 Knowledge Check

Module 5: Interviews

Module 5 Case Release: The Witnesses
Module introduction, and how memory works

02:23
Who first, and setting up the interview

03:25
Making it easy to talk, and the PEACE model

02:06
Asking good questions, and getting the full account

02:35
Difficult interviews, and after the interview

02:31
Watch it done: two interviews with the same witness

05:07
Practice scenario: The Interview with Abubakar Lawan
Your Case Work, and module summary

01:43
Module 5 Case Work
Module 5 Self-Check
Module 5 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide
In the wild (optional): Fatal Fog (Foundation Food Group)
Module 5 Knowledge Check

Module 6: Reconstructing the Event

Module 6 Case Release: The Full Picture
Module introduction: why the timeline matters

03:06
Building the timeline, conflicts and gaps

03:08
Watch it done: building the DFL timeline

03:24
Change analysis, and the chain of events

02:33
Common mistakes, your Case Work, and summary

02:19
Module 6 Case Work
Module 6 Self-Check
Module 6 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide
In the wild (optional): Fatal Exposure: Tragedy at DuPont
Module 6 Knowledge Check

Module 7: Finding the Causes

Module 7 Case Release: The Engineering Findings
Module introduction, and three levels of cause

02:12
Barriers, human failure and what shapes it

05:44
The Five Whys, real causes, and choosing your tools

04:20
Watch it done: the DFL analysis, start to finish

03:28
Your Case Work, and module summary

01:42
Module 7 Case Work
Module 7 Self-Check
Module 7 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide
In the wild (optional): Alarming Mistakes, Deadly Decisions (BP-Husky)
Module 7 Knowledge Check

Module 8: Fixing It

Module 8 Case Release: The Draft Action Plan
Module introduction: why most actions fail

01:57
Strong actions, made SMART

03:16
Interim actions, restart criteria, and looking wider

03:05
Closed is not effective; your Case Work, and summary

02:57
Module 8 Case Work
Module 8 Self-Check
Module 8 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide
In the wild (optional): Inherently Safer: The Future of Risk Reduction
Module 8 Knowledge Check

Module 9: Reporting and Learning

Module 9 Case Release: The Draft Report
Module introduction: writing for the hostile reader

02:57
Watch it done: fair, defensible language

03:44
The executive summary, and briefing leadership

01:58
Sharing the learning, and the warnings before the event

03:08
Closing the loop; your Case Work; course close

03:52
Module 9 Case Work
Module 9 Self-Check
Module 9 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide
In the wild (optional): Combustible Dust: Solutions Delayed
Module 9 Knowledge Check

Final Assessment and Capstone

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About Course

Most incident investigation courses teach you a method. This one makes you run an investigation.

Why this course is different

Your instructor: Ola Akanji

7-day refund promise

Questions before you enrol

What Will You Learn?

Course Content

Module 0: Start Here

Welcome, and the 6-Step Investigation Path

Pre-Test (Form A)

Meet Delta Flow Terminal, and how each module works

Case Release: The Delta Flow Terminal Incident

Your capstone, and your first task

Your Investigation Toolkit and Pocket Cards

Your first task: first impressions

Module 1: The Investigator’s Mindset

Module 1 Case Release: Your First Thirty Minutes on Site

Introduction: what an investigation is, and is not

Smoke and fire

Bias: the enemy in your own head

Just Culture, language and trust

Ethics under pressure, and knowing when to escalate

Your Case Work, and module summary

Module 1 Case Work

Module 1 Self-Check

Module 1 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide

In the wild (optional): Anatomy of a Disaster (BP Texas City)

Module 1 Knowledge Check

Module 2: The First Hour and Planning

Module 2 Case Release: The Situation Report and Your Plan

Module introduction: the first hour

Volatile evidence, and who must be told

How deep should you go?

Building the team, and the rules of engagement

The investigation plan, and handling pressure

Practice scenario: The First Hour at Onne

Your Case Work, and module summary

Module 2 Case Work

Module 2 Self-Check

Module 2 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide

In the wild (optional): Terminal Failure: Fire at ITC

Module 2 Knowledge Check

Module 3: At the Scene

Module 3 Case Release: On the Gantry

Module introduction, and your investigator’s kit

Entering the scene, and controlling it

Photographs, sketches and measurements

Seeing versus thinking, and collecting physical evidence

Digital evidence, and what the scene cannot tell you

Your Case Work, and module summary

Module 3 Case Work

Module 3 Self-Check

Module 3 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide

In the wild (optional): Ignored Warnings: Explosion in St. Louis

Module 3 Knowledge Check

Module 4: Gathering Evidence

Module 4 Case Release: The Documents

Module introduction, and the five evidence types

Reading documents, and when the blank is the evidence

Weighing evidence, and triangulation

The evidence register, and common mistakes

Your Case Work, and module summary

Module 4 Case Work

Module 4 Self-Check

Module 4 Model Answer and Self-Marking Guide

In the wild (optional): Filling Blind (CAPECO)

Module 4 Knowledge Check

Module 5: Interviews

Module 5 Case Release: The Witnesses

Module introduction, and how memory works

Who first, and setting up the interview

Making it easy to talk, and the PEACE model

Asking good questions, and getting the full account

Difficult interviews, and after the interview

Watch it done: two interviews with the same witness

Practice scenario: The Interview with Abubakar Lawan

Your Case Work, and module summary

Module 5 Case Work

Module 5 Self-Check