Investigating skills in modern life

Organisational abuse
It’s National Safeguarding Adults week, and one of the key themes this year is organisational abuse. It comes in many forms but is commonly exemplified through misuse of medication, restricting patient access to toilet facilities, or poor professional practice.
In the UK, the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch conducts regular, impartial analysis into organisational operations and incidents – to suggest broad improvements that could be implemented. In doing so, they hope to reduce accidents like these.
Human resources
HR professionals are responsible for ensuring that a workspace is safe, inclusive and achieves high employee performance and engagement. And, much like a police officer, when these policies are breached or violated, it is up to them to investigate the nature of the case and communicate this with senior management to decide the necessary penalty. Externally, for example, a thorough interview process ensures the right person is hired for the job. Internally, reliable investigative ability helps reduce workplace conflict by resolving issues like complaints and grievances in a timely manner.
Other professions and uses
Investigation skills are crucial in a variety of other roles. Health and Safety Officers conduct risk assessments and investigate accidents at work. Environmental Health Officers (EHO) perform regular inspections of restaurants’ hygiene levels. And Trading Standard Officers research and inspect whether trading businesses are following consumer laws and regulations.
Investigation skills are also regularly employed by teachers, who have to resolve incidents between children and determine the appropriate course of action
Common mistakes
Being a good investigator often requires you to evade very human instincts. As most investigators are in fact human beings, excluding the formidable Danger Mouse, of course, that can be a difficult practice, making us susceptible to mistakes.
Some critical errors include:

•