(93c) Industrial Incident & Evidence Submittal for Court Presentation

Whether an event was an accident or incident, the potential to have its ultimate conclusion in civil, state, or federal court is a realistic probability. All information and evidence gathered from the event scene is used to support the corporation investigator's testimony and to represent the corporation's position in legal proceedings. Thus, investigators are required to present their information and evidence in an acceptable manner for a court of law. This has the added benefit of a more complete risk analysis which will lead to a greater risk management. This paper will highlight the requirements of collection documentation and chain of custody procedures. Specific examples for court of law presentation of physical evidence, interviews, and photographs will be presented. Finally, the benefits of higher level of investigation that leads to enhancement of risk management will be presented.