Circumstances investigations > What is a Circumstances Investigation? Why is it arranged?

The claims manager will generally request the investigation be carried out.

A circumstances investigation taken directly for the employer may be seen as lacking independence.
If the employer is paying for the service, some may consider the report as potentially favouring the employer.

On occasion it is important to have a work injury or illness thoroughly assessed. This is generally carried out by a trained independent specialist investigator visiting the workplace and interviewing the employee, co-workers and managers.

The process is sometimes called a Factual Investigation, sometimes a "Circs Report".

Why are Circumstances Investigations arranged?

Circumstances Investigations are undertaken:

1.	To help with the assessment of liability

▪	Particularly when there is disagreement about

▪	How the problem developed, e.g. whether a particular incident occurred

▪	The activities of the job other the work performed by the employee

2.	To assess whether there has been negligence, which is a factor if a common law claim is lodged at a later stage.

3.	To assess whether other factors such as previous employment or previous injuries, may have contributed to the problem. This may be important if a common law claim is lodged at a later point.

4.	To investigate other aspects of the claim.

What's next?
The Process