Page 15 - Index

properly, even long after they have left the How to Take Care of Accident Investi-
scene. However, investigators must first gators’ Well-Being
arrive at the scene of the crash and, if the The UK Air Accident Investigation Branch
situation requires, assist in the removal of (AAIB) may have to take a systematic ap-
bodies and the collection of the victims’ proach to improve accident investigators’
personal belongings, which are not part psychophysical resilience and mental health.
of an investigator’s job, but sometimes I would like to propose the following three
cannot be avoided due to lack of staff. In a stages of action to take care of accident in-
mass casualty situation, investigators are vestigators’ mental health and well-being:
more likely to experience feelings of sad-
ness and stress, influencing their mental 1. Implementation of Stress Management
health (Collins and Long, 2003). Training in the Fundamental Accident Inves-
Hazards at the accident site include tigator Training Course: Accident investiga- Ao Sun
“toxic and hazardous cargo, combustible tors have to work under tremendous stress
and toxic materials, sharp objects, etc.” and and hazardous conditions that significantly
even blood-borne diseases such as HIV and impact mental health. The AAIB should
hepatitis B (National Geographic, 2010). incorporate stress management training
The uncertainty of these hazards at the into the initial accident investigation train-
crash site can also lead to a psychological ing course. Clinical science demonstrates
crisis for investigators. that psychophysical resilience training can
Accident investigators must provide improve the functioning of the autonomic
feedback and communicate with the nervous system and increase physiological
families of the victims. When faced with and behavioral performance (H. Field L. et
families of victims who are desperate for al., 2018). Resilience refers to individuals’
a proper explanation and an investigator ability to resist or recover from suffering
cannot answer, this can create a sense of negative experiences such as anxiety, stress,
empathy. Communication with the families and fatigue (Rutter, 2007).
of victims can also induce emotional re- Psychophysical resilience has been proven
sponses to accident investigators. This can to be associated with some inherent traits of
lead to more stress and a sense of help- professional individuals. There are signif-
lessness building up within investigators. icant correlations between resilience and
Furthermore, during communication with these personality traits: resilience is pos-
the families of victims, it is highly likely itively correlated with conscientiousness,
that investigators will develop feelings of agreeableness, openness to experience and
distress because of perceiving the plight extraversion, and negatively correlated with
or grief of others, and these complex neuroticism (Fayombo, 2010). Furthermore,
emotions can increase the risk of PTSD in resilience is associated with social intelli-
investigators (Olff, 2017). gence and coping styles related to task and
October-December 2021 ISASI Forum • 15