of improving safety. Never try to obtain written statements or record the information verbatim. INDIVIDUALS  INTERVIEWED  DURING INVESTIGATIONS CONDUCTED PUR- SUANT TO OPNAVINST 5102.1C SHALL NOT  TESTIFY  UNDER  OATH  AND SHALL BE ADVISED THAT THEIR STATEMENTS  ARE  FOR  ONE  PUR- POSE  ONLY—THE  PREVENTION  OF FURTHER  MISHAPS.  INFORMATION OBTAINED DURING ANY INVESTIGA- TION PURSUANT TO OPNAVINST 5102.1C SHALL NOT BE USED AS THE BASIS FOR ANY ADMINISTRATIVE, REGULATORY,  DISCIPLINARY,  OR CRIMINAL PROCEEDING WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY. —Handbook for the Conduct of Forces Afloat Safety Investigations The following are some basic guidelines you should observe during your investigation: • • • • • Never delay medical treatment to interview a person. Let the witness tell you what happened. Interview witnesses separately. Ask only one question at a time. If a witness refers to “they,” determine exactly who “they” are. If nothing else, get a description and send an investigation team out to locate “they.” Sometimes you will find that reconstructing the mishap will help you get a clear picture of how the mishap occurred. Have those who take part in recreating the mishap proceed up to the point of the mishap. Beyond the point of the mishap, talk about the action taken and walk through the steps. Many times you will discover the cause of the mishap through the reconstruction. CAUSE FACTORS Your investigative procedures should have answered the what, when, and where questions. Next you must investigate the how and why. Review the evidence gathered in an analytical fashion to determine if you can answer how and why the mishap occurred. DON'T OVERLOOK THE OBVIOUS. Since most mishaps are caused by people, look to see if the personnel involved were affected by any of the following conditions: Physical condition: drunk, hangover, drug affected  (prescribed  or  unauthorized), tired, ill, or hungry Mental  attitude:  worried,  frightened, bored, depressed, distracted, day dream- ing,  confused,  or  complacent Attitude  toward  shipmates:  distrustful, overtrusting, or contemptuous State of training for the task: formally trained, trained on-the-job, team trained, overtrained, or insufficient mental ability for needed training Next, look to see if any of the following environmental conditions could have contributed Environment: hot, cold, humid, dusty, too bright, too dark, too noisy, smokey, windy, or cramped Equipment being operated: controls poorly located, instruments unreadable, design non-standard, operating procedure inade- quate, maintenance manual incomplete, or access difficult Clothing and outfits: adequate, burden- some, or clumsy TYPES OF MISHAP REPORTS Mishap Investigation and Reporting,  OP- NAVINST 5102.1C, prescribes the format to be used in reporting most mishaps. It defines the various categories of reportable circumstances, the format used for specific categories, and the entries required in each section of the report. The formats discussed in this instruction are designed to assist the investigator in determining all the factors previously mentioned, with particular emphasis on the question why. A brief description of these reports and their uses follows: 1.  Personnel  Injury/Death/Occupational Illness Report, OPNAV 5102-1—Used to report mishap injury, death, or occupational illness of all military personnel attached to Navy units or 8-3 to the mishap: