So exactly what is a PEEPO, anyway?

If you’ve ever caught yourself wondering “So what’s a PEEPO?”, then it's time to either a) find a new hobby or b) unleash your inner investigator. If you’ve opted for the latter and are still reading, then let’s dive straight into it. A PEEPO is an essential part of the ICAM (Incident Cause Analysis Method) investigation process that can accelerate learning and drive business improvement.

So what is it and why is it such a valuable part of the process?

PEEPO is an initialism that stands for People, Environment, Equipment, Procedures, and Organisation. It’s a structured process to systematically organise information to uncover factors contributing to an incident. The PEEPO is a framework for determining data that an incident investigation team would like to collect to piece together the events leading up to an incident. The prompts are used to discover:

• People: Who was involved? What were their skills, knowledge, or actions?

• Environment: What were the working conditions at the time of the incident?

• Equipment: Was any machinery, tool, or technology malfunctioning or misused?

• Procedures: Were documented processes followed, missing, or unclear?

• Organisation: How did broader systems like culture, leadership, or communication contribute?

🤔Why is PEEPO used?

When incidents happen, a common mistake made is for an investigation to blame human error. This is often due to a superficial level of inquiry and is a significant missed opportunity for the business to take lessons from the event to become a stronger operation. The ICAM process, using a PEEPO and other tools is designed to look below the surface and into the root causes.

By exploring all five dimensions of PEEPO, information can be unearthed including:

• Gaps in training, supervision, or systems.

• Environmental factors that might not immediately seem relevant.

• Issues with equipment maintenance or usability.

• Weaknesses in procedures that fail to guide actions.

• Organisational challenges like misaligned priorities or communication silos.

🔍Why is it useful?

PEEPO provides a method for framing an investigation to uncover relevant data that otherwise may be missed. Strong data organisation is key to a successful investigation which can lead to practical and lasting corrective actions. It’s especially powerful because it:

• Reduces blame by focusing on systems, not individuals.

• Encourages collaboration by involving diverse perspectives.

• Drives proactive solutions that prevent recurrence, rather than reactive fixes.

In short, PEEPO helps the investigation team ask the right questions to uncover to the real cause behind an incident, leading to safer, more effective systems and stronger workplaces.

Talk with us today to learn about how ⚡Virtus Advisory⚡ can help you get started.