Mr Dennis Jones, former MD, NTSB
Mr Dennis Jones, former Managing Director of the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), has urged safety investigation bodies to establish formal mental health protocols for investigators exposed to traumatic crash sites.
Speaking during the Multimodal Transportation Stakeholders’ Workshop organised by the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) in Abuja, Jones shared his first-hand experience of how emotionally taxing accident scenes can be for investigative personnel.
According to Jones, several first-time investigators at the NTSB abandoned their roles after a single deployment due to the psychological strain of encountering fatal crash scenes.
“I’ve seen many walk away after one assignment,” he said. “When they step onto the scene and witness the human cost, some never return.”
To mitigate this, the NTSB routinely deploys psychologists alongside investigation teams. These professionals assess team members, especially those new to the field, and provide immediate support when needed.
Jones explained that sometimes a few hours away from the site or a session with a mental health professional can help investigators process what they’re experiencing.
He described the psychological toll of working among fatalities and grieving families as intense, especially for those not mentally prepared for such realities. Without adequate support, these pressures could develop into long-term conditions like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“This has nothing to do with being tough,” he said. “If we ignore these human responses, we risk both the health of our investigators and the integrity of our investigations.”
He warned that emotionally affected investigators might miss key details or choose to exit the profession prematurely. Both outcomes, he argued, harm the broader goal of improving transport safety.
Jones called on the NSIB and peer agencies across Africa to embed trauma management into their operational systems as they scale up investigations in the air, rail, road, and marine sectors.
“You cannot expect sustainable results from people carrying invisible wounds. Support systems must be part of the structure,” he added.
The NSIB Multimodal Transportation Stakeholders’ Workshop, which focused on advancing safety standards through collaboration, drew participants from across the transport and public safety sectors. Jones’ intervention underscored the importance of not only technical competence but also emotional resilience in safety investigations.
