Accidents and disasters Chapter 3: Accidents and disasters Introduction "Atveavy earthquake, a colsion between two high-speed trains and a confagration in ‘a paper factory; these are all examples of acidents and emergency situations. Inall ‘eases the emergency services wll have tobe called to lok after the wounded and to prevent worse. The alice, ambulance service and fe brigade tur out but as ar employee or lian you can aso make a contribution, even if fs ony to call the alarm number Inthis chapter we wil fst of ll discuss what an accident is. We wil tiscuss terms suchas incident, accident, near-accdent and occupational accident, We wil also look at what you can focus on to prevent acidnts. ‘Wie wil hereby discuss preventive measure, the accident pyramia and the consequences thereof for poies. ‘You wil learn what you have to do when an accident or near-acident occurs, how ‘you can ensure that an accident wil not reoccur and how to cary out an accident Investigation. “Then we wil look at what an emergency station i. In this section we wil iscuss the company emergency plan and the components thereof: what the phases areof tacking a disaster, what the avalabe resoures are and what the tasks ofthe company ( ‘emergency response team are. Finally we will discuss what you should do when a dsaster cout. {Inthisfital assignment you will vestigate what the causes and ‘eoncequences were ofan acident which happened in your surroundhgs. ‘2. Name an acident which happened at your workplace. Indicate whether any people were injured and whether there was any damage to materia,‘Accidents and disasters b, What was the cause ofthe accident? 3.4 Incidents However much people try to work safely an accident canbe caused by something ‘small. When something unintended happers, we cal this an incident. mma) ‘ina mt net er ro ‘Sometimes an incident has no consequences. Think {or example ofa box wath tins af gue fang from a ack. “The bax is dented, but otherwise nothing has happened. Tt coul be thatthe box falls on someone's foot and ‘causes bruises. In that case its an incident resulting in ght injury. Perhaps one ofthe tins of glue racks open and has to be thrown away In that case tis an indent resting in some damage. Inthis paragraph we wil further discuss the various types of incidents: accident, occupational accidents and near- Each year more than 60,000 occupational accidents happen inthe Netherlands, of \hich approximately 16,000 are in the building sector. What exactly i an accident ‘An accdent isan event which you do not want to take place. An accent Is caused by an unsafe situation or action. An accident also resus in damage o injury. ‘We will ve two examples.Aocidents and disasters Bxample t “There i a busy crossroad in the city. On various sides vision is imted by a high wall around a garden and high shrubs. & car diver does not see 2 moped rider and esis vith him. The moped ends up on the verge and is damaged, the cari dented ard scratched; the moped rier is untur. This san accident resulting in damage (tothe ‘moped and the ca) and without injury The petrol tank ofthe moped is damaged ‘and the petrol is leaking out of it onto the verge, 50 there is also some damage to the environment. The car diver wil be late Fr work and wil produce less on that day; ‘this is damage due to loss of time, Bxample 2 |Wen, for instance, some scaffolding collapses ‘there wll be damage to the material ofthe scaffolding and, for example, damage to os parked in the neighbourhood. If there were any ‘people working on that scaffolding they mht have a broken arm or leg (injury) oF worse (death ‘of employees). But there i further damage: the scaffolding has tobe rebuilt, which wil cos time. “The damage therefore also consists of os of time. And when the scafoiing material lands on the plants in the neighbourhood there is also damage tothe environment. Feozonae ‘An accident can therefore cause injury and damage. This damage can consist of damage to materia, damage to the environment and damage through loss of tine, ee res "nthe fst example the accident happened on the street. In the second accident the acedent happened at work and resulted in injury We call this an industrial accicent ‘or an occupational acident. If there wa only damage to the scaffolding inthe second ‘example and there were n injured people, we would cal this an accident and rot an ‘occupational acident! Only when there isan injury in a work stuation do we cal an ‘ccupational accident, ‘An occupational accident san undesired event during work resulting in an injury.‘ocident’s and disasters 3.1.2_Near-accident: Earler you have seen that unsafe situations (inited vision at a busy crssroad and ‘unstable scaffolding) can lead to accidents, Have a look atthe folowing example. Example 3 (On the edge of a fat roo, on which people are working, no screening has been paced, ‘Suddenly one of the roofers sips and falls one floor down int the garden. Lucky he Is ‘uninjured. There is no damage oF injury Isthis an acident? to, but "something" happened. The roofer has had a fight, but ‘5 unhurt Thisis an example ofa category of events which often does not receivethe —( attention t deserves, namely near-acldents ‘A near-acciden isan event in which the same undested events occur as inthe case of ‘an aocident, but which (accdentaly) have no or hardy any consequences. The kid of situation in which you say: "Phew, that was cose”, ‘Anear-accident isan undesired event without damage oF injury, which could have lead to damage anor injury under somewhat aferent ‘reumstances, Example 4 {na workplace people are erecting scaffelding. When the top has neary been reached, ‘one of the scaffoldes loses his balance, He s jst able to grab something, but the ( scaffolding pe he grabs fs down, 1 this pipe hits colleague ts ofcourse an cccupational accident. But suppose the pe does nt hit anything and simply fls to the ground. In most cases everyone © scared fora while, breathes deeply and carries on with work. Such a situation is 3 near accident 92.2 Preventing accidents (Our aim fs to prevent accidents and therefore Injury and damage. We call this Drevention From the aforementioned it appears that tis best to focus on preventing Unsafe situations and actions, because these ae the direct causes of accidents,Accidents and disasters lease look again atthe examples 1 to 4 ofthe previous paragraph. State for each (near-)acident what caused it ‘Was it an unsafe action or an unsafe station? ee ‘An unsafe stuation can lead to an accident. 1 can also be the case that no acident ‘takes place, but that your health is damaged by the station, fr example wien you ‘ate working in an environent witha lot of noise without ear protection. ‘Sometimes you wil be unable to prevent dangerous situations yours. For example, ‘when the electric cable ofa machine is damaged or when there is no protect cover ( ‘ona machine. In that case you should nat only ensure that someone repairs thi, but ‘alo that this machine isnot used until this is done. Unsafe situations can occur without the direct Involvement of people. For example, when as a result of heavy rainfall a leakage occurs neat some electrical equipment, after which it short-circuts. Fa 25 Srey mn nse ttn Most unsafe situations are caused by unsafe actions of people. The obstace onthe walkway has been placed there by someone and the person opening up the floor should also ensure itis screened. In these cases the action causes an unsafe situation. ( ‘And this stuaton can in turn lead to an accident.Accidents and disasters Hwee, unsafe actions can also directly lead to an accident Fr example, when someone wants to sata small plece of wood ona saw bench without using a pusher bloc, he runs the rik of saving of his fingers. In this paragraph various matters are discussed which pay a role in prevention. “These are preventive measures, the accident pyramid, the cause-ael-eflect series “andthe consequences thereof forthe policy. Preventive measures "Most important for accident prevention is and remain removing the direct causes. ( Inther words: preventing unsafe stuatons and actions by taking preventive ‘measures. Iis hereby important that you are aware beforehand, of what the sk ae, “The risks can be caused by: > the human being, > thetechnology the surcundings, the organisation. The human being “The great majority of accidents (approximately 80%) Is caused by human actions Unsafe actions canbe prevented in tee way. 4. Ensuring that employees have sufcient knowledge to safely carry out the work. 2. Ensuring that employees have suficint skis to safely carry out the work, 3. Ensuring that employees behave in a safe manner, ( Employees gain knowledge and sills asa result of sufficient professional raining and ‘experience. You cn ensure that people behave Ina safe manner by teaching them a safe working method. Safe behaviour is characersed by order and tains, sufficent attention for the work being carried out and applying the regulations, The technology any risks can be predicted, It's therefore possible to consider these when designing ‘machines and installations. This means that many Cecil pruvsons can be erected hich can contribute to safety. The employer can reduce risks by: choosing machines wit a safety marking, »» choosing machines with a proper ergonomic design, > propery maintaining tools and machines,‘Accidents and disasters ‘The surroundings ‘Many accidents can also be prevented by ensuring proper protection ofthe employee ‘against danges in the surroundings, This can involve work equipment suitable fr the “Surroundings, for example stable for extreme weather, and a safe layout of the ‘workplace. The organisation Proper organisation ofthe work can also substantially contribute tothe safety ofthe ‘employees. This means, for example, that people can work in accordance with ste ‘working methods and tha supervisors provide proper supervision. 3.2.2 _Accident pyramid “The accident pyramid is adlagram showing the statistic connection between the ‘umber of dangerous situations or actions and the number of acidents. This can ‘also be shown n the shape ofan Iceberg. The accent pyramid is therefore soretmes called the iceberg theory. |p aaa fe ese aE In pratice, there soften a good overview of serious accdents. The number of unsafe situations or actions and near-accidens is diffcu to trace as they are often not reported and registered. Just as wth an iceberg, ony the top, the numberof serious lccidents, svsble, Much les attention soften paid to unsafe situations and ations; they remain hidden under the water. You will have to reduce these drastically inorder ‘to reduce the chance af a fatal accident In his way you wl also reduce the chance of erious) accidents, 3.2.3. Cause-and-effect series “To determine the causes of accidents, you can use the cause-and-effect series. “Ths theary states that Its possible to distinguish five phases when an accider occurs‘Aocident’s ana disasters ‘With the help of an example we wll explain what the various phases ofthis theory Consist of and what the conclusions are, wich can be drawn from this theory. For two months, Peter has been working as an operator in a chemical factory. During his frst nights he does not respond in time to an Increasing pressure In the instalation, because itis unclear to him how crcl this pressure is. This ‘causes a serious leakage which halts the production for a whole day. Brckoround “The background consist of external factors and crcumstances within the company External factors are for example, private circumstances, traning, previous postion and experience, External factors are often dificult to change, but its good to take them into account Creumstances within the company can be the work atmosphere, team spt, relationship with the immediate supervisor order and tidiness atthe workplace ‘and ergonomic aspects. Even tie pressure canbe of luence onthe qualty (of someone's work. ‘Another important factor within the company les with management. lck of contol from management can lead to unsafe situations, It means that management has an Insufient safety policy to prevent accidents, provides insufficienty dear guidelines and chects insufficiently whether uideines are observed, In the example, the extemal factors Pte lack of experience. In this case, circumstances within the company an consist of insufficient (safety) instructions. Ho instructions to intervene immediately when the pressure increases, bt also no guideline forthe required experience of operator, Human fate ‘The background leads to human falure. We can dtinguish personal factors and task factors Personal factors and tsk factors tagether form the basic causes, Inthe case of personal factors employees are unable to property catty out their ask.‘Accidents and disasters Below you see some examples of personal factors. > Employees have insifcent knowledge, experience or expertise with regard to the correct execution ofthe work, by The stress resistance of employees i insucint There fs, or example, insufficient time to get the work done in time. The dangers that the empleyee no longer observes the regulations because this wll cost too much time and te work ‘an be dane easier ina diferent way. >The motivation to carry out the work careful is insuficent. > Employees do not pay sufficient attention tothe work. 3 \What can you do forthe motivation of your employees asa manager? Inthe ease of task factors employees donot have the comet resources to properly cary out thelr task. Examples of task Factors are: »nsuffident management and supervision regarding ‘the observance ofthe guidelines, unsuitable design or unsuitable material > poorly maintained machines, > earecttoals not being present, unsafe working method, > insufficient tne to safely cary out the work. {In our example the cause isa personal factor: Brose Peter has insufficient experince. eaeAecidents and disasters Unsafe situations and/or actions Human failure often causes unsafe actions and unsafe situations. We alsa cal this*sub- standard actions" and "sub-standard conltons". The example shows an unsafe skuaion (the pressure is to high) a5 a result of an unsafe action (Peter responds too late). The accident ‘An accident i always caused by unsafe actions, an unsafe situation ora combination ‘ofthe two. The accident in the example i the leakage, caused by the pressure being te high, Damage and/or njury “The last step inthe theory isthe effect ofan accident: damage andor injury. In each ‘accident the seriousness ofthe injury can vary substantially. Damage to material, ‘machines and he envionment can aso occu, Damage and injury are the resus you want to prevent by working in a safe manner. Inthe example there Is only ‘material damage: a leak inthe installation and production loss for a day. 3.24 Policy and action points “The conclusion which can be crawn ffom the accident pyramid and from the cause-ond- effect series i that tis best to tackle unsafe tuations and unsafe actions inorder to reduce the chance ofan accident, Because: unsafe situations and actions occur at the workoace, actions and situations ae vse, they ae the most direct causes of accidents, ( “The cause-and-effect series aso shows that causes can have thei origin at vious levels thin the company; varying from a lack of contr from management to the insuffclent "motivation ofthe operational employee. The policy in companies should therefore 32 ‘almed at tackling all unsafe actions and situations and at al evels within the company. "Management is responsible for the policy and should therefore carryout the folowing action points, Establishing a long-term plan to improve the working aia. »» Working out the working conditions policy in procedures and regulations, » Arranging the correct organisation ofthe working cations pac, for exam, by drawing up an annual report on the implemented policy » Appointing direty responsible persons. » Delegatng tasks to departments and employees in the company, Arranging an effective meeting structure and suficent training and instruction regarding the working conditions.Accidents and disasters “The policy also results inaction pont Fr supervisors: >> Supervising comptance vith the regulations. > Canrying out reguiar inspections and checking that solved situations are stil sae, Solving signalled problems and dangerous situations or reporting these to ‘management and systematically reporting on accidents, Providing training and instruction onthe heath sks at work. Making plans to approach unsafe situations. > iscussing problems and complaints during departmental andor work meetings. ‘Operational emplayees should ensure that they have sufclent knowledge and skis to ‘carry out thelr work in a safe and healthy manner. 3.3. Dealing with accidents You should be able to report an accident without having to think about it. Tis Important that everyone knows the applicable procedures. Especial inthe case ‘of accidents ith serious injures, fast action can prevent a lot of problems and possibly save aif. {In this paragraph we wil therefore discuss what you have to do when an accidert ‘curs. We wil aso look at how you can prevent an accident recccurring and the role of accent investigations. 3.3.1_ What do you do when an accident occurs? “The first thing you have todo when an accident occurs isto warn the company emergency response team. The company emergency response team can and ‘sometimes should consist of more than one person, but in smaller companies ‘atten one single person sin charge of the emergency response. “The company emergency response person reports the accident tothe direct sypersor ‘and accompanies the victim to medical ‘assistance, Never let a victim goto the doctor ‘alone. Even accidents without (serous) injury ‘shouldbe reported tothe direc supervisor Fp peng an cee‘Accidents and disasters {In many large companies there sa special (alarm) number to report accidents. Everyone should know this number. Always report whether the danger til present, ‘Also ensure that a leas the following detals are passed on: “The locaton of the accldent. “The numberof victims. What their injuries ae or what their condition Is Where the ambulance should goto. ‘Your name and department. (Ona large scale business site ensure that there are people waiting forthe ambulance. They can, when needed, give directions and Information tothe Inthe case ofan accident with serious injury you should always remember the following: Ensure you do not become a victim yourself when undertaking a rescue attengt. ‘When necessary, use personal protective equipment. >» Leave medical assistance tothe people trained for such (First Alders, company emergency response team) Only in the case of an emergency can someone, ‘who is not trained to do so, provide medical assistance, » Do not change the workplace any more than necessary. This is important wth regard to a possible investigation into the cause ofthe accident by organisations ‘such as te police, Labour Inspectorate, the Lloyds Reoster Nederland or an Internal investigation committe. »» Ensure other people do not become victims as well and immediately take precautions to prevent reoccurrence of the accident.Accidents and disasters “Together with a colleague you are laying the bricks of the outer wall ef a new apartment building, It's a warm day and your colleague has not put on his helmet ater lnch, From scaffolding above a bucket with coment falls down, Lucly your colleague is able to jump aside justin time. [sthis an accident, nearaceident or incident? What should you do asa colleague? 3.3.2_ How do you prevent a reoccutrence of an accident? “Te prevent accidents reoccuring its important that you act immediately and, for instance, screen the dangerous station. Even for an accident without any serious injury you should ensure that cannot happen again, for example by marking the ree or by stopping the dangerous action. You should then report this. ‘All accidents, vat or without serious consequences, shoud be reported tothe ‘management ofthe organisation. This aso applies to unsafe stuaton, unsafe actions and nearaccidents, The reason fr thst that management can then prevent the reoccurence ofthe incident To make up a report you can, fr instance, tse a standard frm, This registration form soften completed by the supervisor or ( ‘an employee working atthe safety department, Accident registration is necessary for various reasons, Inthe case ofan accent ii Important to know what went wrong, You should carefuly identify the factors that caused the accent, This is dane in an acident investigation, Oni then wil tbe clear what should be done to prevent sinlar ‘accidents inthe future. »» Tes a legal obligation to report and raiser accidents. > Serious aerdents should aso be reported to the Labour Inspectorate. In the ‘ase of a saious accident the Labour Inspectorate wil carry out an investigabon. The acident registration form offers posses to record details important {or the policy of the company. By registering accidents you cannot only relew Individual accidents but also raw up acident rates and statistics. Based on this the company val draw up an action plan n whichis recorded \nblch measures will be taken to make the work stuation safe. The action olan ( ‘aso states who willbe responsible fr this.Aecidents and disasters 3.3.3 _ Accident investigation ‘An accident investigation consists ofthe fllowing. Investigation atthe site ofthe accident Make sketches, drawings or photographs of the stuation. Review in how fr crcumstances, ‘such as the weathey, fire and other posible ‘minor points, have lad tothe accident. Collect any documents present. Carryout this investigation as soon as possible ater the accident has ocurred, Fi 3 neste east arson poe Storing evidence and related matters “Toke samples atthe site ofthe accident and store these in a safe location. Record how and wiere the evidence was gathered. Interviewing witnesses and employees involved inthe accident Determine who shouldbe interviewed. Interview a leas al vctins and witnesses, Reco al witnes statements in writing, See whether vitnessas contradict each che. Provide the witnesses wth feedback. Keep an eye on the purpose othe investigation: ‘tw find the causes, not a guity party. “Analysing the investoaton results ‘Analyse the witness statements and anyother evidence. Try to find inks between the rect and indirect causes ofthe accident. Drawing up 2 tna report ‘raw up a final report witha factual description ofthe accident, ll deals collected, your analysis of the data and the conclusions and recommendations inorder to prevent a subsequent accident. 3.4 Emergency situation st suppose that an explosion takes place at your company. Two caleagues on ste are kil instantaneous). Ten other coleagues are injured. This wl be called a disaster or emergency situation.Aocidents and disasters ‘An emergency station i situation in which the circumstances fori a direct threat forthe health and safety of people. ‘other names for an emergency situation are incident and calamity. {In an emergency situation an exstng danger has become a risk. For example, atank containing a dangerous gas isa continuously present danger. The moment it stats to leak it wl form a rik to the heath of people working nearby. The vapour cue! then leads to an emergency situation. Examples of emergency situations are: fie or explosion, » flammable or poisonous vapour dowd, > Imminent éanger, fr example aterorist attack, > serous industrial accident. Emergency suations can be caused by fre, accidents, (leaking) fads, explosions, the uncontrolled escape of a gas, radiation or ‘ bomb thret. An emergency skuation can ‘also occur as result of heavy weates 2 natural disaster, social unrest or the threat ‘of a terrors attack Fo. weer 3.5 Tackling an emergency situation Everyone should know what todo in an emergency station and how the effeds and ‘consequences of an emergency situation can be bes tackled. Every company should therefore have a company emergency pan. In this paragraph we wil discuss the purpose andthe content ofthe company emergency pan, whereby we vill pay =a fatention to the phases, resources and the company emergency response team,‘Accidents and aisesters 3.5.1_Objectives and components of the company emergency plan “The company emergency plan describes the measures a company should tke when an emergency sation occurs. also describes the provisions taken by a company with regard toa possible ‘emergency situation. The company emergency plan should take into account all possible incidents, the substances involved, the extent ofthe emergency, ete. The more ‘complete the company emergency pani, the better a company fs able to respond to {emergency situations and the smaller the consequences wil be, The purpose ofthe ‘company emergency plan therefore to minimise and tackle the effets of possibe emergency stuation. ‘A company emergency plan describes the measures and provisions “taken by a company to limit the consequences ofan emergency stuaton. “The company emergency plan describes how to actin an emergency situation. Thre are many matters you should consider ina short time, Fr example, how the company emergency response team should act, how the communication between all partes involved should be arranged and how medical care is organised. The mast important ‘components of the company emergency plan are: the emergency situations to which the emergency plan i related, how an incident evolves, the extent ofa dsaster and the substances involved, >the phases during a calamity, > the available resources, Inside as wel as outside the company, » the company emergency response team and thelr task allocation and procedires Inthe event of dsaster, ‘A components ofthe company emergency plan should be complete (kt should be Possible to apply them in ll emergency stations) and they shoud be concise eible and feasible (for evacuation dis as well as real emergency situations). ach company should furthermore inform al people entering the company (se) fer the frst time, ofthe points inthe company emergency plan tobe known by everyone > amap ofthe ext routes, assembly points, resources and fst aid posts), the alarm signal and other warning sions, » the instructions for evacuation di, how the cause ofa disaster could posible be removed, how and where accdents and emergency stuations shou! be reported and how ‘to am the emergency services.‘Accidents and disasters Phases |An emergency situation consis of varlous phases. The company emergency plar should deal with these emergency situation phases. Phase 1: Fst alarm Everyone should know howto first report an emergency shuation and which information the alarm should contain, All employees should, after al be informe ofthe emergency situation and the extent ofthe emergency situation. Phase 2: Actions and measures For each dass of emergency situation t should be predsely known what the essential ‘actions and measures are. Even when tackling the emergency stuation, for as far as thiss possible, you should collect traces ofthe cause ofthe emergency situation Phase 3: Termination “There shouldbe criteria based on which you can determine whether the emergency stuation can be dedared to have ended. It should also be set out who Is authorised to ‘make ths decison and how this wll be made known, All employees and emergency ‘services shoul be informed winen the emergency situation is completely under control lorhas ended, You could for ample, use an audible signal. 3.5.3 _ Avaliable resources “The company emergency plan describes which resources are avaiable, Resources ‘are the emergency provisions and manpower, within the company as wel as of ‘other organisations. r Company provisions ‘The company emergency plan provides information on ‘prewsions within the company. These are the flloring provisions. Availability of trained fie fighting staf firefighting equipment and extinguishing water pumps (capacity and reserve systems). > Avalabilty and location of emergency equiprent, ‘sch as protective clothing and breathing proxection Gevices. These ae in fact the personal protective » Asailabtty of ambulances, doctors, the hospitals appoint to assist any vcins {and the basc healthcare services. 3.5.4 Company emergency response team HRS legislation obliges every company to have a company emergency response team. HS legislation furthermore describes the required expertise the tasks and the number ‘of employees ofthe company emergency response team, Expertise H&S legistation describes the training requirements to be met. The required expose of the company emergency response team also depends onthe sks within the comDany, “The employer should ensure that there are a sufficient numberof company emercency team members with sufficient knowedge. The company emergency team members should also have sufficient time to atten training and to carryout thet tasks, which Includes regular cis, The dis and training have tree objectives: 1 Preparing the company emergency team and the employees for, emergency stations. 2. Testing the company emergency plan 43, Testing whether the company emergency team and the employees are suffiently prepared for emergency stations. Tasks ‘The company emergency team should save victims and provide fst ald. Importart thereby are the availabilty ofthe First Aid resources (adapted to the risks within the company) and the proper traning ofthe company emergency tear, The tea shoud furthermore ty to limit the exten of the csaster and the chance of icine, by evacuating buildings and tying to extinguish a possible re,Accidents and disasters 3.6 What should you do when an emergency situation occurs? "in many cases the company will have to be evacuated after an emergency station (this called an evacuation). For this reason everyone should know the evacuatien sites) and evacuation possibiltis. When you are working fr a client you should follow hi instructions. You wl receive these instructions upon your fist rival atthe cient. ‘When the alarm signal sounds, you should immediately stop your work; inthe case ‘of an emergency stuation all permits are ( invalidated, \ >not use your telephone and switch off any equipment, > follow the instructions ofthe cient, 5) gotothe evacuation site (transverse to the wind direction and not using its), report your presence as soon as you reach the evacuation site and only leave when permission has been given to do so, Fa 27 Bort ew ay ae {is a legal obligation fora company to have an evacuation dil at east once pe year 3.7 Summary ( Aecients ‘An incident fs an undesired event with or without damage of injury. ‘An accident an undesired event resulting in damage andor injury. ‘An occupational accident isan undesired event at work resulting in injury ‘Anear-accident isan undesired event without damage or injury, which could have lead to damage andfor injury under somewhat diferent creumstances. Prevention “The prevention of acidents can best be carried out by preventing unsafe stations ‘and actions. It's posible to take preventive measures with regard to: » human beings, >» technology, > thesurroundings, the organisation.Accidents and disasters Accident pyramid ‘The accident pyramid states that tis possible to reduce the chance of serious accidents by reducing the number of unsafe actions and situations, From the cause-and-effect series it can be concluded thatthe palcy shoul be aimed ‘atthe prevention of unsafe situations and actions at all evels within a company. ‘Action points forthe various levels win a company: Drawing up a longterm poly pln. ‘Supers the compllance ofthe regulations, Heving suticent koowedge and sis. Formulating the working conditions in procedures and regulations. Carrying ot requir inspections. Checking that soved stuations are stil ste, “The caret erganisation of the working contions py. ‘Solving problems and dangerous tuations, Reporting accidents Appointing persons directly responsi Delegating tasks to departments and employees. Providing traning and instruction ‘ranging an efectve meeting structure ad suficentraning and inst, Mating plans to tacle dangerous stations. Discussing problems nd compas.— Accidents and disasters Dealing with accidents \when an accident has occured, you do the following: telephone the internal (company emergency response team) ‘or external alarm number, report the accident tothe supervisor, accompany the victim to medical assistance, take immediate measures to prevent reoccurrence, fallow the intemal instructions. “Take immediate measures when a near-acident oocurs or when you see an unsafe stuation or action and report this to the supervisor. “To prevent an accident reoccuring the folowing steps should be taken: actimmediately, repo, register (required by law and necessary for a proper investigation), investigate, draw up an action pan. verre ‘An accident investigation consists of five steps. 1, Investigating the ste of the accident. 2. Storing evidence. 3 Interviewing witnesses and other persons involved. 4. Analysing the Investigation results. 5. Drawing up a final report. Emergency situations [An emergency situation or calamity Is @ stuation in which the circumstances form a direct threat tothe heath or safety of people. For example: fire or explosion, vapour dowd, imminent danger, or example a terrorist attack, Industral accidentecidents and disasters Company emergency plan ‘Acompany emergency plan describes the measures and provision taken bya company to limit the consequences ofan emergency situation. “The most important components ofa company emergency plan ae: »» the emergency situations to which the emergency plan i elated, > how an incident evolves, the extent of the dsaster andthe substances invoved, >the phases during a calamity, > the aallable resources, inside as well as outside the company, >the emergency response team and the task allocation and procedures for a disaster Every company should inform anyone entering the company (ite) forthe rst tne, fof the most important tems ofthe company emergency plan. Company emergency response team HES legislation obliges every company to have a company emergency response team. HS leaistation furthermore describes the requirements regarding the expertise, asks ‘and the number of employees ofthe company emergency response team Bacuation During an evacuation you should: >» Immediately stop working, ‘not use your telephone and sutch off any equipment, follow the instructions ofthe lent, ‘goto the evacuation site, report your presence as soon as you reach the evacuation site vere 1s a legal requirement to practise the evacuation plan on an annual basis.Aocidlents and disasters Questions with Chapter 3 (Question 1 What san example of an accent? [A Auld stumbles aver a stone and falls, but is hackly unhurt. [1B Ahamme falls rom some scaffolding onthe head ofa passer-by. 1 Anexposed cable i ve. ‘Question 2 Suppose: you walkthrough the workplace and stumble over a piece ( ‘of wood being left on the floor. You are however uninjured. ‘Whats this an example of FA Anearaccdent. OB Anaccident. 1) € Anunsafe ation. Question 3 What isan example of an accupational accident? [LA When repairing an instalation you breathe in a dangerous gas and you ‘need to goto hospital du to breathing problems. FB Youhave not adjusted a machine correctly and alts products are rejected. [1 © Youhave pruned the trees along a road in the wrong way and they. {Question 4 Suppose: you sip while ona scaffold and you fall 20 meters. Whats this an example of? 1A Anaceldent. CB Anunsafe station, 1 C. Bad luck. ‘Question 5 Suppose: you are welding without wearing welding goggles. Whats this an example of? (A. Anearaccdent. LB Anacceptable isk, ( 1 € Anunsafe action.a a o ooo Question 10 Accidents and disasters How can you bes tackle prevention? ‘A by limiting the effect ofan accident as much as posible, 8 By preventing unsafe stuatons and actions. © By taking risk iting measures with regard to in. Whats conrece? ‘A. You do not have to report. a near accident 'B You do not have to report a near-accident when you are able to sole the stuation yourself. ( © You should always report a near-accident. Why should you immediately report an accident? ‘A. Tolmit injures and prevent reoccurrence. B_Toprevent fatal injuries. © To vam others, Accidents resulting in injury should: ‘A be investigated immediately by the police, B_.be reported immediately. C _.not be published inthe newspaper ( Whats NOT an example of an emergency stuation? A Aterorist attack. BAvoleanic eruption. CAnevacuation exercce.Question 11 question 12 Question 14 a Question 15 o oo Accidents and disasters Whats the second phase when tacking an emergency situation? ‘A. Retions and measures. B Alarm Indication. © Termination. ‘where should you report near-accidents? ‘A. Tothe Labour Inspectorate. 'B. Tothe occupational health and safety service. © To your supervisor ‘What should you do frst when an accident with serous injures occurs? ‘A. Clear the road forthe police. B_ Complete an acident report form. C Ensure that no other people become a victim. ‘What type of measure is “choosing machines witha safety marking”? A A corective measure aimed at human beings. BA preventive measure aimed at technology. CC Apreventive measure aimed at the organisation. Whats the most important conclusion ofthe accent pyramid? “The prevention policy shouldbe almed at al levels ofthe organisation, “To reduce the chance of serious accidents, you should tackle unsafe actions and stuations. ‘You can only take preventive measures when a serious accent has occured,Question 16 a a a Question 17 a o 1 Question 18 Aecidents and disasters Whats a task factor? ‘A. Insuficent knowledge. B Lack of contol. C Unsafe equipment. ‘Whats a task of management as a resuit of the cause-and-effect series? ‘Arranging a correct meeting structure. 'B Arranging ational taining of operational employees, (C Making plans of approach for dangerous stuations, ( ‘What isan example of avalabe resources? ‘A. Good insurance against disasters, B__Thecompany emergency plan. (©The ire fighting equipment in a company,