Accidents information

A more refined form of accident reports is an accident database, where all the reports are presented in a standardized format. Extensive databanks have already been collected from accident reports (Anon, 1996). This kind of standardized format allows easier retrieval of accident information also by computerized means. 

In this Chapter further evidence is provided that precursors exist long before they escalate into an accident. It will be demonstrated that the existence of precursor information could have been used to foresee and even prevent recent accidents with hazardous substances. Moreover, a set of precursors retrieved from 17 recent accidents in the Dutch chemical process industry is used to validate the 7-stage protocol developed in the previous Chapter. In spite of the limited accident information it is shown that if a proper control action had been initiated, all of these 17 accidents could have been prevented. 

That precursors are frequently observed in accident trajectories was stated in the previous Section. In this Section 17 recent accidents in the Dutch chemical process industry are taken and their accompanying precursors and ineffective control processes in the companies identified. This study is executed from hindsight using limited accident information which is the reason for adapting the analysis protocol so that the results of most stages can still be retrieved. 

Stages 5 and 6, the identification of latent conditions and affected safety barriers, cannot be retrieved. Due to the lack of the initial ineffective control elements, the corresponding latent conditions and affected safety barriers cannot be retrieved. The affected safety barriers can be independently identified from the accident information (as will be shown in an example given in this sub-Section). However, the causal relationship between ineffective control and the affected safety barrier cannot be established. 

The protocol requires information which is not present in the accident database in sufficient detail. Often detailed information concerning the organization s normal way of working prior to the accident must be retrieved from the accident information itself. This type of information is often not recorded, or only briefly mentioned in the accident investigation reports. However, the 7-stage protocol can still be used to retrieve insights into how and why accidents still occur. 

The second difference between the first flow scheme and the flow scheme presented in Figure 35, is the subset of indicating whether control elements can be identified or not from the accident information available. This subset indicates that control elements can neither be identified as effective nor as ineffective from the accident information available. 

For all 17 accidents of this study, precursors could be identified. None of the 17 accidents could be classified as unforeseen . A total number of 39 precursors were identified in these 17 accidents which seems extremely low compared to normal accident analysis experience. Detailed accident analysis normally retrieves dozens of near misses and deviations leading to the final accident (e.g. van der Schaaf (Schaaf van der, 1992)), implying the existence of many more precursors. However, the limited amount of detailed information present in the FACTS database is the restricting factor here. The FACTS database reflects the kind of accident information companies and government agencies collect. It demonstrates clearly that detailed information about the period before the accident is not often collected. 

In the previous Chapter it was shown that the developed protocol for analysis identified the ineffective control elements causing the precursors prior to accidents. However, due to the lack of detailed accident information the conclusions were limited. To perform the analysis, using the developed 7-stage protocol pro-actively (before any accident occurs), cases have to be selected on which the analysis can be performed and from which reliable and generic conclusions about safety indicators and the performance of current safety management systems can be obtained. The next sub-Section will discuss the selection criteria to select suitable cases. 

Member States have the obligation to report major accidents to the Commission. In order to fulfill its information obligations toward the Member States, the European Commission has created the Major Accident Reporting System (MARS) database to store and retrieve accident information reported by the Member States, and a Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risks (CDCIR) was established to collect, classify, and review materials relevant to industrial risks and safety. 

BASF s role in providing technical expertise to the European Transport Accident Information and Assistance Scheme (TUIS) ... 

Transport incidents the CER describes how the hazardous freight service team at Burghausen ensures conformance with the applicable regulations, and is supported by hazardous substances assistants who check compliance at the plants. Specialists in Germany also participate in the Transport Accident Information and Assistance Scheme (TUIS). Even so a no score has been awarded since no mention is made of the occurrence or absence of any transport incidents. 

Accident data for accidents the driver was involved in for the 3 year period preceding the date of the employment application (includes accidents as defined in 390.5 and any other accident information the previous employer... 

In order to give statistical consistence to the analysis, it is of high importance to have a set of accident data covering a long period and related to railways with almost the same characteristics as the ItaUan database that collects accidents information covering the period... 

Detailed project description and detailed accident information are required to conduct an in-depth accident analysis. Historical data, existing hazard analyses, and the hazard tracking log are also important. 

Itoh, K., Andersen, H.B., Madsen, M.D., Ostergaard, D. and Ikeno, M. 2006. Patient views of adverse events Comparisons of self-reported healthcare staff attitudes with disclosure of accident information. Applied Ergonomics, 37, 513-23. 

Actions taken to treat or ameliorate the consequences of the accident Information about who will manage ongoing care of the patient Planned analysis of the accident... 

Disseminate hazard control and accident information in a timely fashion. 

The second suggested analysis should take the contractors OSHA incident rates into consideration. OSHA requires employers to report and record accident information on occupational injuries and illnesses on the annual OSHA 300 Log. The employer must... 

Dangerous Goods Accident Information System (DGAIS)... 

Application of Accident Information to Safety Promotion—Case Industrial Maintenance... 

Another type of computer is the microcomputer which can be put on a desk and may be used by people with no specialised computer training. The processing capacity is much less than the main frame computer but is quite adequate for a single application, for example, recording and analysing accident information. 

Specific questions about the number of occupational safety accidents there had been the year before revealed widespread ignorance. Ability to reply was structured largely according to position in the hierarchy (Chart 9.1). These differences very much reflected the contingencies of work, most particularly receipt of company reports (Ch. 7). Consideration of accident reports and statistics was part of managers workloads and they were the most confident that they saw accident reports and statistics whereas the workforce, in the context of these questions, did not refer to any accident data. The majority of safety representatives believed that they had access to the relevant accident information but not all supervisors received the accident data. Access to the data did not necessarily mean that it was read or retained. Safety representatives remarked that it could be very difficult to get through the data they received in addition to their other responsibilities. Managers claimed to read the information but... 

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