Major incident management responsibilities

Section— The organizational level having responsibility for a major functional area of incident management (e.g., operations, planning, logistics, finance/administration, and intelligence/investi-gations [if established]). 

Risk analysis is a live document and it should be thoroughly reviewed by the operator whenever there is any change in the system because it is the responsibility of the operator to understand all risks and control measures all the time. Also to improve the quality of risk analysis it is important to validate all hazards/major incident events, likelihood, control measures, and consequence, very rigorously. Proper communication, updating, and education/training are parts of risk management, which is an extension of risk analysis. So far helpful discussions have taken place regarding control measure, but what is control measure The next clause provides the answer. 

TTie response should be consistent with the established approach as guided by the principles of major incident medical management and support (MIMMS). Figure 5.4 outlines the basic organisation of the command and control structure. Further information can be found in Chapter 2. 

For example, near-miss incidents in one company had not been reduced significantly despite a new, quality-based system that had been in place for more than a year. The department manager ordered that the near-misses be analyzed more thoroughly. (It should be noted that such proclamations by management must be made with care, as otherwise they may simply serve to discourage accurate reporting.) These assessments revealed improperly maintained instrumentation that was directly responsible for a majority of the near-miss incidents. 

The Seveso Directive is administered by the European Union through the Major Accident Hazards Bureau services (MAHB) located within the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy. The Bureau also oversees the European Community s Documentation Centre Industrial Risk (CDCIR) and manages the Major Accident Reporting System (MARS) with the aim to create a repository of information and facilitate the exchange between the members of the European Community. MARS follows the requirements of the Seveso II directive and collects information about major chemical incidents as well as the response and results. Member States are required to report the events by using standardized forms. 

FEMA is not the only culprit a breakdown occurred on all levels of government. According to the National Response Plan that establishes a comprehensive all-hazards approach to enhance the ability of the United States to manage domestic incidents, local, state, and federal authorities are all designated specific responsibilities and duties. The mayor is responsible for coordinating local resources to address the full spectrum of actions to prevent, prepare for, and recover from major disasters, accidents or acts of terrorism. He/she requests state and, if necessary, federal assistance through the governor of the state when the jurisdiction s capabilities have been... 

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