Accidents can happen anywhere and at any time. While accidents can occur in any work environment, industrial sites pose more unique challenges and present a variety of hazards and risks to workers and visitors alike. With heavy machinery in play, hazardous materials, and often complex operational procedures, there is always the chance that an accident could happen.
While every step should be taken to make the workplace as safe as possible for everyone, workplace health and safety measures are not bulletproof and a mishap can occur in even the safest of work environments. If and when an accident occurs, it’s the response to the incident that can make all the difference, and that’s why every industrial site should have an accident response team on standby in case of an emergency. In more extreme incidents, this emergency response team could be the difference between life and death for one or more people. That answers the why of having a well-prepared, highly-trained, and efficient accident response team on hand.
We’ll take a closer look at the importance of an accident response team for industrial sites, what the key responsibilities are, the benefits of having a trained team on standby, how they are trained, and more. A first response service can make all the difference in effectively managing incidents and protecting lives on industrial sites.
Accident response teams are often referred to as an incident response team or an emergency response team. This team is a group of well-trained individuals who are fully equipped to effectively respond to accidents and emergencies on industrial sites. Members of the team will have undergone specialised training in emergency procedures, the handling of hazardous materials, first aid, fire safety, and more.
This team is on standby to act as the first response service when a workplace accident or incident occurs. Teams may be made up of medical personnel, supervisors, safety officers, and individuals with expertise in handling incidents more unique to industrial sites. This includes the operation of equipment and the handling of chemicals or other toxic substances.
With an accident response team on-site and ready to deal with an emergency, valuable time will be saved and the overall impact of an incident can be minimised.
The primary purpose of an emergency response team is to ensure the safety of personnel, mitigate risks, respond quickly to accidents, and potentially save lives. The responsibilities of the team can vary depending on the type of accident or emergency they need to respond to. Also, workplaces vary and so do the types of hazards faced.
Primarily, the team will act as the first response service, taking charge of the situation before other emergency services arrive on the scene. This saves valuable time and could save a life. Depending on the type of accident, an evacuation of the immediate area might be required and the accident response team will ensure that everyone in the vicinity gets to a safe place.
If one or more people have been injured in the incident, the team will provide first aid services, including attending to wounds and performing CPR if necessary. Teams of emergency responders have been trained to provide first aid and will act rapidly to keep patients stabilised until an ambulance arrives on the scene.
When other emergency services arrive, such as the police, fire brigade, and paramedics; the emergency response team will coordinate with them, bring everyone up to speed on the current status of the situation and help organise rescue or evacuation efforts. If an additional and dedicated hazardous response team needs to be called in, the first responders will coordinate with this team and assist them in securing and cleaning up the accident site. This includes taking measures to mitigate any hazards, isolating damaged or malfunctioning equipment, containing chemical spills, and so on.
Following an accident or workplace incident, the accident response unit may conduct investigations into what caused the incident, as well as write up a report on what happened, document the sequence of events, collect evidence, and come up with any necessary improvements for safety protocols moving forward.
Responding to an accident when it occurs is not the only responsibility of the accident response team. The prevention of workplace incidents is always preferable, so risk management and the analysis of potential hazards also play a major role. Having a trained team on-site can also help prevent an issue from occurring by spotting a possible problem or weakness early on.
Preparedness is also vital. While every effort is made to provide a safe workplace and hopefully prevent accidents, not all incidents can be avoided. Your on-site first response service, highly trained to respond rapidly in the case of an emergency, will already have an emergency plan devised. This plan saves time and lives and also minimises any damage that may result from the incident. Everything that a trained accident response unit provides is a benefit, but there are a few more key points to be mindful of.
The best case scenario is that an accident never happens, but if it does, everyone will have peace of mind knowing that a trained team of professionals is there, ready and waiting to spring into action. What price can you put on safety and peace of mind?
The reputation of your company and its brand are like gold. When your company becomes synonymous with safety, its reputation is elevated. Having a unit on-site for accident and emergency response reinforces this positive reputation and builds trust in both business circles and the community.
An accident response team is made up of a group of individuals who have been trained in all aspects of emergency and accident response. As the first few minutes of any incident can be the most critical, training that drills a team to respond rapidly and with precision is paramount. Rigorous training ensures the right actions and responses become automatic, leading to faster response times and no mistakes.
Accident first responders complete certified training in what to do in case of an accident and emergency. Modules cover essentials such as first aid, CPR, preparedness, evacuation procedures, prevention, risk management, chemical and hazardous materials handling, recovery procedures, and more.
Safety plans and accident prevention measures also form an integral part of the training, as preventing accidents is even more important than responding to them. This includes learning how to monitor a work environment, spot potential hazards, and eradicate those hazards before an incident can occur.
Although teams undergo rigorous training to become certified and qualified, training doesn’t end there. The testing of procedures and improvement of safety protocols are ongoing. This ensures even higher standards of safety, as well as keeping the team sharp and ready to be deployed into action if the need arises.
SSTC is your premier security company in Sydney. With many decades of experience in industrial services and cultivating highly-trained and experienced teams in emergency response procedures, SSTC is the team to call when you require a first-rate accident response team, industrial services, security services, and much more.