Introduction to Fire Safety Management

12.1.1 Reasons for investigating fi res and other
adverse events
Investigating the causes of such events highlights failures
in health and safety management systems and
allows these failures to be corrected.
If an event occurs in the workplace that has not
been planned by management there is a risk of loss.
The loss may arise from lost production, staff or damage
to premises. The potential outcome of any such event
is that the organisation and its staff will be liable to
criminal prosecution and civil action arising from their
negligence.
In addition, any such event may result in physical
or physiological harm to employees or other persons.
It is also likely that any such unplanned event will result
in substantial fi nancial loss including both direct and
indirect costs (Chapter 1).
The numbers of work-related fi res and other
accidents recorded in the United Kingdom for the year
2003/04 are indicated in Table 12.1.
In terms of the economic cost of fi re alone in the
UK, the direct costs were estimated to be in the region
of £8 billion for 2003. The costs of fi res that were set
deliberately in the same year amounted to £3 billion
and the direct costs of the losses associated with false
alarms were just under £1 billion.
Table 12.1 Safety events reported in the UK during
2003/04
Type of event Number during
2003/04
Death of employees 235
Death of members of the public 396
Injuries to members of the public 13 575
Major injuries to employees 30 666
Over three-day injuries to employees 129 143
Accidental fi res in buildings other 31 200
than dwellings
Deliberate fi res (total) 355 500
False alarms (total) 364 600
(Source: HSE and ODPM)
Reactive monitoring – reporting, recording and investigation
12.1.2 Role and function of investigation
The purpose of investigating fi res and other adverse
events is not to apportion blame but to identify:
➤ How/where the management system has failed
➤ Identify additional risk control measures that are
required
➤ Implement additional appropriate risk control
measures.
Employers that respond effectively and openly to
unplanned events not only continually improve the organisation’s
safety performance, they also demonstrate to
the workforce, the industry and enfor cers commitment to
the safety and health of all those who may be affected by
their operations.
Six reasons why organisations should
bother to investigate fi res and other
adverse events:
1. To reduce the human costs
2. To reduce the risk of criminal prosecution
and civil action
3. To reduce the economic costs
4. To effectively manage safety
5. To continually improve risk management
systems
6. To demonstrate management commitment
to safety.
Policy requirements – the policy for responding to
fi res and other incidents should include a statement of
intent from the most senior management, the identifi cation
of those persons responsible for implementing the policy
and detailed organisational arrangements relating to:
➤ The immediate action that should be taken in the
event of an incident
➤ Providing the underpinning training required to
ensure the continued competence of all those
involved in the process
➤ Ensuring that adverse events are recognised by
employees
➤ Ensuring that adverse events are reported by
employees and others
➤ The appropriate level of investigation is achieved
relevant to the event
➤ How the investigation should be conducted
➤ The appropriate third parties involvement as soon as
practicable
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