Handling Accidents

Try to avoid accidents in your organization by finding out all potential hazards and eliminating them. If a colleague or customer in the organization is not following safety practices and precautions, inform your supervisor or any other authorized personnel. Always remember that one person’s careless action can harm the safety of many others in the organization. In case of an injury to a colleague or a customer due to an accident in your organization, you should do the following:
Attend to the injured person immediately. Depending on the level and seriousness of the injury, see that the injured person receives first aid or medical help at the earliest. You can give medical treatment or first aid to the injured person only if you are qualified to give such treatments. Let trained authorized people give first aid or medical treatment.
Inform your supervisor about the accident giving details about the probable cause of accident and a description of the injury.
Assist your supervisor in investigating and finding out the actual cause of the accident. After identifying the cause of the accident, help your supervisor to take appropriate actions to prevent occurrences of similar accidents in future.


Types of Emergencies


It is important to have policies and procedures to tackle the given categories of emergencies. You should be aware of at least the basic procedures to handle emergencies. The basic procedures that you should be aware of depend on the business of your organization. Typically, you should seek answers to the following questions to understand what basic emergency procedures that you should be aware of:
 What is the evacuation plan and procedure to follow in case of an emergency?
 Who all should you notify within the organization?

 Which external agencies, such as police or ambulance, you should notify in which emergency?


What all services and equipment should you shut down during which emergency?
Here are some general emergency handling procedures that you can follow:
 Keep a list of numbers to call during emergency, such as those of police, fire brigade, security,
4.2.3 Handling Accidents

4.2.4 Types of Emergencies

ambulance etc. Ensure that these numbers are fed into the organizations telephone program and hard copies of the numbers are placed at strategic locations in the organization.
 Regularly check that all emergency handling equipments are in working condition, such as the fire extinguisher and fire alarm system.

Ensure that emergency exits are not obstructed and keys to such exists are easily accessible. Never place any objects near the emergency doors or windows


Check Your Understanding
1. True or False? An accident is a serious or crisis situation that needs immediate attention and action.
a. True
b. False
2. Which of the following are appropriate actions for handling accidents and emergencies? Select the two correct actions.
a) You should give medical treatment or first aid to the injured even if you are not properly trained in such procedures because such treatments should be given promptly.
b) Take decisions beyond the organization’s policies and guidelines, if the situation requires.
c) Get help promptly and in the most suitable way.
d) Follow instructions given by senior staff and the emergency services.

3. Match each type of emergency with its corresponding example.


Type of Emergency Example
A. Medical
I. Earthquake
B. Substance
ii. Power failure
C. Structural
iii. Armed robbery
D. Security
iv. An expectant mother in labor
E. Natural Disaster
v. Chemical spills

4.2.5 Check Your Understanding


Identify and report accidents and emergencies:
- Notice and correctly identify accidents and emergencies.
- Get help promptly and in the most suitable way.
- Follow company policy and procedures for preventing further injury while waiting for help to arrive.
- Act within the limits of your responsibility and authority when accidents and emergencies arise.
- Promptly follow the instructions given by senior staff and the emergency services personnel.
 Handling accidents:
- Attend the injured person immediately.
- Inform your supervisor about the accident giving details.
- Assist your supervisor in investigating and finding out the actual cause of the accident.
 General emergency handling procedures:
- Keep a list of numbers to call during emergencies.
- Regularly check that all emergency handling equipment is in working condition.
- Ensure that emergency exits are not obstructed.
4.2.7: Summary.