There are many risks associated with the workplace and it is the duty of employers to ensure that they put all the necessary measures in place to mitigate risks. Across every industry there are risks but some industries have risks that come with potential severe consequences. This is particularly true when it comes to working at height, a requirement for lots of workers across many different industries. The risk of dangerous incident as a result of working at height is very present at liquid loading sites because of the need for workers to climb on top or on the back of tankers. Liquid Loading site managers will often consult fall prevention experts such as IFC Inflow to implement fall prevention systems on their sites to ensure they have safeguarded their employees against fall from height related injuries. In the event a site does not have an effective fall prevention system in place and an accident does occur, it’s important that employers follow correct procedure and deal with the incident appropriately.
So, if an incident occurs on liquid loading sites what do employers have to do?
The Importance of Reporting Dangerous Occurrences
As we have mentioned, employers have to follow health and safety regulations to maintain a safe working environment but there is always the risk of incidents occurring. When this happens and incidents have been reported to an employer, the employer then has to report these incidents so that they adhere to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations.
The incidents can include near misses, actual injuries that occur and diseases that occur as a result of the workplace. It is a centralised system that is used to monitor incidents in the workplace that is then used by the Health and Safety Executive. The Health and Safety Regulations can then be amended in relation to what incidents are reported and so, it can help to tighten regulations and also provide new recommendations.
Why It Is Important to Mitigate Health and Safety Risks
In an ideal world, employers would like to have zero incidents to report. Therefore, it is important that they consider the risks and have effective safety solutions in place before an incident occurs.
This can be achieved through the use of fall prevention solutions such as IFC’s FlowStep folding stairs, TopTank and LowTank Mobile Tanker Access solutions and various Safety Cage systems that make it possible for workers to safely work on the back and on the top of tankers.
There is no doubt that employers have to do everything possible to reduce risks and mitigate risks in the workplace. To do this, they should alleviate the risks of dangerous occurrences on liquid loading sites by using the correct products and solutions. Implementation of such solutions on a liquid loading site can help to significantly reduce the risk of fall from height related accidents, saving employers any unnecessary worry, grief or lost time as a result of long reporting procedures.
