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Asked by Bethc on 16 Mar 2021.
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Sarah-Jane Potts answered on 16 Mar 2021:
It’s rare that things go so wrong that people get hurt in my work. Before every experiment we have to do risk assessments on the set up, the use of chemicals and the equipment we will be using and follow procedures which minimise any risks that there are. However, there are occasions where chemicals spill, glasswear gets dropped or equipment malfunctions but we have first aid kits and first aiders to hand in every lab so people are usually seen to quickly. We also have a no lone working policy so if something happens, there’s always someone there to help.
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Tolu Elemo answered on 17 Mar 2021:
As much as possible, we try to avoid things going wrong and people from being hurt. That is why before we start any piece of work, we do a lot of planning and also a risk assessment. We also try to remove as many hazards as possible. However, sometimes we have to ‘accept’ some risk as without it work cannot be done, for example working at height. In this case, it is ensured that persons involved in the job are fully trained and all the correct personal protective gear are worn. In the event someone is hurt, there are always first aiders who take care of victims and call the emergency services if more more medical attention is needed.
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Lia Bucks answered on 19 Mar 2021:
Usually there are set procedures to follow before doing work, during the work and in the event of something going wrong. These all hope to prevent or minimise the risk of this happening, or the impact if something does go wrong. For example, in my work in the nuclear sector we have technical assessment (quality management) and risk assessment processes to carry out before and during all work. We have to wear personal protective equipment near any potentially dangerous areas and you have to have appropriate training to use equipment. If something goes wrong (such as someone trapping a finger in a machine, or a piece of equipment failing and the power plant has to shut down) then there are emergency numbers to ring and emergency alerts that go out. People have trained roles in event of things going wrong and do what they need to do, such as delivering first aid or following procedures to ensure the rest of the power plant shuts down safely. After the event investigations are carried out to understand the root cause so we can learn from what happened and prevent it happening again in the future.
Unfortunately as much as we work to prevent things happening, things can go wrong whether due to a human error, negligence, equipment (materials) failing or a freak event. Planning, training, and building safety in to what we do is key!
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Anna Garcia-Teruel answered on 22 Mar 2021:
As my colleagues say, a lot of work goes into preventing things from going wrong. Every time a new machine is developed, testing is used to make sure that it works as it is supposed to. For machines that are sold or installed commercially, many times there will be an external certification process, so another company will come and check that what you did is right, and that you did not forget to check any important things. While using the machines there is also training and health and safety procedures involved, for example, if you want to drive a car, you first need to get a driving license, and so study, pass a test etc. and even when you are driving you will wear a seatbelt, there’s a built-in airbag, etc. So in general, machines are designed so that as few things as possible can go wrong. In most cases, they are designed so that they can be maintained, and repaired so that if something goes wrong, they can be fixed and you can continue to use them. In a few cases, despite all of this, sometimes things go wrong. In cases where people can get hurt, the procedures are more strict so it is really unlikely that this happens. So the best you can do is just to do your best, check everything that you can, and make sure you follow all of the procedures and requirements so that even if something would go wrong noone gets hurt.
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Emma Robertson answered on 23 Mar 2021:
Like others have said, it doesn’t get to this point very often. There are various procedures and risk assessments in place to hopefully stop things going wrong and people getting hurt.
If something was to go wrong and it involved someone getting hurt, it would be logged and investigated to work out why it happened and who is at fault – this would also help to stop it happening again. Generally if a machine or something goes wrong, it will be shut down straight away (often by using an emergency stop button).
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Kiri Hatton answered on 24 Mar 2021:
There are lots of procedures in place to ensure people don’t get hurt however when working on the roads or construction sites, it can happen sometimes. It is very rare, but if an accident did happen then after the immediate incident, companies will look into what led to the accident and how to avoid it in future. If changes are needed then these will be made. Different civil engineering companies also share best practice information to avoid others being hurt.
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Magdalena Grzybek answered on 26 Mar 2021:
It is very rare that things go wrong. There are plenty of procedures and risk assessment to follow to ensure people don’t get hurt. But sometimes things can go wrong whether due to a equipment failure or human error. We need to make sure all people are trained to do their jobs, build safety awareness and work together.
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