
A short interview published on ISS
What is an emergency rescue plan? Why is it necessary?
In short, it is the preparation of a detailed written document on issues such as what to do in an emergency, who will be responsible, who will intervene, who will be notified, the readiness of the equipment, regardless of the location; such as an enterprise, factory, shopping mall, home etc., as well as providing training to the necessary people and conducting drills periodically, as a whole.
When working at heights, rescue plans must be ready in order to be prepared for possible accidents or emergencies that may arise during sudden health problems. This rescue plan must be comprehensive and extensive of all conditions and possibilities. If it is not ready, significant problems occur such as chaos, disorder, panic, lack of knowledge of who will do what or where to notify, due to unpreparedness; and the necessary interventions will not be able to be executed. The probability of encountering serious material and moral losses will be highly likely.
Even if all precautions are taken while working, there is still the possibility of an accident occurring. What is desired by being prepared is; to minimize the damage that may occur in an accident and to perform rescue in the safest, but fastest way. That is why emergency rescue plans are prepared.
Specifying the requirements for saving the victim after the accidents that occur in the works carried out at heights and, to be able to carry out the rescue as soon as possible are aimed with these plans.
These plans are also used by personnel who work in places where there is a risk of falling and at heights, where there is a risk of injury or death.
The rescue plan should be applicable to all operations conducted at heights and should be part of the risk analysis.
What are the emergency rescue methods at height and what equipment should be used?
A work plan and a rescue plan – in case of a possible accident – should be ready before beginning the work at heights.
The aim is to enable the implementation of the rescue to be in a safe and professional manner by minimizing the health risks and risky behaviors of the victim to be rescued and the personnel who will perform the rescue.
The primary equipments used when working at heights are as follows; machinery and equipment such as ladders, fixed scaffolds, facade cleaning and maintenance systems (exterior elevators, scaffolds), mobile scaffolds, personnel elevating vehicles (manlift, spider, etc.) and basket vehicles.
In terms of working methods, there are three different ways to work;
1. Fall restraint systems (as a way of working),
2. Fall arrest systems,
3. Rope access systems
The rescue techniques and equipment to be used will differ in unexpected situations that may occur in the work that is conducted with all these equipment and working methods.
In general, there are 5 different rescue methods for all rescues at height;
1. Personnel’s self-rescue; If the person is on his own and capable of saving himself
2. Personnel self-rescue with rescue equipment; The person is conscious and knows how to use rescue equipment
3. The rescuer saves the victim with rescue equipment; If the person is unconscious or unable to save himself or does not know how to use rescue equipment
4. If it is possible to reach the victim with a personnel elevator vehicle, rescue him/her with a personnel elevator vehicle; If the person is unable to save himself even if being conscious (including rescue by fire truck)
5. If the working method used is rope access methods, rescue with rope access techniques; (The person cannot save himself/herself regardless of being conscious)
As mentioned above, the most appropriate rescue method and rescue equipment should be preferred according to the working method, place of work and equipment used.
If the rescue time is very critical, it will be beneficial to have rescue equipment in the working area before working.
What should be the characteristics of emergency rescue personnel?
A rescue operation at height requires team-work. First of all, the person or people who need to intervene in the accident must also be trained in working safely at heights and have a first aid certificate. The reason for that is, one must know how to work at heights safely, as one must climb high to reach the victim. Sometimes it may be necessary to render first aid where the victim is. These basics need to be in place before rescue training.
Training must be provided completely according to the rescue technique determined according to the place where the rescue will be performed and the working method.
As mentioned above, there are generally 5 different rescue methods for all rescues at height, and the characteristics and training of the victim or rescuer will vary according to these 5 different methods.
Below is a detailed brief:
1. Personnel’s self-rescue; If the person is on his own and capable of saving himself;
It is sufficient to have received training in working safely at heights.
2. Personnel self-rescue with rescue equipment; if the person is conscious and knows how to use rescue equipment;
It is sufficient to have received training in working safely at heights, to know how to use rescue equipment and to have received the training.
3. The rescuer saves the victim with rescue equipment; If the person is unconscious or unable to save himself or does not know how to use rescue equipment;
It is sufficient for the rescuer to have received training in working safely at heights, to know how to use rescue equipment and to have received training and to have a first aid certificate.
4. If it is possible to reach the victim with a booster vehicle, rescue him/her with a booster vehicle; if the person is not conscious or unable to save himself (including rescue by fire truck);
It is sufficient for the rescuer to have received training in working safely at heights, to know how to use the personnel elevator (to have a certificate) and to have a first aid certificate.
5. If the working method used is rope access methods, rescue with rope access techniques; If a person cannot save himself even if he is concius It is sufficient for the rescuer to have received training in working safely at heights, to have a level 1, level 2 or level 3 certificate (Irata, Sprat, etc.) in rope access technician, depending on the technical level of rescue of the victim, and to have a first aid certificate.
Should emergency plans and training be renewed at regular intervals?
It is stated in the regulation on emergency situations in workplaces, emergency action plans according to hazard class; “Emergency action plans in very hazardous, hazardous and less hazardous workplaces are renewed at least every two, four and six years, respectively,” It is also required for drills to be carried out at least once a year.
According to the regulation on the procedures and principles of occupational health and safety training of employees, trainings are carried out according to hazard class; “At least once a year in workplaces classified as very dangerous. At least once every two years in workplaces classified as hazardous. It is stated that training is provided at least once every three years in workplaces classified as less hazardous.
The information in the regulations is clear. However, it is clear that working at height or rescue is a very dangerous issue, regardless of the company’s danger code according to the Nace code. Therefore, it would be most realistic and correct to repeat the drills at least once a year and the training every year. Of course, this situation may vary depending on the perspective of the institutions on this matter. If training is not repeated and drills are not carried out, emergency plans will not be able to fulfill their function.
What are the key points to be considered in rescue operations?
In any situation that requires rescue, it is necessary to call 112 (ambulance code for each country varies), because waste of time cannot be tolerated.
Site security must be ensured, in order not to cause additional dangers and create risks in the rescue area. If possible, the rescue team should communicate with each other via radio, since communication is vital.
When the rescue team is notified of the rescue situation, they must go to the rescue area with all possible rescue equipment. Therefore, the intiai information received is immensely valuable. If the information can be obtained clearly, going to the field with the correct and complete material will prevent loss of time and unnecessary risk-taking.
According to the rescue method as explained above, personnel and equipment must be ready and suitable for use for a possible rescue scenario.
It is necessary to be thorough in casualty management. For example, it is necessary to have practical knowledge about sling trauma. Unfortunately, this topic is not explained in first aid courses. If there is a suspension situation, the issue of suspension trauma is of vital importance.
A guide rope can be used depending on the rescue location. If a guide rope must be used, the guide technique must also be used in the drills.
People with insufficient rescue knowledge should not attempt to rescue. He puts both himself and the victim at risk, which is of course undesirable.
The most accurate method of rescue is the safest and fastest method. The entire work should be based on this, not all rescues can be made with a single technique, so it is best to proceed with a special analysis, depending on the situation.
Selcuk Demir
AvrasyaSafetyUK