What do you do if you encounter a hazardous situation in a plant engineering role?

In the field of plant engineering, encountering hazardous situations is an inherent risk due to the complex and potentially dangerous equipment and processes involved. As a plant engineer, your primary responsibility is to ensure the safety and efficiency of plant operations. This not only includes routine maintenance and optimization of machinery but also entails being prepared to respond effectively to emergencies. Understanding the right actions to take when faced with a hazardous situation is crucial for the safety of both personnel and the facility.

1 Assess Risk

If you find yourself in a hazardous situation, your first step should be to assess the risk. Quickly evaluate the severity of the hazard and determine whether it poses an immediate threat to life or property. Consider the potential for escalation and whether you need to initiate an emergency response. Your assessment should be swift but thorough, as it will inform the subsequent steps you take to mitigate the risk. Remember, your own safety is paramount; do not put yourself in harm's way.

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Yann Fournier

Formateur Indépendant
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Il s'agit d'appliquer rationnellement et rapidement des notions qui paraissent intuitives et naturelles, mais qui sont souvent arbitraires liés à des appréciations émotionnelles. Il convient donc d'être rompu au calcul suivant : Risque=danger.exposition. Le danger en tant que valeur physique normalisé (ou pas) et l'exposition comme valeur espace/temps. Combien (échelle de gravité), où (zonage, distance, disponibilité) et quand (récurrence, amplitude, résonance)...Jamais de risque 0 ni de risque absolu...

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David Stevenson

EHS Manager at Lanxess Urethanes Ltd, Baxenden, Accrington
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If there's a hazardous situation, you already know the 'who', the 'how' and the 'what'. The most important thing to focus on is the 'why?', in terms of what controls, safeguards and defences failed that allowed the situation to occur. You can't really focus on this until the situation has been made safe, so that's the priority. Keep asking 'why?' until you find out what failures caused the event. Bear in mind that there may be more than one root cause (see James Reason's Swiss Cheese model) or a cascading sequence of events and tools such as TapRooT or Fault Tree Analysis can help in drilling down to find root causes.

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Víctor Alberto Nava Náhuat

Principal QHSES Tech at McDermott International, Ltd
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Ante todo escenario de riesgo preguntesé lo siguiguiente: ¿Mi escena es segura? Antoda situación donde encontremos una escena segura es importante dar avisio a las autoridades locales de la plata, activar la respuesta a emergencias y seguir las indicaciones de mis protocolos locales en la planta y/o del Sistema de Respuesta Emergencias de mi localidad. *Atención a lesionados: - Seguir las directrices de la empresa y actuar conforme al nivel de entrenamiento al que fui capacitado. * Emergencia mayor: - Solicitar recursos adicionales. ¿Escena insegura? Notifico a las autoridades locales, activo al Plan de Repuesta a Emergencias y sigo los protocolos locales de la planta y/o del Sistema de Respuesta Emergencias de mi localidad.

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Sazzad Ali

Process Engineer
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After the swift assessment, an immediate containment action must be taken on the situation. Then you can analyze the root cause of the issue and correct for it.

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2 Alert Others

Once you've assessed the situation, immediately alert others in the vicinity of the danger. Use the plant’s communication systems—whether that’s alarms, intercoms, or radios—to ensure that everyone is aware of the hazard. This is not just about warning your coworkers; it's also about preventing others from unknowingly walking into a dangerous situation. Clear communication can save lives, so make sure your message is concise and understood.

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Debbie Stamp

at Code Integrity Solutions Inc
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Ensure you have alerted the companies fire and rescue team so they can take further action as required. Make a plan to meet them in a safe area away from the hazard.

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3 Contain Hazard

Containing the hazard is your next priority. This could involve shutting down machinery, isolating the affected area, or implementing spill containment measures. Your actions here aim to prevent the situation from worsening. Familiarity with the plant's emergency procedures and the location of emergency equipment like fire extinguishers and spill kits is essential. Act with urgency but maintain a level head to execute containment measures effectively.

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4 Evacuate Area

If the hazard cannot be contained quickly or if it poses a significant threat, evacuate the area. Know your plant’s evacuation routes and procedures. Ensure that everyone leaves in an orderly and timely manner, heading to designated safe areas. As you evacuate, keep counting your colleagues to ensure no one is left behind. Remember, property can be replaced, but lives cannot; prioritize human safety over everything else.

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Tom Rinebolt, COSS COSM

Instructor/Trainer with the University of Findlay All Hazards Training Center
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People are first so since life safety is my main focus I would evacuate as necessary, contact department lead and assess the problem and after initializing Incident command either evacuate more or if situation stabilizes, assess what’s needed to fix the problem. But people are first, always.

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5 Notify Authorities

For certain hazards, especially those that may impact public safety or the environment, notifying the authorities is a critical step. This might include calling emergency services, environmental agencies, or other relevant organizations. Provide them with accurate information about the nature and scale of the hazard so they can respond appropriately. Your timely notification can be instrumental in mobilizing expert assistance and mitigating wider consequences.

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6 Secure Site

Once the immediate danger has passed, secure the site to prevent unauthorized access and potential tampering. This involves setting up barriers, locking down equipment, and possibly stationing personnel to keep the area clear. The aim is to preserve the scene for investigation and to ensure that no further risks are posed to personnel or bystanders. A secure site also allows for a systematic approach to analyzing the cause of the incident and planning for recovery.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What do you do if you encounter a hazardous situation in a plant engineering role?

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1 Assess Risk

2 Alert Others

3 Contain Hazard

4 Evacuate Area

5 Notify Authorities

6 Secure Site

7 Here’s what else to consider

Plant Engineering

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