Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Dangerous occurrences
- any dangerous
occurrences that are specifi ed in RIDDOR that occur as
a result of a fi re must also be reported to the Incident
Centre in the normal way. However, specifi ed danger-
ous occurrences that are likely to arise from a fi re in a
workplace are:
➤
The failure of any closed system under pressure that
has the potential to cause death
➤
An electrical short circuit or overload attended by
fi re which results in:
➤
A stoppage for 24 hours or
Has the potential to cause death
➤
Incidents involving explosives
➤
A failure of a breathing apparatus in use or during
test immediately prior to use
➤
➤
An explosion or fi re which is due to the ignition of
any material, which results in the stoppage or sus-
pension of normal work for more than 24 hours.
12.3
Civil claims
The most effective way for an organisation to protect
itself from the possibility of a successful civil claim is
to ensure the safety of its employees and others, to be
achieved 'so far as is reasonably practical.'
However, should an injury to an employee or other
person be considered as a result of the negligence of the
employer, the injured party may wish to pursue compen-
sation for the loss incurred by suing the employer.
It is therefore important for any organisation investi-
gating an adverse event that has resulted in injury to
ensure that any documentation or other evidence that is
available to defend a claim for negligence is recorded in
a credible fashion.
There may be a confl ict between the information
that is available to the investigation that would harm the
defence of a civil claim. However, there is a duty under
the civil courts' rules for the employer to disclose all
relevant information relating to the event. A claim is more
likely to be successfully defended or any compensation
minimised if the courts are convinced that the employ-
ers have been honest and objective during the course of
investigating and recording the event.
Figure 12.8
The result of an arson attack on an external
shed
If the fi re has resulted in a death, the Coroners'
Court will conduct its own investigation in order to
determine the exact cause of the death.
In practice, investigating a fi re in the workplace
will follow exactly the same principles as described
previously in this chapter. The information in this
section is provided to allow those with a responsibility
for the management of fi re safety in the workplace to
develop an understanding of the basic principles of fi re
investigation.
This section explores the following topics:
➤
The types of fi re-related events
➤
Basic fi re-related investigation procedures
➤
Preserving the scene
➤
Liaison with other parties
➤
Identifying root causes and control measures
➤
Dealing with the aftermath.
12.4.1
Types of fi re-related events
12.4
Investigating fi re-related events
There are three distinct types of fi re-related incident that
should be investigated in order to prevent a recurrence;
accidental fi res, deliberately set fi res and false alarms.
In the case of a serious fi re in the workplace it is inevit-
able that the Fire Service will conduct its own investiga-
tion. Where the Fire Service consider a fi re to have been
deliberately set, the police will be involved with forensic
investigation of the fi re in order to detect the persons
responsible.
Accidental fi res
In the UK in 2003 there were 312 000 accidental fi res
reported to Fire Services. Analysis of the supposed
