TABLE OF CONTENTS What is it that scheduled airlines do that allows us to take a commercial flight without worrying about our personal safety? How do some industries processing hazardous materials consistently report good safety results? Is it safer to work in some firms than in others?
In this chapter we will trace the events leading to a number of well-known disasters that had taken place in industrial plants or public services during the last few decades. We have chosen to examine the Piper Alpha offshore platform disaster at some length, as it has many lessons to offer. We will also study some other disasters in lesser detail. A common pattern emerges from these reviews. We can see the role of people, plant, and procedures and how they might have prevented the escalation of minor events into major incidents. We will develop a model to help understand the reasons for event escalation and hence how best to prevent disasters.
Disaster inquiry reports usually highlight one or more of the following areas of concern. You will be able to identify these elements as you go through the narrative describing the selected disasters.
lack of or poor management systems
poor design
poor communications
inadequate procedures
poor maintenance
inadequate training
time pressure on work force
Are industrial disasters unavoidable consequences of working, or can we learn to prevent them? If we are to do so successfully, the first step is to understand why they occurred in the first place.
