Page 104 - Serious Incident Prevention How to Achieve and Sustain Accident-Free Operations in Your Plant or Company

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82 Serious Incident Prevention

but at the same time vigorously questioned whether seat-belt compliance
should be established as the number-one focus for the company’s safety ini-
tiatives. However, it was a case in which the corporate safety director had
established a position and would not consider any reevaluation.
Some months later, I read reports that the EPA had assessed this com-
pany a multimillion dollar penalty as a result of hazardous materials leak-
ing from storage tanks. The lack of control over hazardous materials also
resulted in the community’s loss of confidence in the corporation—a loss of
trust that would prove difficult to recapture. While company support of
seat-belt regulations is clearly important, the company’s obligation to han-
dle hazardous materials safely and without environmental harm was clearly
an issue having more potential impact on the continued long-term success
of the organization.
Unfortunately, such misjudgments in evaluating and acting upon risks
are not rare. History is full of instances in which serious incidents have oc-
curred because those responsible for risk management had their eyes on the
wrong ball. 11 Focusing on the right opportunities requires a full under-
standing of the risks.

References

1. D. Morrison, “The Boat’s Front ‘Just Went Straight Down,’” Atlanta
Constitution, 26 July 26 1979, 1C, 3C.
2. “Tragedy Shock Waves: Carbide Chief Urges Look at Chemical Industry
Safety,” Dallas Times Herald, 15 December 1984, 2A.
3. J. Stephenson, System Safety 2000: A Practical Guide for Planning, Managing
and Conducting System Safety Programs (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold,
1991), 134.
4. Center for Chemical Process Safety. Guidelines for Preventing Human Error
in Process Safety (New York: AICHE, 1994), 258. Copyright 1994, American
Institute of Chemical Engineers. Reproduced with permission.
5. “Standard Practice for System Safety (MIL-STD-882D),” U.S. Department of
Defense, 10 February 2000, 18–20.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. J. Reason, Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents (Aldershot,
Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing, 1997), 228.