Inside this issue...

-    How to secure the scene of a serious/major injury or illness, including fatalities

Dear reader,

A colleague recently lent me seasons three and four of Bones, the crime drama about a forensic anthropologist and an FBI agent, played by the scrumptious David Boreanaz. I must admit, the scenes can be quite gory, and I shudder to think of their health and safety issues (this is obviously irrelevant, seeing as it’s a fictional story!).

But it got me thinking… if a severe incident occurred in your workplace, would the health and safety measures you’ve put in place be sufficient?

How to secure the scene of a serious/major injury or illness, including fatalities

There’s an explosion in an electrical transformer while your maintenance crew is doing a routine service. One of your employees dies, and three others sustain multiple injuries, including severe burns and shock.

You must:

- Isolate electrical power supply to the area
- Raise the alarm
- Extinguish the fire
- Provide first aid to the injured people and arrange for transfer to hospital
- Inform the South African Police and Department of Labour
- When authorised, arrange for the removal of the body
- Barricade the area so no unauthorised persons can enter. This enables
  you to prevent any additional injuries and preserve evidence of what
  caused the explosion
- Await the Department of Labour Inspector and authorisation to clear
  the incident scene once he’s completed his inspection
 
In the name of safety,

Christel Fouché