DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN
Disasters are major accidents which cause wide
spread disruption of human and commercial
activities.
Normally, common accidents are absorbed by the
community, but disasters are major accidents and
community cannot absorb them with their own
resources.
Most of the disasters, natural or technological (man
made) have sudden onset and give very short notice
or not item to prevent the occurrence.
DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN
Disasters may cause loss of human life, injuries and
long term disablement of people working in the
organization and local community around the
industrial area.
Normally, loss of lives, total or partial disability have
more impact on the community than damage to the
properties.
Damage to the property has a long term social
impact like loss of revenue, employment and
rebuilding cost and lead to sever economic
constraints.
DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN
In spite of a petroleum installation following
sound design, engineering and management
practices, the possibility of a major accident or
disaster cannot be ruled out.
The threat of a major fire, explosion, toxic release
or natural disasters involving employees,
property, public and environment is always there.
When an emergency situation like this develops,
it is necessary that a concise and well-written
emergency plan should be in place in every
petroleum installation which can be put into
action without loss of any time.
Most of the emergency situations can be
controlled by careful evaluation of the anticipated
possible events and evolving a plan to meet such
situations and organize suitable drills or
rehearsals for effective implementation at the time
of emergency.
A major emergency can develop due to failure of
operating and containment systems or due to
natural disasters like cyclones, earthquakes,
floods, lightning, etc.
In case of natural disasters, not much can be
done to avoid their occurrences, but a good
disaster/emergency plan can minimize the
casualties and damages by well conceived
evacuation,
rehabilitation
and
clean-up
programmes.
DEFNITION OF EMERGENCY:
The type of emergency primarily considered here is
the major emergency which may be defined one which
has the potential to cause serious danger to persons
and /or damage to property and which tends to cause
disruption inside and /or outside the site and may
require the use of outside resources.
Emergency is a general term implying hazardous
situation both inside and outside the factory premises.
Thus the emergencies termed "on-site" when it
confines itself within the factory even though it may
require external help and "off-site" when emergency
extends beyond its premises.
It is to be understood here, that if an emergency
occurs inside the plant and could not be controlled, it
may lead to an off - site emergency.
EMERGENCY PLANNING:
A major emergency in a works is one which has the
potential to cause serious injury or loss of life.
May cause serious disruptions both inside or outside
the works
A major emergency can develop due to failure of
operating and containment systems or due to natural
disasters like cyclones, earthquakes, floods,
lightning, etc.
In case of natural disasters, not much can be done to
avoid
their
occurrences,
but
a
good
disaster/emergency plan can minimize the casualties
and damages by well conceived evacuation,
rehabilitation and clean-up programmes.
ACTIVITIES THAT CAN REDUCE
THE RISK OF ACCIDENTS:
•Good Design
•Good Operation
•Good Maintenance
•Good Inspection
Basic of Major Emergency Management Plan
A major emergency plan also called On-site
Emergency Plan or a Disaster Management Plan is
a master plan containing the emergency response,
responsibilities of key members, communication
means and response strategies to control a range
of major incidents.
The word "disaster" refers to those emergency
situations where the number of casualties is very
large like in natural calamities.
However, the term is used quite broadly for any
major emergency.
This plan is drafted after a careful analysis and
assessment of various risks associated with the
installations.
The plan should also follow the provisions of
Section 41-B of the Factories Act, 1948 and the
guidelines from the Chief Inspector of Factories
of the state.
The civic authorities of the area usually prepare
disaster plans for emergency situations outside
the premises.
The management of the installation should give
full cooperation to the civic authorities in
preparing what is called as Off-site Emergency
Plan.
This is of importance especially in case of
emergencies arising during transportation of
petroleum and other hazardous products from/to
an installation.
Objectives of Emergency Plan
The overall objectives of a major emergency
management plan are summarized as below:
•
To contain and control emergency incidents.
To prevent loss of life and minimize the risk
of bodily injuries to employees and neighboring
population.
•
To minimize damage to company installation
and public property.
•
•To minimize impact on environment.
•
To provide maximum possible safety to the
emergency response personnel.
• To inform employees, public, and authorities about
the risks assessed, safeguards provided and role of
the organization.
•
To dovetail properly with the off-site plan of
the local authorities.
•
To seek help from the company's corporate
office, sister companies and outside agencies.
Emergency/Disaster Scenarios
Every petroleum installation should identify the
possible major emergency situations for which a
disaster plan has to be made.
A list of probable emergency scenarios
applicable to any installations is given below:
•Fire
•Explosion
•Toxic Release
•Drowning
•
Cyclone/Storm
•
Earthquake
•
Flood
•
Air raid
•
Product/Transport emergency
Categorization of Emergencies
As a general practice, emergency situations are
categorized into three levels depending upon their
magnitude and consequences.
These levels are:
Level-1
The emergency situation arising in any section of
one particular plant/area which is minor in nature
and can be controlled within the affected section
itself with the help of in-house shift staff.
Such an emergency does not have the potential to
cause serious injuries or damage to property,
environment and the domino effect to other
sections of the installation.
Level-2
The emergency situation arising in one or more
plants/areas which has the potential to cause
serious
injuries,
property
loss
and/or
environmental damage in the installation.
Such an emergency situation always warrants to
mobilize all the resources available in-house and
/or outside to mitigate the emergency.
The impact of this level of emergency is however,
within the installation.
Level-3
If level-2 emergency by virtue of its
consequences can spread and affect the nearby
community outside the premises, it is termed as
level-3 emergency.
Elements of a Major Emergency Management
Plan
A good and effective emergency or disaster plan
should have the following elements:
Emergency Organization with responsibilities of
key members
•
Key Members and their contact numbers
•
Emergency Control centre
A brief explanation of these elements is
given below which can be helpful in preparing
disaster
plan of any petroleum installation.
Emergency Organization and Responsibilities of Key
Members
Management of a major emergency in an installation
requires a well-coordinated team with a senior
member of the installation acting as head of the
emergency team.
He is called the Chief Emergency Commander.
An organ gram of the emergency management team
showing the reporting of various key members
should be made.
The responsibilities of each key member should be
clearly written and made known to the member.
The members should be made familiar with their
roles by regular drills/rehearsals as explained later
on.
Key Members and Their Contact Numbers
A key member for coordinating each of the following
functions of an emergency should be identified:
i. Operations
ii. Security
iii. Medical
iv. Rescue/Evacuation
v. Human Resources
vi. Emergency Maintenance and Repairs
vii. Emergency Materials
viii. Technical and Engineering Services
ix. Transportation
x. Public Relations
A list showing the contact telephone numbers of all
the key members should be made which should
be regularly updated to incorporate any changes.
This list should be available to each member to be
kept handy in his wallet.
Emergency Control Centre
An emergency control centre in a safe place in the
installation should be identified.
This centre should be equipped with necessary
communication equipment-telephones, walkietalkies, VHS radio sets, mobile phones, etc., and
essential documents of the installation.
The chief emergency commander and most of the
emergency team members will operate from this
centre.
Emergency Communication
A reliable system of informing the various people
in the installation should be in place.
This can be a siren or an alarm system, which is
audible in the whole installation.
VHS radio can be used to communicate the
emergency situation to civic authorities and other
outside agencies, which need to be informed of
the emergency.
who have already become the victims of the
emergency.
Alternate locations for housing the evacuees
should be identified.
A safe assembly point should be identified for
each plant/area in the installation where people
not required during the emergency will
assemble from where they can be easily taken
out to alternate locations.
This aspect of the emergency plan is very
critical during natural disasters when a largescale evacuation/rescue is called for.
who have already become the victims of the
emergency. Alternate locations for housing the
evacuees should be identified.
A safe assembly point should be identified for
each plant/area in the installation where people
not required during the emergency will assemble
from where they can be easily taken out to
alternate locations.
This aspect of the emergency plan is very critical
during natural disasters when a large-scale
evacuation/rescue is called for.
Mutual Aid
Some times the internal resources of an
organization may not be adequate to handle a
major emergency situation. In such situations,
external help can be sought from the neighboring
units and government agencies.
A written agreement should be made with the
neighboring organizations in the area to help
each other with additional resources in case of
any emergency situation arising in their
installations.
The contact numbers for all these organizations
should be available with each organization.
Regular mock drills should be conducted to
check the response of the mutual-aid members.
Emergency Inventories
It is necessary for every petroleum installation to
maintain a minimum inventory of various
emergency consumables and equipment for fire
fighting, medical, pollution control and safety.
A list of these inventories should be a part of the
emergency plan.
Regular physical check of stock levels of these
inventories should be done against this list and
immediate action should be taken to replenish
them if required.
SUMARRY
In spite of all the precautions and safe procedures
followed, the chance of an emergency arising in a
petroleum operation can not be ruled out.
Therefore a good written emergency/disaster
management plan should be in place.
This unit discussed important guidelines for making
emergency plan specific to your installation.
The importance of rehearsing this plan periodically was
also discussed.