What To Do After an Explosion in Your Factory
Everyone knows that factories aren’t the safest place to work. Although they have come a long way in terms of safety, accidents can still occur—and that includes explosions. While the likelihood of this type of threat will vary, depending on the industry, it’s still crucial for those in charge to know what to do after an explosion occurs in their factory.
Make Sure Everyone Gets to Safety
Immediately following the explosion, you must ensure everyone makes it to safety. You’ve likely already set up protocols for this type of occurrence, but during the heat of the moment, not all of your employees will be thinking clearly. It’s up to you to make sure everyone makes it to the designated safe areas so you can get a proper head count.
Check the Scene of the Explosion
After first responders arrive to stop any fires and care for potential wounded, it’ll be your job to check out the scene of the explosion. Of course, you should wait to make sure that no follow-up explosions are possible, but once it’s clear, you need to go in to assess the situation. Mostly, you’ll be checking for damages, so you can create a report of what your company will need to fix or replace. However, you might also be able to figure out what caused the explosion once you get in there.
Talk to Your Company’s Lawyers
Once you have an idea of what went down, the next thing you should do after an explosion in your factory is check in with your lawyers. Hopefully, the cause of this accident wasn’t due to negligence, but either way, they will be able to help you with the next steps—especially if employees got injured from the blast. They will also be able to help you figure out what damages will be covered by your insurance.
Bring In a Forensic Engineering Consultant
Sometimes, the aftermath of an explosion won’t be this straightforward. In the case that you aren’t sure what to do after the incident, it would be a good idea to bring in a specialist. There are many reasons to hire a forensic engineering consultant to assist you after a factory explosion. They can help you with many of the previous points if needed, but the main reason to bring an expert is to make sure something like this never happens again.
The data they collect, combined with suggestions based on their own knowledge and experience, can help you set up a new system that’s far less prone to explosions. While they can’t guarantee a 100% success rate, they can help you ensure the chance of a future explosion is significantly less.
