The Unwanted Event leading to Loss
The event in the cause - consequence sequence could almost be anything:
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fire, explosion
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flooding, landslides, windstorm, earthquake
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theft, mysterious disappearance
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loss of customer or market share
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not being able to enter new markets (product, geographical)
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accidents leading to loss: human, property, environment, business
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unplanned production interruption
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riot, civil commotion
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loss of key personnel
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loss of information
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industrial espionage
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loss of suppliers
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loss of resources, energy, water
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quality problems
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inefficiency, waste
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etcetera
In relation to injury, environmental and material damage one of the concepts is the energy trace / barrier
concept. The concept assume a contact between a source of energy and a body or object and energy exchange
between those at the time of the event. If the energy exchange is above the threshold limit value of body or object
and no adequate barriers are present then the result will be (visible) harm (injury or damage). If the energy
exchange is below the threshold value or when adequate barriers are present there may not be any (visible) loss.
However, the event may still have to be taken seriously. Under the different circumstances the event results could
be quite different.
Within the safety area, the types of event considered include:
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Struck against (running or bumping
into)
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Struck by (hit by moving
object)
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Fall to lower level
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Fall on same level
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Caught in (pinch or nip
points)
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Caught on (snagged, hung)
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Caught between or under (crushed or
amputated)
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Contact with (electricity, heat,
cold, radiation, caustics, toxic, noise)
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Overstress, overexertion,
overload
Barriers preventing the event to produce actual loss would include:
- Physical barriers, walls, shields, personal protective equipment, etc.
- Administrative barriers, procedures, work instructions
- Time related barriers, separating energy source and body or object in time
- Place related barriers, separating energy source and body or object in place
Reporting the unwanted event
The unwanted event can produce visible loss or not and the loss could be minimal of catastrophic. To learn from
the minor losses, use risk classification and figure out if the loss
could be significantly worse under different circumstances.
Minor or no-loss events may not get reported but they should as they could have been very different if the
circumstances would be different. The accident- or unwanted
event protocol should indicate what shall be reported, investigated etc. to come up with remedial actions so
they same would not happen again in the future.
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