For those of us in the business of keeping people safe and solving problems, there seem to be potential hazards everywhere. I am continually struck by the number of these hazards I find in public places every day. One recent encounter with potential risk led me to create a simple Cause Map.
I was making my way to a gate in a major airport. As I was going up the escalator from the subway train, I happened to look up and I saw a scaffold hanging directly over my head near the top of the escalator. Any time something is dangling over my head, I get a bit concerned. So, I climbed to the top of the walkway to investigate. The scaffold has access ladders and toe-boards. Very desirable features.
However the scaffold could be accessed by someone without work authorization.
This is an excellent example of combined Root Cause Analysis and Risk Assessment.
The scaffold is custom built, not a typical design. Not only is it dangling from the top walkway, but it is on wheels, with one side rolling on a walkway and the other rolling on a flimsy wooden track.
This rolling scaffold arrangement looked quite clever from a work execution standpoint; I suspect it was not an engineered scaffold.
Also it wasn’t clear what task was being accomplished, the work had stopped and the worksite was unattended. From the top looking down, I observed the travelers on the escalator. Not one person looked up to notice the potential hazard above them.
Nothing fell. No one was hurt. But it was clear to me that people were at risk. With over 100,000 people per day taking this route, this risk could be considered unacceptable.
The equation for Risk = Consequence (multiplied) Probability
Consequence – Serious Injury from falling stuff
Probability – many dice rolls with significant number of people in Line-of-Fire
CORRECTIVE ACTIONS
1. Block escalator during process
2. Perform the work quickly and remove the scaffold when it isn’t manned.
3. Caution signage indicating that this is a working area
Moral of this story; Always look Up.
Cheers, Loyd.
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