There has been a myriad of heartbreaking accidents around the world where innumerable people have lost their valuable lives. It all boils down to a lack of safety awareness. Breach of safety regulations not only leads to catastrophic consequences in workplaces but also in day to day life of a common man. This reminds us of a recent incident where a 28-year-old youngster Mr. Ismail from Fulsawangi village in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra built his own helicopter aspiring to launch a manufacturing company in the future; he died when one of the broken rotor blades of the helicopter hit him in the head while doing a trial run. One of the close acquaintances of the deceased claimed that he failed to make a checklist & inspect everything in an orderly manner. Also, he had an RPM meter only for the main rotor and not the tail rotor. He was unaware of the tail rotor’s speed and this could have led to the accident. Another major reason for the accident was not wearing a safety helmet during the trial run.
It is clearly evident that the youngster though competent was not qualified enough to handle the helicopter. It is mandatory for a flight operator to attain the required flight hours and training under a certified instructor. Due to lack of required skill & awareness, the operator failed to follow a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and task-specific Risk Assessment. Performing Risk Assessment itself would have helped the operator to identify the risks & hazards involved. Also, in order to operate any type of machinery General Safety Awareness is required. This helps in taking proactive measures and avoid any fatal accidents. A thorough Incident Investigation will reveal the primary cause of an accident and also provides awareness for the future generation to avoid such accidents.
To conclude, Safety should be considered as a priority in even the minute task one does! If not, it may lead to miserable consequences – even death!
NOTE
NIST Global - NEBOSH | IOSH | IEMA | AHA | Highfield 