We recently designed and delivered a medical emergency exercise inside an ATEX area at a client’s premises. The scenario was selected to test the facilities’ ability to respond quickly to a medical emergency in a restricted area.
Under normal circumstances anyone entering an ATEX area will go through a gowning-up process where potential sources of ignition or contamination are removed. In a medical emergency, time is critical and the life of a person may be totally dependent on a quick response from first aiders.
In this exercise the Emergency Response Team had three decision to make:
- Send the first aiders into the ATEX area without hesitation
- Bring the injured person out of the ATEX to the waiting first aiders
- Use the LELs in the ATEX to determine if any risks existed at that time that would prevent medical attention getting inside
Every site is different and a one-size-fits-all policy is seldom a good idea. Exercises like this force organisations to stop and think about their response and ensure that they key staff know what to do and how to do it.
Contact www.cuttleconsulting.ie for advice on testing your emergency response plans.
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