Emergency Procedures, Incident Response and Accident Prevention
Emergency planning starts before the lift. Know the emergency stop location and how it latches; know how to isolate power; know the site emergency contacts, assembly point and first-aid arrangements; and know what to do if a load shifts, a rope fails, the platform jams, the brake slips, communication is lost or a person enters the exclusion zone.
Response sequence in general terms: stop the hoist using the emergency stop; make the area safe and keep people clear; isolate power; render first aid and call emergency services if needed; do not move a jammed or damaged hoist or a suspended load unless directed by a competent person under a controlled plan; preserve the scene; then notify the person in control and report as required by law. Notifiable incidents typically include death, serious injury or illness, and dangerous incidents such as plant collapse, failure of a component under load, or an uncontrolled load. Report internally as well, promptly and in writing.
Accident prevention is the same cycle as risk management: investigate near misses as seriously as incidents, find the underlying cause rather than the immediate act, and verify that corrective actions were actually implemented.
Traps: questions that reward rushing to free a jammed platform; confusing internal reporting with the regulator's notifiable incident duty; and treating a near miss as not worth recording.
Rule of thumb: stop, secure, isolate, assist, notify, record - in that order.