Incident Response, Emergency Procedures, and Chain of Responsibility
The core idea
When something goes wrong, the priorities are safety, then notification, then evidence. Questions test the order and the duties.
Concepts to master
- Immediate safety: stop safely, warn other traffic (hazards, triangles), and move people to safety.
- Casualty care: call emergency services; do not move injured people unless there is immediate danger.
- Spill and fire: isolate, do not smoke, and notify authorities; hazardous loads need specialist response.
- Reporting: report to police and the operator as required; record details and photographs.
- Chain of responsibility after an incident: investigate whether scheduling, loading, or maintenance contributed; duties continue after the event.
- Evidence: preserve the scene, take notes, and exchange details.
Traps in questions
- Moving an injured person when there is no immediate danger.
- Leaving the scene to "report later".
- Ignoring a spill because it looks minor.
- Treating an incident as only the driver's responsibility.
Worked rule of thumb
Follow protect-notify-record: protect the scene and people, notify emergency services and the operator, then record evidence. In that order.
Key points
- Protect people and the scene first.
- Notify emergency services and the operator promptly.
- Do not move injured people unless in immediate danger.
- Treat spills and fires as specialist incidents.
- CoR duties continue after an incident.