TRAP Take Responsibility for Accident Prevention By Ranjan Kumar Asst Manager , CCL Ranchi

TRAP TRAP stands for “ Take Responsibility for Accident Prevention.” TRAP is pro-active program.This program is an employee-driven program that involves the worker, the supervisor, management in identifying, evaluating, and eliminating hazards in workplace. The emphasis of this program is not on analyzing accidents which have already happened, but on capturing near-miss information or identifying existing traps which have not produced injury or lost time events If you are proactive, you make things happen, instead of waiting for them to happen to you. Active means "doing something." The prefix pro- means "before." So if you are proactive, you are ready before something happens

How are traps set in the workplace? Normal mining practice A 21-year-old mechanical helper was doing cleanup work next to an energized conveyor belt. He noticed some built-up material under one of the return rollers.

Helper caught in conveyor

TRAPS may be set by… The workers A welder and two other workers were installing a pipe as part of a new construction project in a plant. They were working on a platform 30 meter off the ground. They had removed a section of the walkway, 2ft x 4ft, to install the pipe.

Welder old falls through platform

48 year old covered by falling material

What Should Be Done? Near misses need to be considered as warnings, analyzed, and used to prevent more serious accidents from occurring. Near misses are incidents which usually indicate the presence of a hazard - or in other words a “trap”. Traps come and go in the workplace daily, depending on the work activities and the employees. Some are simple, such as a cord stretched across a walkway. Some are more complex, such as a poorly designed set of controls on a mining machine.

Given just the right combination of inattention, timing, and bad luck, a trap can spring its teeth with serious results. What’s often discouraging is that, during many accident investigations, we find that the hazard, or trap, had existed prior to the accident (even involved in a near miss), but went unreported and uncorrected.

Why? The question is, “Why did the trap remain until an accident/incident happened?” Who had the opportunity to identify and correct the TRAP? How many near misses had occurred in the past?

Common Reasons Given Poor understanding of the importance of reporting It’s someone else’s job - not my responsibility Production pressures - don’t have time Fear of discipline Concern about personal accident history Don’t want to get involved

Common Reasons Given Knock one out of the safety incentive program Desire to prevent work interruption Concern about relationship with others Peer pressure No system in place to report or collect near miss situations No one cares

There are many other reasons employees don’t come forward with information concerning hazards or near miss situations. If only employees could understand that near miss situations present the best opportunity to get involved in accident prevention.

Near misses are free opportunities to identify, evaluate, and eliminate existing “traps” in the workplace. Employees are in the best position to recommend solutions to the problems when identified. They often know how to “disarm” the trap situation, if asked to do so.

Goal Of TRAP The goal to make the workplace safer for everyone.

Purpose Of Trap The emphasis of this program is not on analyzing accidents which have already happened, but on capturing near miss information or identifying existing traps which have not produced injury or lost time. That is not to say it is not important to properly analyze and correct reportable accidents.

Incident analysis should always take place. The purpose of this program is to encourage employees to report near miss situations or existing “traps” along with helping management find reasonable and economical solutions to problems.

The key to the program’s success is to get all the employees involved. This starts by addressing the barriers to reporting near miss events and creating incentives for identifying “traps”. Companies need to encourage employees to be “TRAP” hunters and find ways to dismantle any traps found.

THANK YOU