For the purposes of this work, we must necessarily understand risk prevention, Industrial Safety or mining safety as the same material, what is important in this case is not the difference between them, but rather, "how" a business can be made more profitable, maintaining company resources available as long as possible, regardless of whether this is a productive or service company.
In general we could say that in both types of companies the same components, departments, systems or subsystems are needed, so that it can deliver a quality product or final service, the object of the business. What may vary between them are the risks and the way in which they will be effectively controlled, but the end result is always the same, avoiding accidents or losses that impair the normal operation of the company.
BASIS
Many times a manager or the top administration of a company wants or needs to implement an effective control system for injuries and / or damages in the company, to avoid losses, waste and resources that are out of budget, which affect the normal development of the service or productive activities of the company and generally does not know how or what type of advisers to turn to.
Generally, the information that reaches a manager is different from the real information of what happened in an unwanted event that produces losses or accidents, within the company, which damages the taking of a timely and effective decision, for effective control. of the risks that cause or may cause injury to workers or damage to materials, equipment, machinery and the environment.
For this reason, this work aims to show and help the different professionals linked to the company, for effective risk control and thus avoid losses, which may lead to the bankruptcy of a company, such as in a fire, multiple deaths, demands, etc.
Therefore it is essential to understand some important concepts to develop the idea.
The company system is made up of four subsystems that are people, equipment, material and environment are also known by the acronym GEMA.
Figure: GEMA
GEMA Set of elements or subsystems well interrelated and interacting harmoniously, these give rise to the operational and financial results that the company has planned to obtain. These subsystems are made up of people, equipment, materials, and the environment.
The company needs these four component elements or subsystems so they always require special attention in each of them and when a risk is not controlled at each stage of its generation, it can harm one or all of them together, such as for example, what happened in a fire or a lawsuit.
In the four elements mentioned there are specific risks that must be effectively controlled so that they do not produce losses, these risks are related to the specific activity of each company, since the risks of a transport company are different from a mining company, of services, metalworking, etc., although of course there are common risks in all activities. These activity-specific risks are called inherent risks.
CONCEPT OF RISK AND LOSS
All activity carries a risk, since the activity exempt from it represents total immobility. But even so, if we all stayed at home without doing anything and all productive and service activities stopped, the risk would still exist, there is no doubt that minor but they would exist, zero risk does not exist.
So, we must define the risk as:
The probability that a hazard (imminent cause of loss), existing in a given activity during a defined period, will cause an incident with consequences that can be estimated.
We can also understand it as the loss potential that exists associated with a productive operation, when the conditions defined as standards change in an unplanned way to guarantee the operation of a process or the productive system as a whole.
Uncontrolled risk makes the achievement of operational objectives uncertain.
Risks in general can be classified as pure risk and speculative risk.
Speculative risk is that risk in which there is the possibility of winning or losing, such as betting or gambling. On the other hand, the pure risk is the one that occurs in the company and there is the possibility of losing or not losing but never winning.
The pure risk in the company in turn is classified into:
Inherent risk
Pure risk
Built-in risk
The inherent risk Is that risk that by its nature cannot be separated from the situation where it exists. It is typical of the work to be done. It is the own risk of each company according to its activity, for example those shown in the following table.
| TYPE OF COMPANY | MAIN INHERENT RISKS |
| Transport | Crashes, collisions, overturning |
| Metal mechanics | Burns, bumps, |
| Building | Different level drop, bumps, entrapment |
| Mining | Landslides, explosions, falls entrapment |
| Services | Shock, collisions, lumbago, falls |
The built-in risk is that risk that is not characteristic of the activity, but rather the product of little responsible behavior of a worker, who assumes other risks in order to achieve something that he believes is good for him and / or the company, such as for example, saving time, finishing work early to stand out, showing your colleagues that you are better, etc.
The following are examples of embedded risks:
1.- Nail with a pliers or wrench and not with a hammer.
2..- Climb a scaffold without tying
3.- Remove the protection from an angle grinder or grinder.
4.- Raise without bending the knees.
5.- Lifting or transporting overweight
6.- Transit at excess speed
7.- Do not repair a mechanical failure immediately
8.- Work on a machine without protection on moving parts
The risks inherent in a company must be controlled and / or eliminated those that are possible, since as these are in direct relation to the activity of the company, if they do not assume it, it cannot exist. The built-in risks should be removed immediately.
When a risk is out of our control they produce accidents that cause deaths, disabling injuries, damage to equipment, materials and / or the environment. All this results as a loss for the company, since an accident occurred the company must:
1.- Hire a new worker and prepare him for that activity.
2.- Redistribute workers in the area.
3.- Waste of time
4.- Insurance increases
5.- Buy or repair machinery and / or equipment
6.- Payment of compensation
7.- Loss of time of the workers involved in the accident
Accidents as a result of uncontrolled risk can be so great that they can end up in a company leading to the termination of all its workers.
In summary
Accident is a loss or is an unwanted event, which produces losses.
The risk with the greatest potential for loss is that which is not known.
IS THE RISK CONTROL PROGRAM A NEED IN THE COMPANY?
Many people have probably wondered
Why talk so much about risk control or risk prevention?
Why should five-minute daily operational talks be held?
Why should weekly comprehensive talks be held?
Why are there safety signs and posters throughout the company?
Why is there so much insistence that risk prevention or safety standards are to meet them?
Why, before a worker enters the company or the work must he attend an induction talk?
There is no doubt that there are many reasons behind the effective risk control program for operations. Once we have talked about them for a few minutes, I think we will all agree that each of those reasons is very valuable.
From any point of view, risk control is good business for the company, for the workers, for their families and for the general population.
Let's stop for a minute to highlight these points, risk control is a good business for everyone. Accidents often cost much more than we think. Damaged equipment is expensive to repair, sometimes it cannot be repaired and needs to be replaced. When an accident with injuries occurs, almost everyone in the vicinity stops working and tries to help the injured person, which is why the company loses money since normal work is not being carried out.
As a result, one man or several, have to work overtime to comply with the production or the scheduled advance of the department or area where the injured person worked, which he should have done.
There is also the cost of training a new worker who will take the place of the injured person until he can return to work, if he ever returns. But still this new worker is not going to have the same productivity as the worker injured by fear or lack of experience. Similarly, the injured worker when he returns to work will also need a conditioning time.
Accidents surely cost the company money. But it also costs money for workers. Accidents also contribute to inefficiency and losses. You cannot have a department or area where you work very effectively and where production is very high if accidents that interrupt regular work frequently occur, injuring trained workers who perform a task difficult to be performed by a substitute.
The risk control program ensures that we pay a little more attention to the work environment and the dangers that surround it. With this you get more production and more safety at work.
A company with a first-class risk management program is a good place to work.
A worker can be sure that risk control is important for the company, if the machines are well protected, with up-to-date maintenance, there is good light, an efficient design and better order and cleaning.
If there are talks, job security analysis, the administrator or manager visits the different work areas making safety inspections and personal contacts.
The person who goes to work there will want to help keep the company a safe place to work. The posters, talks, brochures, mini-guides, and all the material used in risk prevention programs will make some sense to that person.
Finally, a good risk control program helps the company to be more respected in the community.
The family of each of the workers will be able to feel sure that not only they, but also the company, are trying to prevent accidents by controlling risks, to protect their future.
In summary, with effective risk control:
Protects the physical integrity of all workers
Manages to reduce costs
Protects and keeps operating equipment, tools, materials and work environment
A climate of trust and pride is created for the company and work
The risk control risk program works in two ways:
Ä Offers expert people to advise how accidents can be prevented, Ä It helps each of the workers to put "a safe mark on everything they do" and in this way avoid injuries to both the worker himself and his colleagues.
When we are working, remember that the risk control program can be summarized in these few words:
The best Preventionist or security manager that exists is each one of us.
FUNDAMENTAL ADVANTAGES OF RISK PREVENTION / INDUSTRIAL SAFETY
1.- Control of occupational injuries and illnesses to workers
2.- Control of damage to company assets such as facilities and materials
3.- Lower insurance costs and compensation
4.- Control of time losses
5.- Lower staff turnover due to absences from work or medical leave
6.- No time is wasted in quotes for equipment replacement
7.- Involvement, leadership, image
8.- Continuity of the normal production process
PERSONALIZED RISK PREVENTION / INDUSTRIAL SAFETY PROGRAM
We have already discussed risk, but not how to control it, what we should do, who does it and how it is done.
The personalized program is a calendaring or programming of periodic activities that each member of the company must carry out in order to show their involvement or commitment to the control of operational risk, to finally make the business more profitable and know in detail fundamental aspects that without this program could not be known. In addition, in this way, the upper management has absolute certainty of what happens in certain areas of the same and fundamentally which areas need their special attention.
These activities are directly related to the position held by the worker, for example, a general manager has different activities from area managers, administrators, area managers, supervisors, foremen, workers, etc.
Each company must adjust its own personalized program according to its organic structure and business purpose, without forgetting that the end goal is the same.
BASIC PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
Every personalized program must have the following activities as a minimum, which must necessarily be recorded on the respective forms:
1.- Monthly analysis meeting: This meeting aims to analyze month by month the management and progress of the personalized program to correct, analysis of accidents and / or losses, control compliance with corrective measures, training needs, redirect, congratulate, call the attention etc. This meeting must necessarily be recorded on the corresponding form. It is recommended to perform it once a month before the 5th of the month following the analysis. The person responsible for the meeting is the general manager or whoever replaces him.
2.- Safety inspections: It is an operational activity that is carried out in a systematic and permanent way, carried out by the supervision or the Management, in order to detect, analyze and control the risks incorporated into the equipment, material and environment that They can affect the functioning of production processes, compromising results. The purpose of the Inspection is to verify or inspect substandard conditions of the equipment, machinery, tools, environment, etc., that may cause losses.
3.- Safety observations: It is an operational activity that is carried out systematically to verify that the tasks are being carried out according to current procedures, which guarantees that there will be no losses due to physical damage to resources, less production, low quality, waste, delay or delay. It is the best way to know how people execute their tasks should be done personally and selectively by the supervisor. The purpose of the Observation is to verify or observe in the field the behavior and attitude of the workers towards safety.
4.- Personal or group contacts: These are small meetings that the superior administration and the supervision in charge carry out with the workers in a certain work area, to discuss a specific issue related to its operation and safety. The main objective is to congratulate, correct or confirm work procedures, motivate, make known the safety, environment or quality policy, etc.
5.- Five-minute daily talks: Every day before the start of work, each supervisor or area manager will meet with their staff to quickly analyze the day's tasks, their risks and their forms of control, the security elements that are They will wear and any important aspect of the day. This talk is by department or work area.
6.- Weekly comprehensive talk: Once a week all workers will receive a talk that will cover the same subject for all staff. In this talk, topics such as safety, quality, environment, news, laws or decrees, analyzing a work procedure, congratulating, calling for cooperation, following up on corrective actions, etc. can be discussed. The person in charge of the talk is the Risk Prevention Advisor and / or the Head of the area and all the company's workers must participate.
7.- Accident investigation: It is a preventive activity aimed at determining the causes of accidents, taking action so that they do not recur in the future. For the control of the risks that produced the loss in the company, it is essential that there is dissemination of the accident investigation throughout the company as a weekly comprehensive talk. The main objective of this is that the analysis of the accident allows risk control by personnel who were not involved in the accident.
THE STATISTICS
Periodically, the company's security officer must withdraw the forms of activities carried out.
The statistics must be performed monthly, comparing what is scheduled with what is actually done in the month. When the program has been carried out for months, its effectiveness can also be compared between the different months.
In addition, in this study it is possible to observe the actions or work areas that require greater attention or which present a greater degree of risk or safety.
You can also determine actions or conditions that can be rewarded for advances in risk control.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Risk Prevention Course of the Chilean Security Association
Notes of Mutual Security Security
Notes and Safety Talks made by the author himself
Work done by: Víctor Belmar Muñoz
Expert in Risk Prevention and Mining Safety
IMPLEMENTATION OF AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM
CONTROL OF OPERATIONAL RISK IN THE COMPANY
Contributed by: Víctor Belmar Muñoz
Mining Engineer, Professional Expert in Risk Prevention, Expert in Mining Safety
