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| Health and Safety - Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) | |||
| Experience of collapse structure incidents has shown that collapses are rarely total and often leave voids inside the debris, a fact that can result in numerous casualties trapped under large amounts of very heavy and often unstable debris. The emergency services are then faced with complex rescue operations within one of the most hazardous environments imaginable. In such a working environment, safety is paramount. Firefighters require an awareness of the hazards and precaution/control measures associated with Collapsed Structure incidents in order to carry out an adequate dynamic risk assessment in accordance with the principles set out in ‘Dynamic Management of Risk at Operational Incidents - a fire service guide’ and to avoid becoming victims themselves. |  |
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Rescue operations are time critical and the crews involved may be subject to extreme pressure created by public expectation. The effect of this pressure on the decision-making process poses an additional risk that should not be underestimated. Despite the pressure for action, Incident Commanders must be aware that this type of incident is likely to be protracted in nature and will need to plan accordingly. |
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| Reference | Title | ||
| SOP_HAS001 | Generic Precautions in Rescue Work |  |
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| SOP_HAS002 | Generic USAR Operations | |
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| SOP_HAS003 | Vibration Management | |
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| SOP_HAS004 | Noise Management | |
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