The Ras Laffan Emergency & Safety College (RLESC) was established in 2013 to help educate professionals about the handling of various emergencies that can arise in oil-producing and military environments. Its creation was a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and the Qatar Ministry of Interior, and professionals from the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service provide training, both certified and otherwise.
Practical experience is vital for a responder, as it is easy to become confused in many emergencies. As such, RLESC features a variety of realistic training facilities where students learn to deal with specific situations in a controlled environment. However, even if the dangers are simulated, they still present a variety of risks for students and educators. This paper will discuss the most significant dangers currently present at RLESC and recommend ways to address them.
Workplace Description
RLESC teaches students how to deal with various dangerous situations and protect themselves as well as others. Due to the origins of the college, a significant emphasis is put on firefighting in the variety of environments where they can occur. Students learn to handle fires at industrial facilities, both indoors and outdoors, and lead teams of other firefighters. They are instructed on addressing specific liquids as well as fires at warehouses and other bulk storage locations, where large quantities of fuel are available.
The courses also cover airport, marine, and civil firefighting, qualifying graduates to work in a variety of professions, including both rescue workers and inspectors. All of the courses feature real fires to demonstrate the potential issues that can emerge in a situation and teach students practical skills.
However, fires are not the only subject taught at RLESC, even if they are featured prominently. A variety of issues can accompany emergencies, and the College’s courses try to address most or all of them. They include the handling of hazardous materials, both in normal conditions and after a leak, defensive driving, and rescue skills. All of these programs also feature specialized training simulations that try to approximate real-world situations.
They prepare students who undertake them to receive the appropriate certifications that match a worldwide standard or qualify them to take the corresponding exam. RLESC also partners with the University of Central Lancashire to allow its students to continue their education and receive a bachelor’s degree in the appropriate discipline. Overall, the college offers theoretical and practical learning of excellent quality to people who go there to grow as professionals.
Risk Assessment
The risk assessment process is usually based on three core principles: the identification of potential issues, detailed analysis, and prioritization. During the first stage, the manager tries to discover what problems can emerge during the facility’s normal operations. However, they should take into account the fact that it is usually not possible to explicitly discover every possible problem that can occur and be prepared to revise the system based on new findings.
Once an issue has been identified, it is necessary to understand how it can affect operations, how likely it is to manifest, and how it may be addressed. Based on these findings, the risk management team can assign priorities and resources to the handling of each problem based on how significant the analysis finds them. In the case of RLESC, four primary risk categories can be separated: fire, health, safety, and environmental.
The students at the College learn to handle real fires in facilities located on the campus. These locations are designed so that the outbreaks can be controlled and do not present a substantial danger if handled appropriately. However, regardless of the precautions taken, a risk of an open flame spreading always exists, whether through internal faults or exacerbating external conditions. Even if the flames cannot extend beyond the facility, they can spread within it and present a danger to the students who undertake training within it.
As such, it is critical that countermeasures to address any unexpected fire behaviors that can endanger people are implemented. Small deviations from normal behavior can be overlooked as possible in real-world situations and contribute to training. However, the people who overlook the training should always be ready and able to address potentially dangerous development.
As discussed above, fires present a potential health hazard if they spread out and become uncontrollable, potentially trapping people. Also, the inhalation of smoke from a fire, even a controlled one, can harm a person significantly. Their health can deteriorate substantially through repeated contact with smoke, especially if not monitored. The hazardous substances used in training may produce fumes that can also hurt a person during extensive contact.
The tools and materials used for the management of dangerous circumstances can create occupational hazards faster due to the inexperience of the users. The people who clean the facilities and prepare them for repeated usage will frequently have to handle the residue of dangerous substances and situations. With that said, most of these risks come from prolonged exposure and careless handling, which are unlikely to take place due to the nature of the environment.
However, the other training courses presented at RLESC can also be dangerous to a person if unexpected situations occur. The hazardous materials used in the corresponding training may be dangerous if they come into contact with a person. Driving simulations can lead to car crashes and severe injuries if the student loses control of the car for whatever reason. In rescue simulations, the ropes and harnesses or other tools used can manifest issues and malfunction, possibly leading to trauma. As mentioned above, fire is always unsafe due to its tendency for unpredictable behavior and rapid spreading.
In general, the nature of the College means that students are exposed to danger regularly, making risks unavoidable. Regardless, it is critical to ensure that no harm comes to the students as they learn to handle these dangers competently and possibly make mistakes.
When compared to many industrial facilities, the environmental risks presented by RLESC are relatively little. The fires that occur during training scenarios pollute the air with smoke, but the amounts are generally negligible. Hazardous substances may leak into the ground and damage the surrounding area in the event of a catastrophic failure, but the College does not store them in large amounts.
In general, the facility does not use substantial resources from its surrounding area, transporting them from distant locations instead. As such, there is little risk of resource depletion in most or all regards, with the materials used declining slowly and being easily replaceable. The pollution produced by the facility is generally low, and the environment will likely not grow dangerous to people. As such, this variety of risk does not warrant substantial attention at the moment, though the management would be prudent to keep monitoring it.
Recommendations
RLESC should implement systems that quickly and effectively end fire simulations if the students cannot handle them in situations where such measures are not present yet. It should also adjust its simulation designs so that there is always a safe escape path for students if they are in danger. It is also critical that fires cannot spread beyond the area where they have started even if they go out of control.
Most of these issues have likely been at least partially addressed during the planning, so there should not be many difficulties adjusting scenarios where necessary. In driver training, the cars used should feature systems where someone else can take over or apply emergency brakes if mishaps occur. Hazardous materials should be replaced with safe alternatives that behave similarly wherever possible, and training equipment should have several redundancy levels and undergo regular maintenance and checking.
Students should undergo regular health screenings that would test them for issues that they may develop as a result of prolonged contact with dangerous substances. Psychological evaluations that would confirm their ability to manage dangerous situations and suggest methods to improve their performance would also be beneficial. People who prepare the facilities should receive particular attention due to their higher-than-average contact with hazards. RLESC should also consider its environment and ensure that any waste that it produces is handled correctly and does not contribute to pollution. The College should stay a clean and safe environment for students to continue learning about the management of emergencies without endangering themselves.
Conclusion
Overall, as a facility designed to teach people about the handling of dangerous situations and turn them into certified professionals, RLESC has excellent risk management. However, dangers are impossible to eliminate, and there may be some opportunities for improvement at the facility. Fire and safety are the primary concerns that should be monitored closely, with health and environmental issues taking a secondary position.
In response, the College should commit to ensuring that students can avoid danger even if accidents occur and that its controlled flames do not spread. It should also conduct regular health checks and monitor its environmental performance to identify any issues early. By focusing on its activities, it should minimize its current risks and continue delivering excellent and safe education.