Recognition and Use of Sentinel Markers in Preventing Industrial Disasters

Workers, managers, occupational health and safety inspectors, and the general community can be trained to detect and promote action by the use of sentinel markers for detecting industrial disasters. A sentinel marker is a pre-disaster warning sign of impending failure in prevention. Administration sentinel markers are: weak occupational health and safety programs; lack of spontaneous access to top management; failure to accept responsibility for sub-contractors; absence of written disaster plans and drills for emergency response in the factory and in the adjacent community; non-investigation of prodromal leaks, exposures, spills, or injuries; punishment of “ trouble-some” individuals (“whistleblowers”) reporting prodromal events; non-use or misuse of data on illness, injury, and absenteeism; and suboptimal work conditions and supervision of shift workers. Information sentinel markers are: absence of worker and community right-to-know programs; non-use of data on earlier mishaps from similar technologies; and failure to provide toxicologic data to hospitals in the pre-disaster phase. Technological sentinel markers include the absence of fail-safe controls, interlocks, and automated alarm systems driven by real-time monitoring. Transportation sentinel markers include suboptimal vehicle standards, alcohol and drug abuse, and fatigue in drivers. Preventive programs based on identification of all sentinel markers by workers and others outside a narrow spectrum of specialists are suggested to be more effective than are selective actions based on risk assessment analysis.