Characteristics of hazards and examples of their occurrence - Exemplifications of construction disasters.

Construction workers from Bielsko-Biała were performing an underground excavation under the narrow Leszczynowa street in Szczyrk on Wednesday, December 4, 2019, to lay electrical cables. During the construction work, it is likely that a medium-pressure gas pipeline was damaged, as reported by the Polish Gas Company. Around 6:26 PM, an explosion occurred in the basement of a nearby three-story single-family house. The explosion caused the building to collapse.

Photo 2.1.1 The site of the disaster in Szczyrk[1].

The firefighting and rubble searching operation took place amidst smoke and sub-zero temperatures. The next day at 7 AM, thermometers showed minus 12 degrees Celsius. According to the official statement from the Chief Command of theState Fire Service, the search and rescue operation concluded on December 5, 2019, at 2:45 PM. The operation involved: 33 PSP units (206 rescuers), 23 unitsOSP (105 rescuers), training companies from the PSP Aspirants School in Kraków and the Central School of PSP in Częstochowa, 144 police officers, 3 teams ofState Medical Rescue, gas and energy emergency services. Eight people died in the incident, including four children. The victims of the disaster were Wojciech Kaim, a ski coach in the clubs KN Siepraw-Ski and MKS "Skrzyczne" Szczyrk[2].

On January 28, 2006, the roof of theInternational Katowice Fair Hall (MTK) located inChorzów. During a nationwide exhibition ofpigeon racing at the time of the disaster, about 700 people, including visitors and exhibitors, were present in the hall. This was the largestconstruction disaster in modern Polish history.[3] The injured were taken tohospitals inKatowice, Chorzów, Siemianowice Śląskie, Bytom, Sosnowiec, Ruda Śląska, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Tychy and Piekary Śląskie. Immediately after the incident, people participating in the Pigeon 2006 exhibition, security guards from the MTK facilities, and residents of nearby residential buildings rescued the victims. Upon reporting the incident, a professional rescue operation commenced. The rescue operation involved nearly 103 units ofochroniarze obiektów MTK i mieszkańcy okolicznych budynków mieszkalnych. Po zgłoszeniu zdarzenia rozpoczęto zawodową akcję ratowniczą. W akcji ratowniczej brały udział: blisko 103 zastępy firefighters from the State Fire Service (over 1300 people),mining rescuers from theCentral Mining Rescue Station in Bytom, medical rescue teams includingdoctors andparamedics from the Silesian Voivodeship, search and rescue groups withratownicy medyczni z woj. śląskiego, Grupy Poszukiwawczo-Ratownicze z rescue dogs: Małopolska GPR PSP from Nowy Sącz, GPR PSP Łódź, and GPROSP Kęty, 230police officers from neighboring cities, municipal guards, soldiers subordinate to the units ofMilitary Gendarmerie inGliwice and inKraków as well asmountain rescuers GOPR from the Jurajski and Beskidy Groups.

Photo 2.1.2 Katowice Fair Hall after the disaster[4].

Rescue workers from the Katowice branch of theMalta Medical Service and the Polish Red Cross Rescue Group from Wrocław, Bielsko-Biała, and Czechowice-Dziedzice also participated in the rescue operation. Additionally, German rescuers came toPoland but were not allowed at the disaster site due to lack of confirmed qualifications for such actions and the sufficient number of local rescuers. The entire operation was led by the Provincial Commander of the PSP in Katowice, Brigadierniemieccy ratownicy, lecz ze względu na brak potwierdzonych kwalifikacji do tego typu działań, a także dostateczną liczbę rodzimych ratowników nie zostali wpuszczeni na miejsce katastrofy. Całą akcją dowodził Komendant Wojewódzki PSP w Katowicach nadbryg. Janusz Skulich. The rescue efforts were complicated by the risk of the surviving part of the hall collapsing, as well as the severe frost that night.. The rescue operation was conducted in the presence of construction specialists who tried to determine the cause of the construction disaster. Due to the danger of the remaining part of the hall collapsing, the prosecutor could not immediately proceed with securing evidence. In the following days after the rescue operation ended, the ruins of the hall were repeatedly searched by dogs from the State Fire Service and prowadzona była przy obecności specjalistów budownictwa, którzy starali się ustalić przyczynę katastrofy budowlanej. Ze względu na niebezpieczeństwo zawalenia się pozostałej części hali prokurator nie mógł od razu przystąpić do zabezpieczania dowodów. W kolejne dni po zakończeniu akcji ratowniczej ruiny hali były wielokrotnie przeszukiwane przez psy Państwowej Straży Pożarnej i Police trained to search for bodies. Additionally, electronic equipment used in search and rescue operations was employed to locate buried individuals.

Photo 2.1.3 Rescue operation[5].

This allowed for the location of three more bodies of victims (including one foreigner)[6]. As a result of this disaster, 65 people died and over 140 were injured. Among the fatalities were 10 foreigners.

Based on the information regarding actions in the event of a construction disaster, we should respond as follows.:

immediately call for help by dialing the emergency number 112,

if there is a possibility of escalation of danger, move away from the disaster area as quickly as possible,

if you cannot exit the damaged building through the evacuation exit, try to get outside through a window or another opening,

to the best of your ability, provide assistance to other victims.

If you cannot leave the collapsed building,:

hang a white sheet, tablecloth, or another fabric in a visible place from the outside as a signal for help,

if you are trapped or pinned down by debris from the ruined building, try to call for help by tapping on 'rigid' metal elements such as pipes;

if you have a mobile phone, use it sparingly, only to call for help,

if you have access to fresh air, call for help; otherwise, conserve oxygen above all,

try to conserve your strength and remain calm,

to the best of your ability, provide assistance to other victims.

If you managed to leave the collapsed building,:

notify the first rescuer you encounter about the people inside the building and those who are definitely not in it,

absolutely comply with the instructions of those directing the rescue operation, provide rescuers with other information useful for the rescue operation,

go to a safe place indicated by the authorities,

if you have been injured, go to a medical point,

do not return to the damaged building without the consent of the building supervision inspection,

report your needs to local authorities, wait for further instructions,

if you are in the disaster area,

when leaving your apartment/building, take with you documents, medications you take regularly, money, warm clothing, and your mobile phone,

ensure that all household members leave the house, pay attention to neighbors (elderly, disabled individuals),

if possible, turn off the electricity, gas, and close water valves,

exercise extreme caution when leaving the building,

follow the instructions of the rescue services.

Emergency phone numbers in case of danger:

112 – emergency number

999 – Emergency Medical Services

998 – Fire Brigade

997 – Police[7]

Potential threats from the perspective of the Police

Threat to life and health of people.

Destruction of property.

Threat of public order violations.

Emergence of obstacles in transportation routes (road, rail) caused by uncontrolled mass movement of people into areas not affected by the construction disaster.

Emergence of panic symptoms among the population, lack of response to issued

orders, non-compliance with the applicable legal order. Emergence of

obstacles in the movement of the population due to the ordered evacuation.

Increase in criminal activity against property,

i.e. thefts:

— property left by evacuees,

— property of individuals evacuated from its storage locations,

— and assaults on humanitarian aid transports,

— humanitarian aid from its storage and distribution points.

Non-compliance of the population with the orders and directives issued by public administration authorities and by rescue and order services.

Attempts to extort and receive undue assistance, including humanitarian aid.

Tasks (projects, actions) carried out by the Police unit

Upon receiving information about the incident, direct forces on duty to the scene to gather additional, detailed information related to the incident and take necessary actions at the scene.

Notify other services, guards, and inspections about the incident, including the relevant

building supervision authority.

If necessary, in emergency mode, direct additional officers to the scene.

If necessary, establish a crisis staff within the Police unit.

Establish cooperation and information exchange with public administration authorities

and other institutions responsible for technical rescue matters,

which are part of the national rescue and firefighting system.

Secure ongoing actions logistically.

Police actions in areas affected by the construction disaster consist

of, among others:

— alerting the population about the existing danger;

— alarmowaniu ludności o występującym niebezpieczeństwie;

— monitoring adjacent areas;

— ensuring the maintenance of security and public order;

— enabling free access and departure for rescue teams and units;

— providing assistance in evacuating elderly people,

the injured and sick;  

— securing the property of evacuated residents at storage points,

including organizing patrols to prevent theft;

— identifying critical locations on the roads and securing them;

— organizing detours around areas and regions affected by the

building disaster;

— informing mass media about existing threats

and difficulties in movement;

— conducting investigative activities aimed at

determining the causes of the building disaster;

— identifying the deceased victims of incidents.

Cooperation with non-police entities

With crisis management teams of public administration bodies:

— exchanging information about existing and anticipated threats;

— coordinating tasks during the evacuation of people, animals, and

property (evacuation routes, collection points, places of residence for evacuated

people and property, locations of humanitarian aid points);

— proposing the introduction of regulations by the relevant public administration

authorities for a specified area;

— informing about available forces and resources and ongoing

tasks;

— coordinating a common information policy.

With the relevant construction supervision authority:

— consulting necessary tasks to be performed by the Police (considering the capabilities of forces and resources) during the

action to eliminate the effects of the building disaster;

— conducting an explanatory procedure regarding the causes of the

building disaster.

With the State Fire Service:

— coordinating traffic organization in the area where rescue

operations are conducted, including access roads for rescue forces, roads

for evacuating people and property;

— assisting in enforcing commands issued by the commander of the rescue action regarding the evacuation of residents from threatened

areas, removing vehicles or other equipment obstructing

operations;

— exchanging information about victims and missing persons.

With health services:

— coordinating and securing ambulance routes to

threatened locations;

— exchanging information about the needs for emergency assistance from health services.

With road managers:

— coordinating detours around threatened areas and marking them;

— exchanging information about impassable road sections and how to 

close them to traffic;

— exchanging information about the situation on the roads and informing road users

through mass media.

With military administration bodies:

— organizing and conducting joint preventive patrols

with the Military Gendarmerie;

— utilizing military facilities for the accommodation and feeding of

police officers involved in operations;

— exchanging information about troop regrouping and needs regarding

securing their movement.

With the Border Guard:

— coordinating joint order actions in the border zone;

— discussing the possibility of using Border Guard facilities

for the accommodation of police officers involved in operations;

— exchanging information about situations affecting the state of security

and public order.

[8]

.

[1]

Ewa Furtak, Gas explosion in Szczyrk. A miracle did not happen, an eight-member family died, Wyborcza.pl, Bielsko Biała, available at: https://bielskobiala.wyborcza.pl/bielskobiala/7,88025,25483344,wybuch-gazu-w-szczyrku-cud-sie-nie-zdarzyl-zginela-cala-rodzina.html; 27.02.2021.[2]Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia, Gas Explosion in Szczyrk (2019), available at:

A website created in the WebWave website builder.

Nie podano numeru telefonu.

bezpieczniedlawszystkich@bezpieczniedlawszystkich.pl

Leszno, 64-100 Polska

You can find us.