Chemical Incident at Buyantanshi Technical School in Zambia: Authorities Response and Management Evaluation

This report discusses the chemical incident at Buyantanshi Technical School in Zambia, the authorities' response and management evaluation. It also provides recommendations for managing similar future incidents.

Health Protection

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................1
DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................................2
IMPLICATION ...............................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Chemical safety is the very important task or responsibility of the national, international
and local area authorities along with the public role to follow the standards of the chemical
safety. Chemical and environment incident of the local areas causes the several harmful impact
on the public health and well-bing. Chemical safety is the practice of using occupational
chemical substances in a manner that ensures the safety and health of the humans and prevents
damage to environment (Thompson, and Darwish, 2019). Zambia is southern Africa, this is full
of the divers wildlife with the many parks and safari areas. Zambia has the tremendous nature
and natural resources wealth bust faces increasing threats to its environment, including wildlife
trafficking, deforestation and climate shocks. Population of that location is facing the challenge
of the chemical inhalation and air pollution due to the contribution of the copper mining,
fertilizer manufacturing, vehicle emissions and waste burning. One of the most resent example of
the chemical incident of Zambia is 2021 incident, during that 136 pupils at the Zambian school
hospitalized after inhaling poisonous liquid (Aminizadeh, and et. al., 2019). At the school of the
Zambia Nchanga town in Copperbelt Province, at least 136 peoples have been hospitalized after
the inhaling a suspected poisonous substance through their classroom. That incident happened
early Tuesday 2021-09-21 at the Buyantanshi Technical School, where the peoples developed
coughs and some other peoples collapsed after inhaling the substance. On the basis of the
investigation number of the hospitalized pupils increased, the pupils who were in the classroom
and others who went there to check was also get affected by the chemical inhalation. That
chemical incident was happened due to the release of the bottle labelled blue blue perfume which
was containing the unknown liquid believed to have been thrown in a bin by the unknown
person. Bottle taken for the analysis and the condition of the victims has been described as stable
and no dealt has been recorded. Zambian is facing these types of the chemical issues constantly
by the unknown peoples, this is developing the questions and concern about the health and public
care system of the country that why they are not managing the safety and they have to increase
the interventions and strategies for prevention and management of these types of the incidents. In
this report discussion on the selected chemical incident is done in context to the authorities
response and management evaluation. recommendations for how similar future incidents might
be better managed is developed.
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DISCUSSION
As per the report, it has been found that the incident which prevailed in the region of
Zambia's Nchanga town was chronic and also it was harmful for the health of sufferers. The
incident occurred on Tuesday, when the suspected harmful substance entered the classroom, and
sufferers started feeling heavy in chest which make them to cough. (SUSPECTED GASSING
RETURNS AS 136 CHINGOLA PUPILS FALL VICTIM, 2021) School authorities generated a
red light alert and also informed local police in regards with the issue which h they were dealing
with. The local authorities immediately visited the accidental spot in order to provide their
assistance as well as to investigate the case.(Namumba, 2018)
Reports reported that the condition of people seemed to be dangerous that can also
termed to contribute to the mortality rate. The local authorities immediate took action as they
took several of suffers to the hospitals and admitted them into emergency ward in order to
provide them quick treatment. As per the Police spokesperson Esther Katongo has urged that the
investigation of clinical incident which have been instituted are termed to following a clinical
incident report of suspected fumigation which has been reported tend to be prevailed with in the
school authority which was around 8:20 hours on the incident day .
The local officers rushed to the scenario, as they were tipped by the school authorities.
(Sarfo, 2020) The affected people were pupils which were in the grade eight class and also
other sufferers were found, and other victims were found to be those who termed to went to the
affected classrooms to ensure on what was happening at that time. After the thoroughly
investigating he crime scene the local authorities found the bottle which was lying there, as it
was seemed suspicious. The label which was printed on the bottle was by the name of Blue Blue
Perfume (SUSPECTED GASSING RETURNS AS 136 CHINGOLA PUPILS FALL VICTIM,
2021). The bottle which was found to be filled with suspicious substance and reported yob be
thrown in a bin through unknown person. The report delineate the total number of people who
were found to be affected by this chronic incident were 136 and also they are termed or be
expected to increase as some were reported still attaining required treatment and assistance from
health practitioners.
The police department which were found to be effective and efficient in providing
services to each individual were police of safety. It has been observed there were some of
general as well as common organisation which are establishes for the safety and security of
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people and also there were considerate polices interventions which were used in that incident by
the local authorities. (Namumba, 2018) The local authorities which were used as group for
chemicals classification, hazard assessment and as well as communication. As these intervention
helped local officers to figure out has been invading and also promoting dangerous affect on the
victims of incident. In addition to this, the group for integrated chemicals register, chemists and
chemical engineers, were also found to be used as they debits basic expertise in chemicals
control. (SUSPECTED GASSING RETURNS AS 136 CHINGOLA PUPILS FALL VICTIM, 2021)
According to the report, the determined each and every action was taken and considered
to be affective in order to administer the clinical incident were found to be in accordance to the
The Zambia Environmental Management Agency and also Zambia Environmental Management
Act of 2011, as these acts are considered to be effective in the imputation of people demands and
also majorly focus on the health acquirement of individuals. (Sarfo, 2020) In which the role of
Zambia Environment Management Agency are determined to advice on the policies formulation
and conduction and can also help in determining suggestion and recommendations which are for
the sustainable management of the environment if the country. Also, its major role is to ensure
that the determined integration of the environment are found to be in concerns within overall
national planning along with he help of appropriate co-ordination along with the relevant local
authorities of the country and also review the impact of clinical incident on the environment.
(SUSPECTED GASSING RETURNS AS 136 CHINGOLA PUPILS FALL VICTIM, 2021)
As per the report, it has been found that the victims of this accident also reported
complained of minor and major headache, chest pains as well as several issues in which
breathing issues and cough formation at the throat of individuals were found to be common in
many individuals. Also, individuals are found to be stable in the conditions as well. (Namumba,
2018) Moreover, the suspicious bottle with unknown content which has been found while
investigation, that has been taken to the Food and Drug Laboratory for the process of
analysation.
The studies have observed that in children, posing consist of four elements which are
recognise as the poison, the poisoned organism, the internal injury to the cells, the symptoms,
signs or the mortality of individual. The considered four main elements shows the cause, subject,
effects as well as consequences of poisonous substances. (Hodgins, 2021) As it can disturb
internal functioning of individuals, s the resultant injury which can affect the several of children.
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Exposure of poison can also long term affects on the respirator system of children. The positive
responses of local authorities are considered that they have taken immediate action on the issue
and also saved several of life individuals. (Namumba, 2018) Due to less training and lack of
advancements as the local authorities are not found to be professionals while restraining the
culprits and also they were find to be less coordination within the team local authorities as well.
This make the area to focus and aslo improvement. (SUSPECTED GASSING RETURNS AS 136
CHINGOLA PUPILS FALL VICTIM, 2021)
IMPLICATION
From that specific chemical incident of the Zambian it has been learned that country is
having the very poor public safety and health care system as there is the no restriction and strict
control on the criminal activities of the unknown peoples on their local population (Kalanlar,
2018). There is the higher need of implementing the strict control and public safety interventions.
From Buyantanshi Technical School chemical incident it has been analysed that children's are
also in the higher risk of health issues related to the chemical issues for which country have to
take appropriate action. The government authorities of the Zambian are collective working with
the department of the environment and climate change, head unit of the ministry of environment
protection, senior legal adviser etc. chemical are the integral to modern life and their
management is the key aspect of the sustainable development (Magole, and Delaney, 2017). That
is very important to adopt and implement the chemical control legislation which is lack by the
most of countries. As in the Zambian chemical incidents are the most common public issue, due
to which there is the huge need of the strict actions. Polices of safety, some of the common
organisation and polices interventions which were used in that incident are group for chemicals
classification, hazard assessment and communication,group for integrated chemicals register,
chemists and chemical engineers, basic expertise in chemicals control. Each and every action
was according to the The Zambia Environmental Management Agency and Zambia
Environmental Management Act of 2011. Below are some chemical incident control
recommendation for the Zambia related to the other countries best actions and interventions
(Jauhari, 2021).
Primary prevention
This is on e of the most important intervention for the prevention and control of the
chemical incident's. Because this involves the appropriate task and activities of the safe and
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secure storage and management of the chemicals. Zambian authorities have to increase their
chemical storage securities so that no one can get easy access to the dangerous chemicals. There
should be the higher securities for the management of chemical, which should manage the
prevention of unauthorised person access to the chemicals. By preventing and restricting the
unknown person access to the chemicals reduce the chances of chemical incidents.
Critical incident technique
That is another most important intervention use by the several countries like UK and
India which should also implemented by the Zambian too for managing the chemical incidents.
This critical incident techniques is involving the conducting interviews with the individuals who
were involved in the incident or near to the incident. Main aim behind this strategy is identify
and eliminate the hazards. This is the methods of identifying an errors is unsafe conditions which
contribute to the both potential and actual accident, all-over the aim of this intervention is
identifying the countermeasures which will help to prevent a recurrence. With the help of this an
appropriate corrective actions is can be taken to ensure the recurrence (Soko, 2021).
Causative factors analysis
This is another one of the most important interventions as the recommendation for the
Zambian to manage and control the chemical incidents. Basically this type of the intervention use
to identify the underlying causes which leading to the chemical incident in order to prevent a
recurrence. This analysis should done at the national, local level as they possess the more
knowledge and incidents and the hazardous site. There is the need of improvement and
availability of the several tools of analytical method's which should be use by the chemical
emergency manager for evaluating the causes of chemical release. This interventions should
further proceed with the preventive measures (Mohamed, and Paleologos, 2017).
Root causes analysis
This is the process which should be implemented by the Zambian authorities in context
to the management of the chemical incidents , because that is involving the investigation of the in
incidents to identify the root causes of the event. This helps to analyse that what occurred, how
and why it happened, in order to prevent its recurrence. This helps to develop the corrective
recommendations. For implementing this intervention Zambian authorities have to data
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collection, mapping out the causes , identification of the specific causative factors and event and
final step is generation of the recommendation (Davis, 2018).
Public health assessment immediate after the chemical incident
That is one of the most essential intervention for the Zambian , this is including the
assessment of the incident affected peoples health immediate after the incidents in order to
ensure their proper care and prevention of the chemically induced health issues. Public health
assessment should also use to accomplish the risk assessment task. With the help of which
appropriate measures is can be implement for the public health care and protection from the
chemicals. Another most recommendation is the proper education of the public for their own
protection from the chemical incidents (Holmes, and Boardman, 2018).
CONCLUSION
From the above study it has been concluded that in each and every local areas of the
specific country peoples have to be protected from the environmental and chemical incident's,
because the natural incidents and the criminal incidents increase the health and life risk for the
public. In the Zambia peoples are facing the life challenges related to the chemical and
environmental incidents, such as most of the incidents are due to the external peoples chemical
attack on the country, which is indicating the lack of security in the country. The key
recommendation for the Zambia to effectively manage and control the similar future incident's
are primary prevention, critical incidents techniques, causative factors analysis, root causes
analysis , immediate amassment of the health after the incidents in order to provide immediate
care to the people affected by the incidents, in order to prevent the chemically developed health
issues. In the Zambia basically the chemical incidents are managed by the The Zambia
Environmental Management Agency and Zambia Environmental Management Act of 2011, as
it was used to manage the chemical incident of Buyantanshi Technical School. Through the
implementation of the recommendation interventions and strategies country will get the effective
success in the prevention and effective management of these types of the incidents. Such as the
post-incident investigations should done effectively in order to support enforcement action and
develop the preventive planing by identifying the incident causing factors. Interventions like
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the Root causes analysis is very important strategy for preventing the chemical incidents, such
as root causes of the incident and health impact is can be assess to develop the future plan of
regularized safety of the peoples and control of incidents.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Thompson, L.A. and Darwish, W.S., 2019. Environmental chemical contaminants in food:
review of a global problem. Journal of toxicology, 2019.
Magole, L. and Delaney, A. eds., 2017. Partnerships and power games: Natural resources
governance and management in the Okavango Delta (Vol. 4). LIT Verlag Münster.
Mohamed, A.M.O. and Paleologos, E.K., 2017. Fundamentals of geoenvironmental engineering:
understanding soil, water, and pollutant interaction and transport. Butterworth-
Heinemann.
Davis, S.R., 2018. The ANC's War Against Apartheid: Umkhonto We Sizwe and the Liberation
of South Africa. Indiana University Press.
Holmes, P.J. and Boardman, J. eds., 2018. Southern African landscapes and environmental
change. Routledge.
Soko, M., 2021. South Africa and the World: A political economy journey through time. Jonathan
Ball Publishers.
Jauhari, K.S., 2021. Global Warming. The Readers Paradise.
Kalanlar, B., 2018. Effects of disaster nursing education on nursing students’ knowledge and
preparedness for disasters. International journal of disaster risk reduction, 28, pp.475-
480.
Aminizadeh, M., and et. al., 2019. Hospital management preparedness tools in biological events:
a scoping review. Journal of education and health promotion, 8.
Namumba, E., 2018. The impact of occupational health hazards and injuries on livelihoods of
affected workers: a case of Kitwe district (Doctoral dissertation, Mulungushi University).
Sarfo, G., 2020. Prevalence of cigarette, alcohol, marijuana and tramadol use among senior high
school students in the Bekwai Municipality, Ghana (Doctoral dissertation, University of Cape
Coast).
Hodgins, S., This concise book is an easy to read, deeply scientifically researched exploration of
COVID-19. Dispels many myths and provides solid evidence for many facts. A strongly
recommended read for those who want to learn more from public health scientists about the
pandemic.
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