Says adequate risk assessment was lacking

The Labor Inspectorate believes that, among other things, the fatal accident that occurred when a man on a soil compactor fell into a crevice in Grindavík at the beginning of the year can be attributed to the fact that there was no adequate risk assessment for the work.

Among other things, there was a lack of a risk assessment of the geological conditions in the area where the man worked and how work could be conducted there considering these conditions so that the safety of the staff would not be endangered.

Engineering firm Efla was in charge of the work, which was carried out at the request of the Natural Disaster Insurance of Iceland, NTÍ.

"In the opinion of the Labor Inspectorate, in light of its involvement in the work, the engineering firm should have participated in the preparation of such a risk assessment. In the same way, the contractor in question should have undergone that risk assessment or had an adequate risk assessment himself," says the report of the Labor Inspectorate on the work accident.

"The Labor Inspectorate cannot state how exactly the presentation of hazards and procedures was carried out to those involved in the work in question, as well as how the follow-up was, but reiterates that the presentation should have been based on a written risk assessment after a detailed analysis of hazards in the area and how they could be limited in terms of personnel safety. There was a lack of that," the report's findings also state.

One can wonder if the work was worth the risk

The Labor Inspectorate also emphasizes in its findings that a risk assessment must be carried out for all business activities, whether local or mobile, regardless of the number of employees. At the same time, follow-up with the implementation of the risk assessment must be ensured and updated as the occasion arises.

"When work is assessed for risk, the first question should always be whether it is necessary to carry out a particular work that involves hazards. "Given the situation in Grindavík, where the natural disaster scenario was still ongoing, it is questionable whether this particular work was worth the risk," the report concludes.