Accident and risk evaluation on Finnish Antarctic expeditions

The first Finnish expedition to the Antarctic, made in 1988–89, included five men. The second, a year later, included 57, mostly researchers. Accidents that occurred during the expeditions were recorded by a medical doctor and their incidence rate and severity were estimated. The few accidents that occurred did not cause disability. Some 20 risk factors were evaluated from two questionnaires filled out during the journeys to and from Antarctica, using a scale from extremely safe to extremely unsafe. Working conditions were judged safer than had been expected, as were weather factors (wind, temperature, ice and snow circumstances). The most dangerous items identified, in order of importance, were moving along unmarked routes, weariness, unexpected dangers, hurry and tight schedules, and snow and ice. During the homeward journey, equipment for communication and for moving as well as personal equipment were judged more dangerous than had been expected in advance. Preparations for future expeditions should give more attention to these factors

Computer security · Forensic engineering · Geography · Meteorology · Physical geography · SAFER · Snow · Sociology · Cardiovascular and Diving-Related Complications · Computer Science · Demography · Engineering · Injury Epidemiology and Prevention · Spaceflight effects on biology

• Polar human biology

  Open Access•Laurence Irving•Polar Record•1974

  Add to list