Status: RESOLVED
Time of incident: April 9, 2570 approx. 11:05
Date of report: April 10, 2570, 07:07
Location of incident: NRS Lighthouse
Reporting personnel: Chief Medical Doctor Dwight Breen
Involved personnel:
- Chief Engineer Kerr'lou Qablat
- Engineering Trainee Meghan Amari
Description of incident:
At 11:05, five minutes after shift start, Engineering Trainee Amari was instructed by Chief Engineer Qablat over the common radio channel to exit the facility in order to access the solar farm and set up the relay station's auxiliary power supply. Trainee Amari donned EVA equipment and entered the northwest phoronlock, which then cycled improperly for unknown reasons, mixing oxygen-rich station atmosphere with the phoron-contaminated outside air. Sparks from a broken light tube then ignited the airmix, creating a high-pressure conflagration that pinned Amari to the inner airlock doors. Despite having suit sensors on and calling for help over the radio, the high temperature and pressure engaged airlock safeties and delayed the emergency response staff's attempts to cycle through to rescue her.
By the time the heat had dissipated fifteen minutes later, Amari's suit (suspected to have an improperly-engaged seal due to operator error) was melted onto her body, with little organic tissue exposed. An on-site mind-scan revealed no latent neural signatures, and a mind backup was unable to be performed. Trainee Amari was taken to an operating theater to attempt to salvage organic tissue for DNA extraction, and a viable sample was gathered. However, the last available mind backup was taken three days prior, resulting in substantial memory loss. In a post-resleeving patient interview, Amari expressed that she had not received EVA training prior to that point, having been told that it was safer than spacefaring EVA due to the presence of an atmosphere. When questioned, Chief Engineer Qablat expressed that vi was unaware of Amari's lack of training, implying vi had not checked her employee records prior to the incident.
Additional notes:
It is my professional opinion that Amari was unsuited for solo EVA, in vacuum or atmosphere, and that allowing her to attempt it was an act of severe negligence that leaves the company in a dangerous position both in terms of legal liability and public relations. As a result of the incident, Amari expressed concerns about the discontinuity in her memory, and reported psychological distress common to individuals resleeved using stale backups. A prescription for citalopram was provided along with a referral for individual counselling as well as group therapy for those suffering from post-resleeving distress. In the likely event that a further investigation confirms criminal negligence I would also suggest remuneration for damages, including working hours lost, paid either by the company itself or by Chief Engineer Qablat. The company already has a reputation for downplaying the deaths of employees on frontier stations, especially those in training, and corrective measures would help reduce further damages to the company image.
I would also like to suggest that we require a backup within 24 hours before any personnel are allowed to go on EVA. At the very least, having such a policy on paper would allow us to require employees to waive liability for deaths related to the phoronlocks. Finally, can we get an engineer to check those damn things out? They should cycle the air out prior to opening to the outside, but I've had four injuries and now one death all since last Monday, all involving burns from improper cycling.
Case number: 10042570-03
Assigned agent: Colette Valentine, MBA in Risk Management
Date of resolution: April 13, 2570, 16:50
Resolution:
Internal investigation concluded no wrongdoing on the part of the Company. Engineering Trainee Meghan Amari was reassigned for further training at the Virgo-3B central hub colony and has had her probationary period extended by two weeks. Chief Engineer Kerr'lou Qablat has been informed that vi should take a more hands-on approach to training employees. Chief Medical Doctor Dwight Breen has received an official disciplinary notice for improper use of incident reports.
Assigned agent notes:
The additional notes section of incident reports should be used to provide contextual information outside of the timeline of immediate events, and not for offering preliminary judgements of liability. Unjust claims of culpability can be considered libelous and subject to internal disciplinary action or legal recourse with the Virgo-Erigone Provisional Government. I understand that these incidents can be frustrating, but you have a pattern of exceeding reasonable boundaries when it comes to handling them, and your attempts at redressing grievances against the company imply an acceptance of liability that is not in accordance with the outcome of our official investigations. These are your patients and coworkers, not your friends. You are representing the Company's interests in your position as Chief Medical Officer. I suggest that you do your job and stay in line to avoid further disciplinary action.
Regardless, your policy suggestions have been forwarded to the relevant departments. I encourage you to go to them directly next time.