Emergency Disaster Training
An emergency only takes seconds to escalate and turn into disaster. That’s why it is crucial for every workplace to develop and implement an emergency plan for protecting employees, visitors, contractors, and clients. Workplace emergency plans can maximize response efforts and minimize impact of the emergency on employees and the building itself. Planning in advance helps to ensure that everyone knows what to do when an emergency occurs. Here is some important information and helpful tips for implementing an emergency disaster plan in the workplace.
What Constitutes a Workplace Emergency?
A workplace emergency is any situation that compromises and threatens the safety of workers or the public, disrupts or shuts down operations, or causes physical or environmental damage. They might be natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, or floods. They could also be man-made an include things like fires, explosions, chemical spills, or active shooter situations. Many of these emergencies can be prepared for in advance, and such training will also help employees plan for unpredictable situations.
Developing an Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
Every company should have an emergency action plan in place to facilitate and organize worker actions in the case of an emergency. The EAP should include a plan for alerting employees of an emergency, specifying how employees should report an emergency, as well as include an evacuation plan. This EAP should be included in all new employee training and also be reviewed at least once a year for all current employees. This plan should be thoroughly discussed in meetings and should also include proper training and drills.
Emergency Response Training
Training is perhaps the most essential part of the EAP so employees will know exactly what to do should an emergency occur. Training should include an overview of the response plan, individual roles and responsibilities of each employee, as well as drills and exercises. Fire, earthquake, and evacuation drills should be completed at least once or twice a year to ensure that all employees know what to do and where to go. In addition, evacuation maps should be posted in various locations throughout the office. In some instances, such as an active shooter, it would be beneficial for the company to take part in active shooter training as provided by local police. Having a plan and knowing how to implement it will increase the chances of keeping your employees safe in the event of an emergency.