Emergency Preparedness and Response

Natural or Man-Made—Be Ready for Emergencies

Yesterday, we focused on hurricanes, a type of workplace emergency for which employers in many states must be prepared. But hurricanes don’t affect everyone and they aren’t the only potential workplace disaster you need to anticipate.

Whether a workplace emergency is natural or man-made, OSHA makes you responsible for ensuring employee safety in the workplace.

Emergency preparedness and response requirements are found in regulations covering emergency action plans and fire prevention plans (29 CFR 1910.38 and 29 CFR 1910.39).

The purpose of an emergency action plan is to organize employer and employee actions, including evacuations, during a workplace emergency. For example, an emergency action plan is required at any facility where employees are required to evacuate when a fire alarm is sounded.

Other OSHA regulations also contain rules that address workplace emergency preparedness and response, including:

  • 29 CFR 1910.119—Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals
  • 29 CFR 1910.120—Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response
  • 29 CFR 1910.165—Employee Alarm Systems
  • 29 CFR Subpart I—Personal Protective Equipment
  • 29 CFR 1910.151—Medical Services and First Aid
  • 29 CFR 1910.1200—Hazard Communication


All the safety training you need in one program: 25 subjects, one low price. It’s BLR’s Safety Training Presentations. Try it at no cost.


Prepared for What?

In addition to hurricanes, workplace emergencies might include floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, toxic gas releases, chemical spills, explosions, workplace violence, or even terrorist events.

However an emergency plays out, you and your workers have to be prepared to deal with it successfully to protect lives and property. If you’re not prepared for any possible emergencies, then you had better prepare for employee injuries and fatalities, because you’re almost sure to have them.

Prepared How?

Given the requirements, how can you make sure your workforce is prepared to face any possible workplace emergency? Safety Training Presentations provides a simple and effective answer in its highly informative “Emergency Action and Fire Prevention” PowerPoint® session. This session includes essential emergency information, including:

  • OSHA’s regulatory requirements
  • Fire hazards, including electrical and chemical
  • Fire prevention and response
  • Chemical spill response
  • Natural disaster hazards
  • Evacuation preparedness and procedures
  • Rescue and medical treatment following an emergency


Try Safety Training Presentations at no cost and no risk. Find out more.


And the 27-slide “Emergency Action and Fire Prevention” session, complete with training guide, is just 1 of 25 core safety presentations, each one responsive to either an OSHA-training requirement or to common causes of workplace accidents. All are customizable, so you can add your specific hazards or safety policies.

Each lesson also includes completion certificates, sign-in sheets, evaluation forms, and training records. In short, it contains everything you need to motivate, reinforce, retain, and transfer new knowledge—and document that you did so.

In addition to emergency action and fire prevention, other topics covered in Safety Training Presentations PowerPointprograms include:

  • Bloodborne Pathogens
  • Back Safety
  • Ergonomics
  • PPE
  • Welding/Cutting/Brazing
  • Portable Power Tool Safety
  • Scaffolds
  • Lockout/Tagout
  • Forklift Operator Safety
  • Confined Space Safety
  • Fall Protection
  • Respiratory Protection
  • And more!

    Of course, training needs change as OSHA introduces new requirements or as new work practices and technologies bring new hazards. To cover this, you receive a new CD every 90 days you’re in the program, each containing  5 additional or updated topics.

    Just as important for those on a budget (and who isn’t these days?), the cost of these presentations works out to under $20 each.

    We’ve arranged for Advisor subscribers to get a no-cost, no-obligation look at Safety Training Presentations for 30 days. Feel free to try a few lessons with your own trainees. Please let us know, and we’ll be glad to set it up.

    Other Recent Articles on Emergencies
    Preparing Your Workplace for a Hurricane
    Emergency Preparedness: Got Your Ducks in a Row?
    10 Keys to an Effective Emergency Action Plan
    Emergency Preparedness Is Required, Not Optional

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