Emergency Action Plans: What’s in Them and Who Needs to Know?

At a minimum, OSHA requires EAPs to include:

• Means of reporting fires and other emergencies
• Emergency procedures and escape route assignments
• Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate
• Procedures to account for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed
• Rescue and medical duties for those employees who are to perform them
• Names or job titles of persons who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan

You may also find it helpful to include these elements in your EAP, although they are not specifically required by OSHA:

• A description of the alarm system to be used to notify employees (including disabled employees) to evacuate and/or take other actions. The alarms used for different actions should be distinctive and might include horn blasts, sirens, or even public address systems.
• The site of an alternative communications center to be used in the event of a fire or explosion.
• A secure on- or off-site location to store originals or duplicate copies of accounting records, legal documents, your employees’ emergency contact lists, and other essential records

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Communicating the EAP

All employees should know about your EAP and its provisions. These are among the communication strategies you might consider:

• Include information about your EAP during new employee orientation.
• Hold safety meetings to review your EAP annually or when any changes are made to the plan.
• Review the EAP again in emergency response safety training sessions.
• Post notices on employee bulletin boards about emergency action and evacuation routes. Include the name and telephone number of the designated manager to whom questions about emergency action, emergency duties, etc., may be addressed.
• Include an article about emergency action and your EAP in your employee newsletter from time to time.
• Periodically conduct emergency drills and have supervisors review your evaluation of drills with employees. Point out any areas where improvement is needed.
• Let employees know how to obtain a copy of the EAP.

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Whether its complying with OSHA’s emergency action requirements or dealing with some other critical safety issue, it is vital for you to have all the information you need to lead your organization’s safety efforts.

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• SafetyWorks monthly reproducible handouts for employees, ready to copy and distribute
• EHS & Your Business insert. A quarterly insert that provides a ready-to-use “selling package” to bring senior management on board with your safety plans, using language they can relate to.

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