Emergency Preparedness for Workers with Disabilities

It’s hard enough for the average worker to make a safe escape from the workplace in an emergency. But the problem is much tougher for employees with disabilities.

Whether impairment involves mobility, vision, hearing, speech, or cognitive functioning, it can make safe evacuation especially challenging.

And remember, we’re not just talking about employees who joined your organization with disabilities. You also have to think about workers may have temporary disabilities—from an accident, for example—that could affect their ability to respond to workplace emergencies.

Here are some important questions that can help you identify and address preparedness needs for disabled workers.

Identifying Needs

• Have you identified all employees with disabilities or special needs that could affect their ability to recognize and/or respond to a workplace emergency?
• Is a procedure in place for identifying and protecting workers who may be temporarily disabled in such a way that their disability to recognize and/or respond to a workplace emergency is affected?
• Do you have a system for identifying any visitors, vendors, service personnel, or others who may be in your workplace at the time of an emergency and may need assistance evacuating the building?

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Addressing Needs

• Can disabled workers activate the emergency notification system?
• Are special emergency notification systems in place that will alert all disabled workers—for example, a visible alarm for hearing impaired workers?
• Are egress paths, exits, and emergency assembly points accessible and marked in ways comprehensible to all workers—for example, with tactile and Braille markings if you have vision-impaired workers?
• If workers are capable of evacuating themselves with a device or aid, have these devices or aids been identified and provided?
• If workers require assistance to evacuate, has the necessary assistance been prearranged? Do you have substitutes available in case primary helpers are absent that day?
• If evacuation routes include stairs, have you made provisions for people who can walk or propel themselves along flat surfaces but can’t manage stairs?
• Have all employees, including disabled and special needs workers, been trained in emergency procedures?
• Are provisions for disabled and special needs employees included in your emergency action plan and in documentation provided to local emergency response agencies?

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For more information about emergency preparedness planning and evacuation for workers with disabilities, see the ANSI Homeland Security Standards Panel’s report, entitled Emergency Preparedness for Persons with Disabilities and Special Needs (http://bit.ly/dYcniv). The National Fire Protection Association also provides assistance with its Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide for People with Disabilities.

Tomorrow, we’ll highlight two other important aspects of emergency preparedness—alarm and fire-detection systems. We’ll also tell you more about BLR’s Safety Audit Checklists., which includes valuable information and checklists for emergency preparedness, among a total of 50 essential workplace safety and health topics.

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