|
Many Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards require you to have emergency action plans in place—but a plan that covers your whole facility in the event of Mother Nature’s wrath is up to you. Here’s how you can be prepared.
Emergency Preparedness Tips
1. Develop an emergency plan and communicate it to your employees. It should include escape procedures and escape route assignments, special procedures for employees who perform or shut down critical plant operations, systems to communicate with and account for all employees after evacuation, rescue and medical duties for employees who perform them, and means for reporting emergencies.
Safety 101 is a comprehensive handbook with everything you need to establish and run a workplace safety program, so you can ensure your company is both safe to work in and compliant with OSHA’s standards. Learn more today!
2. Designate an emergency response coordinator and a backup coordinator who will be responsible for determining what emergencies may occur and ensuring that emergency procedures are developed to address each situation, directing all emergency activities, ensuring that outside emergency services are notified when necessary, and directing the shutdown of company operations when necessary.
3. Form an emergency response team with members who will be trained to use fire extinguishers, administer first aid, follow OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, shut down company operations, control chemical spills, perform search and emergency rescue procedures, and respond to emergencies involving hazardous materials, depending on the specifics of your company’s operations.
The handbook identifies more than 60 health and safety challenges that companies face, and each chapter outlines step-by-step how to establish and implement a workplace safety program that addresses these challenges. Learn more here!
4. Keep a copy of important records and files at an off-site, secure location in case original copies are damaged or destroyed. Online cloud storage services may be a good option for some businesses, as these services should not be affected by local weather conditions in your area.
5. Have a disaster supply kit with food, water, and other essentials at your company’s facilities for situations where employees must shelter in place either because travel is unsafe or because they are responsible for maintaining critical operations during an emergency closure. The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) has a list of what to include in a disaster supply kit.
6. Train employees on the details of your emergency plan, including evacuation procedures, alarm systems, shutdown procedures, reporting procedures for personnel, and types of potential emergencies. Also, be sure to train employees on any hazards specific to your facility, such as toxic chemicals, fire hazards, and any equipment that may become hazardous in the event of a power failure or other emergency.
Additional information on Severe Weather Preparedness Week is available from OSHA at http://ow.ly/ueIEP and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at http://ow.ly/ueIyp.
Tomorrow, we’ll look at cleanup procedures you’ll need after a storm.