The Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
When an emergency occurs, immediate action is always necessary to minimize harm to the people and property that may be affected by it. The range of responses to workplace emergencies may include similar components but depending upon several factors, emergency responses can be very different too. Regardless of the type of emergency and/or type of response that is best for the emergency, the first priority is the preservation of life. Knowing the proper response may be the difference between life and death, so it is important that emergency protocols are established and implemented. An EAP lists the types of actions that every employee of an organization should take during emergencies. They are vital for every employee to understand, practice and be able to access if they should need to.
The EAP is created so that there is a way to warn employees to evacuate, shelter or lockdown in the event of a variety of emergencies. It should include information about evacuation routes, who to contact, how to account for everyone, and actions that can be taken to prevent harm. Ready.gov (2019) says that before the EAP is developed, “a risk assessment must be done to identify potential emergency scenarios. . . . At the very least, every facility should develop and implement an emergency plan for protecting employees, visitors, contractors and anyone else in the facility. This part of the emergency plan is called ‘protective actions for life safety’” (Ready.gov, 2019). This information is important for every employee to know, so frequent reviews should be done. OSHA (2019) recommends reviewing and/or updating the EAP every 6 months, training new employees immediately, and training all employees at least yearly in the procedures included in the EAP (OSHA, 2019).
Emergencies within the Facility
For emergency occurring within a facility, the EAP should consider several aspects about the facility including the size of the building, the number of employees and the type of businesses that are housed in the building. For instance, in a small office, retail establishment or manufacturing setting with no hazardous materials involved, most employees would know to evacuate the building when an alarm sounds or they are notified to do so by a public address system. However, in a larger facility with a large number of employees or with hazardous materials, there are more issues to consider when creating the EAP (OSHA, 2019). The alarm system or public address system, for instance, must be loud enough or efficient enough to reach every single person in the facility.
Probably the most important aspect of an emergency within the facility is whether people inside should stay or leave. In the event of a fire, gas leak, or something that is causing the inside of the building to be unsafe, they should leave. Although, in the case of an active shooter, it might be safer in some instances to stay inside and hide. The fact that some emergencies require people to evacuate the building means that there should be an evacuation route map posted and easy to read near places where employees have easy access to it and where the closest evacuation route may not be readily apparent. The website, Total Medical Compliance (2017) suggests including “You are here” designations, exits with handicapped accessibility, alternate routes, locations of fire extinguisher, fire alarms, first aid kits, oxygen tanks, PPE, tornado/hurricane/earthquake/safe rooms, security desks, electrical panels, restrooms, roof accessibility, emergency phones and contact numbers, and the specific place to meet after an evacuation (TMC, 2017). After establishing evacuation routes with this type of information, the next aspect of the EAP is to consider how to notify people who will need to know about the emergency.
OSHA (2019) suggests keeping a list of key contacts current and providing an emergency communications system such as a cell phone (that must remain charged) or a portable radio unit that can be used to contact law enforcement, fire department or medical emergency units. Also, the names and contact information for the individuals who are responsible for implementing the EAP should also be kept where they are easy to access (OSHA, 2019). An intercom or public address system should be used as well as a fire alarm that alerts people inside the building when there is an emergency. If the facility is large, such as college campuses, a public alert system that operates through cell phones could be used to notify people with cell phones within the vicinity that there is an emergency occurring, the type of emergency, and the type of action they should take.
An EAP is important to have, but it must also be disseminated to those to whom it is relative. Employees should be included in the creation of the EAP. Crum and Forster (2017), a risk engineering firm, says that as soon as the EAP is complete, it should be shared with all employees. Any updates or changes should also be shared with employees right away. They also recommend frequent drills. “Evacuation drills permit employees to become familiar with the emergency procedures, their egress routes, and assembly locations, so that if an actual emergency should occur, they will respond properly. . . . After each drill, gather management and employees to evaluate the effectiveness of the drill. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your plan and work to improve it” (Crum and Forster, 2017, p. 2). Drills should include a meeting place for all employees, visitors, vendors or other people who may be in the building so that everyone can be accounted for. This meeting place can be the parking lot or a nearby business such as a mall, restaurant or other business that can accommodate the number of employees who work at the facility.
Emergencies Outside of the Facility
Some emergencies occur outside of a facility including flash floods, earthquakes, storms, ice storms, snow storms, thunderstorms, and tornadoes. These types of emergencies may require employees to shelter in place inside the facility. In the event of these types of emergencies there should be a safe room or space created within the facility, methods to contact outside emergency personnel such as a cell phone or radio, and the names and numbers of people who should be contacted. The EAP should include instructions for employees on what steps to take in case of each type of emergency. For instance, in a tornado, which is usually not a lengthy event, employees may need to shelter in a safe space with the facility for a short time. In the case of flash floods, they may need to get to the highest point in the facility and may need to stay there for an extended time until they can safely be rescued or leave on their own account. In the event of such an emergency, everybody in the facility should be notified by public address or cell phone notification. A designated place for employees to meet after the event has ended, such as the break room or the safe room, should also be established.
Health-Related Emergencies
In the event of a medical emergency, there should be first aid kits and other equipment such as a defibrillator to use on heart attack victims readily available. There should also be an employee scheduled for every shift that the facility operates who is trained in CPR and first aid. McKinnon (2017) says, “The provision of adequate facilities would be dictated by the size, nature, and location of the organization. Each organization should undertake a survey of what first aid response they require, and provide and maintain the facilities accordingly” (McKinnon, 2017, p. 169). Those employees who are trained in CPR and/or first aid should update their certificates on a regular basis so they can stay current. As McKinnon (2017) points out, training employees how to deal with medical emergencies makes them more aware of safety and it also provides assurance that there will be someone available who knows what to do in case of accidental injury or medical emergency. McKinnon (2017) suggests training 5% of the entire staff in CPR and first aid. Each person who is trained should be identified by name, listed in the EAP, and their name and location posted (McKinnon, 2017, p. 169). The family of the person or persons involved in the medical emergency should be notified.
In the event of a medical emergency, not everybody in the facility needs to be aware of it. In fact, it might be better if as few people as possible know about it while the emergency is occurring. That way curiosity seekers will not wander into the scene just to see what is happening. Before a medical emergency is a great time to train employees on what should be done, and after an event is a great time to remind employees of those procedures.
Conclusion
All EAPs are similar in the fact that they should include evacuation procedures, escape routes, reporting and alert procedures, ways to account for personnel, next-of-kin notifications, training, and policies for updating and maintaining the EAP. The emergencies that an EAP may pertain to will be different and can include a wide variety of possibilities depending upon one’s location, the size of the organization involved, and the type of facility involved. It is important for every business to do a proper risk assessment first to determine what types of emergencies for which they should be prepared.
References
Crum and Forster. (2017). Emergency Action Plan. Seattle: Crum and Forster. Retrieved from http://www.cfins.com/wp-conten...
McKinnon, R. C. (2017). Risk-based, Management-led, Audit-driven, Safety Management Systems. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press/Taylor and Francis.
OSHA. (2019). Emergency Action Plan Checklist. Retrieved from Occupational Safety and Health Administration: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etoo...
Ready.gov. (2019). Emergency Response Plan. Retrieved from Ready.gov: https://www.ready.gov/business...
TMC. (2017, June 19). EAP Evacuation Maps. Retrieved from Total Medical Compliance: https://www.totalmedicalcompli...
