Review your emergency plan regularly so you can determine whether it needs to be revised or updated based on new facilities, new equipment, new procedures, new materials, etc. In addition, periodic training sessions give you the opportunity to remind and update your workforce about any changes to procedures or to their individual responsibilities in the event of an emergency.
Drills and Training
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (www.ready.gov/business) recommends that employers not only develop a written plan for emergencies but also schedule drills and exercises to ensure that employees are familiar with and thoroughly understand the outlined steps and procedures.
Specifically, the Department recommends that you:
- Incorporate preparedness training into orientation programs for new hires;
- Establish an emergency management team and discuss each member’s responsibilities in an emergency situation;
- Conduct walk-through drills in which each member of the emergency management team performs the designated functions; and
- Have all employees “evacuate” to a designated area and test controls put in place to account for them.
In addition, if your company shares office space, the Department notes the importance of coordinating and practicing your emergency plans with other occupants of your facility.
After conducting preparedness training and completing emergency drills, document your efforts and evaluate which procedures worked, which didn’t, and what you can do to improve your plan, according to the Department.
Is your workforce ready for an unexpected catastrophe, such as a natural disaster? BLR’s upcoming webinar, “Emergency Preparedness,” can help you get prepared. Find out more.
Employee Outreach
Here are a few other recommendations:
Make safety a priority. Obviously, you don’t want managers to send workers home every time there’s a hint of bad weather, but you do want to send a message to workers that the company cares about their safety.
Set up a procedure for determining when to send employees home early or to cancel shifts due to extreme weather.
Establish a way to communicate. After Hurricane Katrina, numerous companies with Gulf Coast locations advertised employee hotlines so that employees could call in to report their well-being and to receive instructions.
Inform managers and employees of the services available through your employee assistance program (EAP). Your EAP may be able to offer counseling services or refer employees to a qualified professional, for example.
Mudslides, tsunamis, earthquakes! Is your workplace in danger of any of these—or any—other—natural disasters? Find out how to be prepared for unexpected catastrophes by attending BLR’s June 19 webinar, “Emergency Preparedness.” Sign up risk-free.
In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll look at safety training for cleanup operations after the emergency—plus, we’ll introduce a brand-new, interactive webinar on Emergency Preparedness coming in June.