DISASTER PLANNING GUIDELINES
by Bill Grieb
The Plan
- Do you have a written emergency action plan?
- Does your emergency plan cover:
- fire and explosion?
- flood and earthquake?
- hazardous materials?
- dangerous equipment?
- site specific features?
- external hazards?
- criminal activities?
- Have the plan and procedures been reviewed in the past year?
- Have you conducted a site inspection including signs in the past year?
Procedures
- Do you have written emergency response procedures?
- Do these procedures cover:
- internal warning?
- external warning?
- official notification?
- evacuation and containment?
- controlled shutdown?
- accounting for employees?
- emergency response?
- fire response?
- facility restart?
Posting and Notification
- Are escape routes posted?
- Are hazard warnings posted?
- Are emergency actions posted?
- Are exits marked?
- Are the alarm systems that provide emergency warnings recognizable and perceptible Above ambient conditions?
- Has emergency response equipment been identified with appropriate signs?
- Do the local fire and police departments have copies of appropriate signs? Have copies of plans been filed with state, OSHA, and EPA officials as required?
Training
- Have emergency responses been tested with drills in the past year?
- Have all employees been trained in disaster response? Do employees, who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate, know the proper procedures?
- Do employees know their responsibilities during an emergency, including reporting emergency, rescue, and first aid?
Disaster Response Rules
1. Remain calm.
2. Assess the situation; identify the hazards and determine who is threatened.
3. Sound the alarm. Quickly notify others who may be affected and inform your supervisor of the emergency; then, activate fire alarms or other warning devices.
4. Get help. The quickest and easiest way to obtain professional help for any type of emergency not specifically covered by available procedures is to call 911. When calling, remain calm and carefully explain the nature of the emergency and the location.
5. Plan and take action. In the event of a hazardous material incident you should:
- Approach cautiously.
- Identify the hazards.
- Determine who is threatened.
- Secure the scene.
- Get help.
6. Report all disasters or emergencies immediately.
7. Participate in response and follow up. In the event of an injury or illness, provide immediate first aid as required by the nature of the injury. If necessary, call for help and see that the victim is taken to a doctor or hospital.
Printed with permission from Safety Information Currents, vol. V, issue 12.