Emergency Response

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

by Bill Grieb

Emergencies can occur in the safest workplace. They can arise from outside or inside. The cause may be human action (deliberate or inadvertent) or natural (anything from simple wear and tear on materials or equipment to environmental 'acts of God,' such as floods, fires, and earthquakes).

Employers should establish effective safety and health programs to prepare their workers to handle emergencies before they arise. This preparation falls into several stages: planning, chain of command, emergency response teams, emergency response activities, and training.

When required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), firms with more than 10 employees must have a written emergency action plan. Smaller companies may communicate their plans orally.

The commitment of top management and the involvement of all employees are essential to any effective emergency action plan. Management should review plans with employees initially and whenever there is a change in the plan or in an employee's responsibilities under it. Plans should be re-evaluated and updated periodically. Emergency procedures, including the handling of any toxic chemicals, should meet GISO 3400 requirements.

An emergency response coordinator and a back-up coordinator must be designated. The coordinator may be responsible for plant-wide operations, disseminating information to the public, and ensuring that outside aid is called in. A back-up coordinator is necessary to ensure that a trained person is always available.

Members of emergency response teams must be thoroughly trained for potential emergencies and physically capable of carrying out their duties. They must know about toxic hazards in the workplace and be able to judge when to evacuate personnel or depend on outside help (for instance, when a fire is too large for them to handle).

One or more teams must be trained in:

• Use of various types of fire extinguishers
• First aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• The requirements of the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard
• Shutdown procedures
• Chemical spill control procedures
• Use of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)
• Search and emergency rescue procedures
• Hazardous materials emergency response in accordance with 28 CFR 1910.120

Effective emergency communication is vital. An alternate area for a communications center other than management offices should be established in the planning phase, from which the emergency response coordinator should operate. Provide emergency alarms and ensure that employees know how to report emergencies. Maintain an updated list of key personnel and off-duty telephone numbers.

Establish a system of accounting for personnel once workers have been evacuated. Assign a person in the control center the responsibility for notifying police or emergency response team members if persons are believed to be missing.

Effective security procedures, such as cordoned-off areas, can prevent unauthorized people from gaining access, which will protect vital records and equipment. Duplicate records should be kept in offsite locations for essential accounting files, legal documents, and lists of employees' relatives to be notified in case of emergency.

Every employee needs to know the details of the emergency action plan, including evacuation plans, alarm systems, reporting procedures for personnel, shutdown procedures, and types of potential emergencies. Have drills at random intervals, at least annually, and include, if possible, outside police and fires authorities.

Training must be conducted initially, when new employees are hired, and at least annually. Additional training is needed when new equipment, materials, or processes are introduced, when procedures have been updated or revised, or when exercises show that employee performance is inadequate. Setting up and implementing training programs for a team of employees is an additional responsibility of supervisors.

You need to have a written emergency action plan for evacuating employees. This document should describe the routes to use and procedures to be followed by employees; it should also outline procedures of accounting for all evacuated employees. Be sure that the written plan is available to all employees during and after training.

The plan should address any special procedures for helping physically impaired employees. Also, the plan must include procedures for those employees who must remain behind temporarily to shut down critical plant equipment before they evacuate.

The preferred means of alerting employees to a fire emergency must be part of the plan, and an employee alarm system must be audible throughout the workplace complex to alert everyone for evacuation. The alarm system may consist of voice communication or sound signals such as bells, whistles, or horns. Employees must be trained to recognize the evacuation signal.

Since all employees must be trained in emergency procedures, you must review the plan with newly assigned employees so they know correct actions in an emergency. Any changes to the plan should be reviewed with all employees.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN CONTENTS

• Escape procedures and escape route assignments
• Special procedures for employees who perform or shut down critical plant operations
• A system to account for all employees after evacuation
• Rescue and medical duties for employees who perform them
• Means for reporting fires and other emergencies
• Persons to contact for information about the plan

COORDINATOR DUTIES

• Determining what emergencies may occur and seeing that emergency procedures are developed to address them
• Directing all emergency activities, including evacuation of personnel
• Ensuring that outside emergency services such as medical aid and local fire departments are called when necessary
• Directing shutdown of plant operations when necessary
• Overseeing staffing and training of emergency response teams

A major disaster can overwhelm the resources of even the best-prepared cities. Individuals, organizations, and communities may be cut off from food, water, first aid, and shelter in the hours or even days following an earthquake or other major disaster.

Many organizations and communities have developed volunteer training programs. Training in basic self-help functions can reduce injuries, loss of life, and property damage.

I recently completed a Community Emergency Response Team training program taught by firefighters and paramedics of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The course was excellent, providing instruction in team organization, management, fire suppression, utility control, search and rescue, and disaster medical operations.

For further information on this program or to order a free copy of the student manual, you can call the LAFD at (818) 756-9674.

The seven 2 1/2 hour classes in the LAFD CERT program covers: