Does Your Business Have an Emergency Action Plan? If Not, it Should

3/22/2022 (Permalink)

In the event of a fire, your employees must know what to do.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, your Woodland Hills, OK, business must have an emergency action plan if anyone will be evacuating your place of business in the event of a fire or emergency. The only exception to this rule is if everyone in your place of business is trained and equipped to fight fires, in which case evacuation is not necessary. Unless you employ a fire brigade, it is unlikely this exception applies to you. Here's what you need to know regarding your future contingency plan.

What Is an Emergency Action Plan?

An EAP is a plan that details what you, your employees and customers must do in the event of a workplace emergency. A well-developed evacuation plan and adequate training can help prevent severe injuries and even serve to lessen structural damage to your building during a fire or other emergency. A poorly-developed plan, on the other hand, may lead to a disorganized evacuation and result in the following:

• Injury and confusion
  
• Significant property damage
  
• Monetary loss
  
  

You can avoid the consequences of a disorganized evacuation by preparing a sound contingency plan.

What Should Your Plan Cover?

If you employ more than 10 individuals, your plan should be written out and distributed to each team member. However, if you operate a small business, you can communicate your plan orally. Regardless of how you communicate your evacuation plan, its overreaching goal should be to organize employer and employee actions in the event of an emergency. There are certain elements of an EAP that can help you achieve an organized evacuation:

• Evacuation processes and escape routes
  
• Means of reporting the emergency
  
• Processes to account for all employees post-evacuation
  
• Procedures key employees should follow if they must stay in the building to perform critical plant operations
  
• Medical and rescue responsibilities for employees who are equipped to perform them
  
  

Ideally, you should work with a professional fire damage restoration professional to develop a solid contingency plan. Your proactive approach could prevent injuries, save your building and reduce the cost of an emergency.