There are lots of things that can go wrong inside the workplace. It’s vital for all business owners to understand what these emergencies are.
Aside from keeping employees safe, emergency plans inside the office are also required to pass compliance laws related to safety. One of the best ways to begin preparing for those emergencies is by understanding what you should look for first.
As per Workplace Emergency, one of the important steps to create an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is to know what you need to prepare for. Here are the most common emergencies you’ll likely come across inside the office.
Natural Emergencies
These are the hardest to prepare for as we can never really tell when they’ll happen. Natural emergencies include flash flooding, earthquakes, forest fires, and hurricanes. All of which are very destructive and it’s a must to make sure your employees are prepared for it.
The good news is that while accurately predicting natural emergencies is hard, there are some cases when you’ll be given time to prepare. For hurricanes for instance, you can always check the weather forecast to stay prepared.
As they are unpredictable, it’s best to prepare your employees for these types of emergencies ASAP.
Workplace Fires
Workplace fires are common and they are often the easiest to prepare for. When it comes to these emergencies, the priority is to get everyone outside the building as soon as possible. Aside from causing harm to people, workplace fires can also result in lost assets.
As evacuation is a top priority, it’s a must that your emergency exits are always prepared for such scenarios.
It’s important to have working fire extinguishers inside the office at all times. Remember that these have an expiry date so check up on them constantly. Additionally, do regular inspections on your smoke detectors, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems if they are still working.
Chemical Hazards
This isn’t common as chemical emergencies are often limited in industries where they handle hazardous materials. Those include laboratories and food production companies.
Chemical emergencies are dangerous as they might also involve the release of gas that’s unfit for humans. Hardware like the Honeywell Gasalert MicroClip XL 4-gas detector has been specifically designed to mitigate workplace risk and ensure that early detection prevents future disaster. Like workplace fires, the priority when it comes to chemical emergencies is to get everyone out of the building. Most chemical emergencies result in fires as well.
In the case of gas leaks or chemical spillage, it’s not advisable for people to go back to the affected area immediately. It’s best to wait for the go signal of the emergency services before returning to the area.
Medical Emergencies
Medical emergencies involve workplace accidents and personal health problems like heart attacks and allergic reactions.
The seriousness of this emergency depends on the current condition of the person affected. In some cases, administering first aid measures is enough to control the emergency. In some instances however, it’s best to call for medical services.
This is one reason why businesses require medical records upon an employee’s application. Knowing a person’s medical record is a must so that you know how to react to them whenever they experience a health related emergency at work.
Civil Emergencies
These often include employee-related issues such as protests, harassments, and even altercations between co-workers. While not as severe as other emergencies, it’s still important that you prepare your people against cases like these as they do happen.
In some civil cases, the local authorities have to be called to intervene. They’re often called when violence becomes a part of the altercation.
Terrorist Threats
Last but definitely not the least, we have terrorist threats. These involves potential break-ins/robberies, hostage scenarios, and bomb threats.
Terrorist threats are serious and need to be handled properly. Without proper handling, they might escalate into something that can cause far more damage and could hurt more people as well.
Cases like these require the intervention of the law. The priority in these emergencies would be to call the local authorities when it’s safe to do so.
Regardless of the type of emergency, it’s important to stay ready for these incidents. Preparedness could be a matter of life and death for those involved. A good Emergency Action Plan and well-trained employees are going to do well in your bid to respond to these emergencies effectively.
