Top Nine Emergency Preparedness Tips You Need to Know!
Never wait until a real emergency happens… Be prepared to keep your workers safe before an emergency strikes with these helpful tips and products!
When your employees walk through your front doors, they trust that you – the employer – will provide a safe and healthy work environment. A poorly prepared emergency plan will lead to a disorganized evacuation and response – often times resulting in increased confusion, injury, and property damage.
Don’t let your greatest assets down. Have an emergency preparedness plan that keeps your workers, customers, and visitors safe and informed.
An emergency preparedness plan starts with the most important doors in a building, the exit doors. OSHA and NFPA have regulated emergency exit routes. Per OSHA 1910.37 (b) (1-2) “Each exit route must be adequately lighted so that an employee with normal vision can see along the exit route. Each exit must be clearly visible and marked by a sign reading “Exit”.”
When anyone needs to quickly exit your building, ensure they can recognize all means of egress, routes are free and clear of debris, and the exit doors are unlocked so others can safely leave the building ASAP.
Now that you have the first step down, here are eight more facility preparedness tips and products that will ensure you have the safest workplace and you’re ready to keep others safe during an emergency.
- Disaster Information – When an unexpected and dangerous situation occurs in your workplace, ensure all the necessary disaster information is clearly available and visible. With a Disaster Information Center, you can provide valuable information about evacuation and assembly assignments, rescue and medical info, and more.
- Evacuation Map – When it comes to safety management, a comprehensive evacuation plan is critical. It’s also required by OSHA – as any company with more than ten employees needs a written copy of the evacuation plan posted in a clearly visible location so it’s easy to find during an emergency.
- Evacuation Assembly Area – Designate specific areas where employees should gather after evacuating. When everyone has arrived, take a head count and identify names and last known locations of anyone not accounted for.
- Signs – The best way for everyone at your facility to know where the nearest evacuation area or severe weather shelter in your building is located is by posting signs. Identifying the safest places with a shelter sign will keep others safe tornado and severe weather emergencies.
- Emergency Exit Signs – Meet OSHA requirements for identifying all exit routes with lighted exit signs placed above specific doors in your facility.
- Not an Exit? – When emergencies happen and you need to quickly exit the facility, ensure there’s no confusion by identifying doors that do not lead out of the building or area.
- When the lights go out – Emergency preparedness includes providing a different source of light when a power outage occurs. Glow-in-the-Dark tapes, signs, evacuation maps, and exit signs are an ideal addition to any facility.
- Emergency A.E.D. – If you needed to save someone’s life, would you know where the automated external defibrillator (A.E.D.) is located? Ensure the A.E.D and first aid kits are easy to find for your employees and customers.
A workplace emergency is any unforeseen situation that could threaten your employees, customers, and the public. Protect yourself, your employees, and your business with these helpful emergency preparedness tips.
Visit ComplianceSigns.com for all your emergency preparedness needs