The United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires almost all organizations and industries to have an emergency action plan (EAP). The rationale for mandating EAPs is that they " will result in fewer and less severe employee injuries and less structural damage to the facility during emergencies," (OSHA, 2013). If the EAP is followed, it will likely lead to a more organized evacuation with less confusion, fewer injuries, and less property damage as well (OSHA, 2013). The importance of maintaining an effective and organization-appropriate EAP cannot be underestimated. An EAP saves lives and also protects valuable information and property. However, many organizations maintain EAPs only because they are required to do so by law. Their EAPs are not updated regularly enough, and employees are unaware that they even exist. An EAP is useless if the employees are unaware of it, or it compliance with the EAP is low. Organizations like ours do little to inform employees about the nature of the EAP and what might be required of them in case of a real emergency. Therefore, I recommend that our organization immediately reevaluate and improve its compliance with its emergency action plan. First, our organization need to reassess what is needed in terms of effective evacuation and emergency response. Chao & Henshaw (2001) recommend brainstorming potential scenarios before developing the emergency action plan. In our geographic location,
There will always be a need to rapidly change the response plan to changing situations (which the city did especially with the destruction of their Emergency Management Center).
An emergency operations plan for the community in which we live is a document of great importance to each of us whether we know it or not. This paper examines the emergency action plan for Knoxville, Tennessee. In the course of the examination, it will compare and analyze the plan for Knoxville with the standards set forth in the textbook for this course along with other recognized sources in the field of emergency management.
Sixth the executive management team must define the procedures that all employees and essential vendors will use during emergency situations. Seventh, the employee training team must define and execute an awareness campaign that properly informs each employee of their role within the DRP/ECP plan and confirm that employee's understanding of their role. Last, the emergency management team’s members must maintain documentation of the DRP/ECP plan including updating when needed, changing the plan to meet organization changes, and recording of observations post plan execution.
The Emergency Response Plan was revised with newly created position of Director of Emergency Management as well as department, incorporation of emergency support functions and newly added emergency notification system protocols (VT, 2010). Modifications was made to the University-wide Safety and Security Policies. Major changes was made to the umbrella safety and security policy which was renamed from the Campus Security to University Safety and Security which provides oversight and coordination for all campus policies and committees responsible for safety and physical security (VT, 2010).
For the event of an emergency, e.g.; fire, the employees should be walked through the procedure so that they have a better understanding of what to do in a situation where they would have to evacuate the premises. Emergency drills should also often take place to confirm people remember what to do.
In this essay, federal and state requirements for building evacuations (preparation of and conducting) are compared, with those of applicable NFPA guidelines. Best practices for conducting evacuations are reviewed to determine what applicability the best practices have on continuity of operations within my organization. The essential elements of emergency response were evaluated in three categories; the written program, specific procedures related to emergency response, and training. After evaluation of both the NFPA guidelines and OSHA standards, it was determined that both should be used to develop an emergency action plan.
Establishing evacuation points/routes and locations for personnel to seek shelter-in-place is vital to diminish or eliminate the number of casualties at the scene. An emergency response plan is a key element in the chemical sector and they are often required as a part of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA), the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Management Program (RMP), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and OSHA regulations (Department of Homeland Security, 2010). Along with having a thought out emergency response plan, chemical sectors utilize various methodologies to aid chemical sectors to better prepare and manage a chemical attack or incident. Some of the widely used methodologies include (Department of Homeland Security,
There should not be a designated evacuation point inside the facility. Each individual office EW should have a designated spot outside of the facility to report to for accountability. This would prevent personnel from entering into a hazard that has occurred. There should be primary and alternate directions of travel for the personnel to get to the designated location, and a primary and alternate designated location. The EW should designate a person to take the accountability; at that time the EW can contact the Operational Emergency Management Teams (OEMT’s) while everyone else waits for further instructions.
An emergency action plan must consist of the following: “procedures for emergency evacuation, procedures to be followed by employees who remain behind…, procedures for personnel accountability after the evacuation, procedures for performing rescue and medical duties, and a point of contact for information regarding duties under the plan” (Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA], 2002, para. 1910.38 (c)).
An EOP is the “scope of preparedness and emergency management activities necessary format jurisdictions (FEMA, 2010).” There are three EOP formats such as the Traditional functional format, The Emergency Support function format, and Agency-Department focused format. There is a lot that goes into an EOP; there is “the purpose of the plan; the situation; assumptions; CONOPS; organization and assignment of responsibilities; administration and logistics; plan development and maintenance; and authorities and references (FEMA, 2010).” However, in order for a emergency to be successfully handled so that less damage is caused and lives are saved it is important to have communication; the entire time. Without the line of communication everything else
Emergency management faces many challenges in today’s modern society. In the years prior to 9/11 emergency management was primarily focused on natural disasters. That has since changed; we now face a diverse variety of risks and hazards on a constant basis. As we continue to grow in population current and newer have compounded into more problems that emergency planner must face and find solutions for.
Having a plan for cases of emergency helps people act in a more effective manner.
An ERP defines the actions a company must take during an emergency. It details the emergency response resources available to the company, outlines roles and responsibilities of all respondents, and describes how the company will work with various government agencies during an incident. Houston Oil & Gas Ltd. has a strategically managed emergency response plan in place to handle emergencies that is coordinated between highly skilled operators in the field and knowledgeable veterans working at head office.
Analyse operational effectiveness of emergency control equipment Apply emergency prevention principles Implement emergency prevention solutions Implement maintenance auditing and fault reporting procedures Report emergency prevention problems and suggestions for correction Access is required to: • scenarios that reflect a range of emergency situations that may be expected in the workplace • workplace emergency management plan • workplace emergency procedures • emergency control organisation policy documents • emergency planning committee policy documents Competency should be demonstrated over time with a range of emergencies that could be expected in the workplace Competency should be assessed in the workplace or in a simulated
Throughout our career, we have been taught to check our personal problems at the door prior to starting our work shift. In other words, personal problems are exactly what it is, “personal”, and have no place in a work environment. In today’s new economy, organizations are realizing the importance of providing assistance to employees’ dealing with major personal problems. At times, when an employee is having a personal problem at home, it can after their work performance and can potentially disrupt the work flow of the organization. “Industrial and labor relations experts talk of a changing labor force and the need for employers to develop new polices in response to the changing needs of their employees, if they wish to remain competitive in an increasingly world economy” (Kamerman & Kahn, 1987, p. 2).