As an employer or a business owner, you are responsible for the safety of your employees and your customers. You need to be prepared for worst-case scenarios such as fires, earthquakes, and other hazards that put people at risk.
Prevention is always the best way to protect people within your establishment but it’s never really guaranteed that your business will be safe from any hazards every day. As such, being prepared with the proper plan and procedures is a must for all employers out there.
If you want to learn more about how you can protect your employees and your customers, then here are important emergency procedures to remember.
1. All Work Must Be Put To A Stop
This should be obvious by now but once a fire occurs, you should immediately put a halt to everything. No matter how important the work is, all of your employees should drop it immediately and think of their safety first.
Keep in mind that you can recover lost progress eventually. However, your employees are an indispensable part of the company. They should be your priority and you should do your best to care for them above anything else first.
2. Ask Everyone To Gather Their Important Personal Belongings
With the work put to a halt, the next thing everyone should do is to grab all of their important belongings. This includes things like their house and car keys, wallets, IDs, and many others. Whatever they do, they shouldn’t bring anything that’s too big and can hinder them on their way out.
3. Head To The Nearest Fire Emergency Exit
As per Workplace Emergency, the heart and soul of every emergency plan in a workplace environment is the emergency exit. Having exits that are strategically placed inside the building can mean the difference between life and death.
Ideally, the emergency exit should be located in an area that’s easily accessible. It should also be in a place that’s far away from fire hazards such as electronics and gas pipes. Lastly, the emergency exit should be visible. This is often achieved by painting the door red and by installing lights on where the exit is.
There should be more than one emergency exit inside your workplace. It’s best to expect that some of the exits will be impassable during an emergency.
4. Head Outside And Steer Clear Of Obstructions
The best place to be in during an emergency is in a vast open area. Whether it’s a fire or an earthquake you are dealing with, this is the ideal place. In most cases, that would refer to an open parking lot area.
It’s best to start a buddy system during emergency situations. You’ll know why in a bit.
The reason for this is that you’d want to avoid staying nearby the building. Any falling debris or structures might be a cause of concern so you need to steer clear of those as well.
At this time, it would be a good idea to do a headcount and make sure that everyone made it out. This is where the buddy system becomes helpful. You’ll find it easier to check for anyone missing with the buddy system so use this to stay organized.
5. Wait For Emergency Services To Arrive
Once everyone is outside and accounted for, the next best step is to wait for emergency services to arrive. In most cases, you’re going to be waiting for the fire department to arrive.
Even if the fire isn’t too uncontrollable, it’s still important to have the professionals take care of the problem for you. Aside from having the right training, they’ll also have the right gear and equipment to keep themselves safe in the line of duty which is very important.
It would be best to coordinate with them once they arrive. If you can, tell them where the fire started and what caused it. These are important details they need to know as it will help them deal with the fire in a more organized way.
The Foundation Of Emergency Procedures
The key to better emergency management is preparedness. It’s not just about keeping your establishment equipped with the best tools for emergency management. It’s also about training your employees to become more responsive in emergency situations too.
Take the time and effort to provide your employees with the proper training and safety manuals so that they know how to respond. Having reminders posted all over the building about the emergency procedures above is a good way to keep them on their toes at all times.
Emergencies are very unpredictable and they can become lethal situations in a matter of minutes. Having employees that are prepared to respond to such scenarios is a must. As the head of a company or of its emergency procedures, it’s your job to oversee everyone’s safety when the worst happens.
