5 Major Steps to Building a Successful Emergency Response Plan
Table of Contents
What are emergency response plans?
How to develop an emergency response plan: 5 important safety steps
Are you ready to get started on your emergency response plan?
Every workplace, whether it’s an office or a construction site or a patient’s home, has its own safety hazards and risks facing the workers and team members. Emergencies are more likely to take place when these safety hazards are not addressed, increasing the potential for an incident to take place that could harm and even kill an employee.
In many cases, emergencies could have been prevented, or at least mitigated, through proactive planning and assessment of existing and potential safety hazards threatening the team. Such planning can regular updates to organization safety policies and developing a well-researched and staff-informed emergency response plan, which we are going to talk about further.
What are emergency response plans?
Emergency response plans are a thoroughly researched and planned policy that instructs employees on how to respond during an incident so that they are not harmed and operations are minimally impacted.
How to develop an emergency response plan: 5 important safety steps
Unless you have a real-deal crystal ball, you don’t know if any emergencies are down the road. However, there are a series of five impactful steps in an emergency response plan that you can take to make sure you and your team are ready if something should happen.
1) Assess your safety risks
Before you look at the objectives of your emergency response plan, you need to know what you’re facing first. Perform a hazard assessment of not only the current safety hazards but potential ones as well. A hazard assessment notes every danger facing a specific role, team, work location, or department. If it’s a small organization and company, it may be possible to assess the hazards of the entire team as one unit.
2) Identify potential emergencies
Again, it is impossible to predict what will happen down the road but talk to the experienced professionals in your organization to provide insight on emergencies that could possibly take place. For an emergency response plan, also look at the company’s employee incident history and records, as well as any other issues that could be a factor during an emergency such as fragile mental health or complicated, dangerous equipment.
3) Identify and designate communications
Reliable communications are essential if you want to react and send help quickly. Within the context of your emergency response plan, you need to look at what communications will take place during an emergency establishing who will be talking to who and how they will be communicating. To help you and the team, develop internal emergency communications plans to detail how everyone within the organization will be notified and instructed during and following an incident.
4) Assess company safety resources
Particularly if you work in an industry in which dangerous equipment and tools are regularly used, it is imperative that these tools and equipment are diligently inspected and upgraded or replaced as needed – and all of this documented in an emergency response plan. But there are other resources that need to be monitored and maintained like smoke alarms, fire code inspections as well as simpler, often-overlooked, smaller factors such as stair railings and walkways which can be hazards during the winter.
5) Training, drills, and exercises
When sent a new safety policy from your manager, how many of you read it? I mean, actually read and learn from it. Well, if you’re like me, you’re more likely to skim and then read the parts that catch your eye – if that. In order to really ingrain and teach the staff about their roles in an emergency response plan, safety or first aid training, and incident drills and exercises must be held on a regular basis to keep them update and engaged.
Are you ready to get started on your emergency response plan?
So are do you feel ready, or at least more prepared, to develop an emergency response plan at your organization? Don’t worry, if you still feel insecure planning for something that hasn’t happened yet, it’s normal. What’s important is to work with as many of the team as possible, welcoming and incorporating their feedback and safety training participation for a plan that could potentially save their lives in the future. Involve your team in a document that could have a direct impact on their lives and make sure that is communicated to them.
Additionally, and maybe it doesn’t need to be said, but make sure both the hard and soft copies of your emergency response plan are accessible, 24/7, by all relevant staff and management. Of course, have it available online somewhere, but maybe even encourage staff to print a hard copy should the electricity go out in an emergency. Just make sure everyone is on the same page should something take place, increasing the odds that nobody, staff and operations, will be harmed and recovery will be quick.
In wrapping up our guide on building a successful emergency response plan, it's clear that preparedness is key to ensuring the safety and security of all employees, particularly those who work alone. To further enhance your emergency preparedness measures, consider exploring our Lone Worker Safety Solution App, designed to provide lone workers with the tools they need to stay safe in any situation. We offer a variety of pricing options to fit the needs of businesses of all sizes, ensuring that every organization can afford to keep their employees safe. Additionally, understanding the full spectrum of potential workplace hazards is crucial for any emergency plan. Dive deeper into the topic by visiting our comprehensive guide on Workplace Hazards, where you'll find valuable insights into identifying and mitigating risks. Together, we can create a safer workplace that is well-prepared for any emergency.