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1995-01-22
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INFORMATION DATE 19930218
DESCRIPTION USDOL Program Highlights, Workplace Emergencies
TOPIC Workplace Emergencies
SUBJECT Responding to Workplace Emergencies
ABSTRACT Employers should establish effective safety and health
programs and prepare their workers to handle
emergencies before they arise.
U.S. Department of Labor
Program Highlights
_________________________________________________________________
Fact Sheet No. OSHA 92-19
RESPONDING TO WORKPLACE EMERGENCIES
Employers should establish effective safety and health programs
and prepare their workers to handle emergencies before they
arise.
Planning
Where required by the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA), firms with more than 10 employees must
have a written emergency action plan; smaller companies may
communicate their plans orally. (See 29 Code of Federal
Regulation (CFR) Part 1910.38(a) for further information.)
Essential to an effective emergency action plan are top
management support and commitment and the involvement of all
employees.
Management should review plans with employees initially and
whenever the plan itself, or employees responsibilities under it,
change. Plans should be re-evaluated and updated periodically.
Emergency procedures, including the handling of any toxic
chemicals, should include:
╖ Escape procedures and escape route assignments.
╖ Special procedures for employees who perform or shut down
critical plant operations.
╖ A system to account for all employees after evacuation.
╖ Rescue and medical duties for employees who perform them.
╖ Means for reporting fires and other emergencies.
╖ Contacts for information about the plan.
Chain of Command
An emergency response coordinator and a back-up coordinator must
be designated. The coordinator may be responsible for plant-wide
operations, public information and ensuring that outside aid is
called in. A back-up coordinator ensures that a trained person
is always available. Duties of the coordinator include:
╖ Determining what an emergencies may occur and seeing that
emergency procedures are developed to address them.
╖ Directing all emergency activities including evacuation of
personnel.
╖ Ensuring that outside emergency services such as medical aid
and local fire departments are called when necessary.
╖ Directing the shutdown of plant operations when necessary.
Emergency Response Teams
Members of emergency response teams should be thoroughly trained
for potential emergencies and physically capable of carrying out
their duties; know about toxic hazards in the workplace and be
able to judge when to evacuate personnel or depend on outside
help (e.g. when a fire is too large for them to handle). One or
more teams must be trained in:
╖ Use of various types of fire extinguishers.
╖ First aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
╖ The requirements of the OSHA bloodborne pathogens standard.
╖ Shutdown procedures.
╖ Chemical spill control procedures.
╖ Use of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).
╖ Search and emergency rescue procedures.
╖ Hazardous materials emergency response in accordance with 28
CFR 1910.120.
Response Activities
Effective emergency communication is vital. An alternate area
for a communications center other than management offices should
be established in the plans and the emergency response
coordinator should operate from this center. Management should
provide emergency alarms and ensure that employees know how to
report emergencies. An updated list of key personnel and
off-duty telephone numbers should be maintained.
A system should be established for accounting for personnel once
workers have been evacuated with a person in the control center
responsible for notifying police or emergency response team
members of persons believed missing.
Effective security procedures, such as cordoned off areas, can
prevent unauthorized access and protect vital records and
equipment. Duplicate records can be kept in off-site locations
for essential accounting files, legal documents and lists of
employees relatives to be notified in case of emergency.
Training
Every employee needs to know details of the emergency action
plan, including evacuation plans, alarm systems, reporting
procedures for personnel, shutdown procedures, and types of
potential emergencies. Drills should be held at random
intervals, at least annually, and include, if possible, outside
police and fire authorities.
Training must be conducted initially, when new employees are
hired, and at least annually. Additional training is needed when
new equipment, materials, or processes are introduced, when
procedures have been updated or revised, or when exercises show
that employee performance is inadequate.
Personal Protection
Employees exposed to accidental chemical splashes, falling
objects, flying particles, unknown atmospheres with inadequate
oxygen or toxic gases, fires, live electrical wiring, or similar
emergencies need personal protective equipment, including:
╖ Safety glasses, goggles, or face shields for eye protection.
╖ Hard hats and safety shoes.
╖ Properly selected and fitted respirators.
╖ Whole body coverings, gloves, hoods, and boots.
╖ Body protection for abnormal environmental conditions such as
extreme temperatures.
Medical Assistance
Employers not near an infirmary, clinic, or hospital should have
someone on-site trained in first aid, have medical personnel
readily available for advice and consultation, and develop
written emergency medical procedures.
It is essential that first aid supplies are available to the
trained medical personnel, that emergency phone numbers are
placed in conspicuous places near or on telephones, and
prearranged ambulance services for any emergency are available.
Further Information
More detailed information on workplace emergencies is provided in
"How to Prepare for Workplace Emergencies" (OSHA 3088) available
free from OSHA Publications, Room N3101, 200 Constitution Ave.,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210, telephone 202-219-4667, or local
OSHA offices.
# # #
_________________________________________________________________
This is one of a series of fact sheets highlighting U.S. Department
of Labor programs. It is intended as a general description
only and does not carry the force of legal opinion. This
information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals
upon request. Voice phone: 202-219-8151. TDD message referral
phone: 1-800-326-2577.