If your business encountered an office fire, workplace violence, a chemical spill or extreme weather, would you be prepared? Would your employees know how to react? Would they be able to get to safety and help customers get to safety?

As an employer, you want to protect your employees. You also have a legal and moral responsibility to do so. Start with a plan.

An emergency action plan (EAP) outlines what actions everyone in the workplace should take in an emergency. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that every employer have an EAP. If you have 10 or fewer employees, your EAP can be verbal. If you have 11 or more, it must be written.

EAPs should include an evaluation of every disaster scenario that could affect your workplace, including evacuation plans.

The basics of an emergency evacuation plan

Circumventing confusion, panic and turmoil during and after a workplace emergency is key. OSHA recommends that evacuation plans include the following:

• A method for reporting fires and other emergencies, like when to call 911
• An official evacuation policy and procedure that’s always available to employees
• Emergency escape procedures and route assignments (Post signs to indicate workplace floor plans, exit routes and refuge areas.)
• Names, titles, departments and telephone numbers of individuals within and outside your company to contact during an emergency (Keep this information posted by each phone.)
• Alternative communication methods (If the phone lines are down, will you use two-way handheld radios or cellphones?)
• Procedures for employees who are to perform or shut down critical plant operations, operate fire extinguishers, or perform other essential services
• Designated procedures and routes for people with disabilities or mobility issues
• Rescue and medical duties for any workers designated to perform first aid, like CPR
• Signage that indicates what to do in each emergency and the exit routes to use
• Employee training to rehearse the evacuation plan

Alerting employees

How will you notify employees of an emergency? Text? Loudspeaker? Alarm? Your plan must include clear instructions on how to alert employees, including accommodations or alternative plans for workers with disabilities and those who do not speak English.

Alarms must be recognizable and accessible to all staff, including hearing and visually impaired people. Choose alarms that sound and look different for different types of emergencies.

For example, a fire alarm should sound and look different from a tornado alarm. You wouldn’t want employees to mistake a tornado alarm for a fire alarm. One requires sheltering in place, and the other requires exiting the building.

Also, alarm systems should automatically notify authorities when an alarm is issued.

Accounting for staff

Your plan must include procedures to account for all employees after an emergency evacuation. It must also include instructions on securing medical attention for injured staff. Here are some tips for an efficient evacuation procedure:

• Outline at least one evacuation route for employees to exit the building safely. This route may become obstructed and ineffective during an emergency, so outline a secondary route, if possible. Evacuation routes should be clearly marked, easily seen, unobstructed and wide enough for all of your staff to move through as they exit the building.
• Designate a location where your employees can retreat to in an emergency. This is the simplest and most effective way to ensure all employees are accounted for. In a worst-case scenario, you can quickly identify whether any staff are missing or in danger.
• Take a head count after meeting at the designated evacuation area. Identify the names and last known locations of anyone not accounted for and immediately relay this information to an official in charge. Establish a way to account for nonemployees such as suppliers and customers.

You should also have procedures for what to do if the immediate area becomes unsafe. This may include sending employees home by normal means or providing them with transportation to an off-site location.

Employee education is key

Practice your emergency procedures repeatedly. When a real emergency occurs, your workplace will be ready to respond.

Ensure all staff can identify evacuation routes and assembly locations. For workplaces with known hazards like chemical or mechanical risk exposures, ensure all staff are prepared and aware of their role in alerting authorities and keeping their colleagues safe. This includes whether to wear personal protective equipment such as gas masks and how to use the equipment.

In any emergency, always take care of your immediate situation and ensure the safety of your employees and customers. Call your insurance agent when your workplace is secure and it’s safe to do so.