Emergency Readiness Fact Sheet

There is a wide range of potential emergencies that may effect your business, these include:

natural disasters – for example earthquakes, slips, flooding or heavy snowfall
man-made emergencies – for examples robbery, vehicle theft, chemical spill, gas leak, fire
vehicle accidents – for example minor crashes or serious incidents.

Here are some questions to include in your discussions with staff when planning for emergencies.

What are the types of emergencies specific to your business, industry or region?
How would you deal with a medical emergency? Have you got the equipment and communications systems to respond effectively?
What procedures and polices do we need in place to cover the safety of our employees, contractors and other visitors to our workplace in the event of an emergency?
What procedures and policies do we need in place to deal with an emergency while away from the workplace? Do we have first aid kits in vehicles and a means of communication?
Who is in charge during an emergency (fire wardens etc) and have they been trained appropriately?
Are evacuation plans and emergency phone numbers on display at the workplace and available to those that work offsite?
Have you held an evacuation drill in the past six months? Do staff know what to do?
Do we regularly check and maintain our emergency equipment eg smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting etc
Have we considered our health and safety duties under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO 1996) when handling and transporting hazardous substances?

Resources