Expanding the Scope of the Hazmat Compliance Envelope, Essay Example

To prepare for an emergency in the workplace, it is first important for the employees at an organization to understand what constitutes an emergency. It is the work place’s responsibility to define this. In addition, they must understand when they are being asked to evacuate or make alterations to their normally scheduled activities. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the emergency response team to provide emergency team to provide staff with training to help them become aware of the emergency procedures. This includes the alarm or alert they should receive, in addition to the appropriate response, such as evacuation, lock down, or the need to avoid a certain area until a chemical spill is removed. In order to plan for emergency situations in the workplace, it is important for the emergency response team to be aware of all building exits in addition to the paths to these exits. Furthermore, they must be aware of the special needs of the employees if any of these individuals need accommodations for the evacuation or if their evacuation should be prioritized. These understandings could then be compiled to determine relevant emergency response plans.

In case of an emergency, it is important for the individual who recognizes the incident to report the issue to either the building or the emergency response team, depending upon the severity of the disaster and the emergency response system put in place. In instances in which the emergency response team is contacted first, the emergency response team will then quickly decide how the incident should be managed and issue the proper alert. In severe emergencies, such as a fire, the fire alarm should be rung directly so all individuals in the building could be alerted. At this point, the emergency response team will react and direct traffic accordingly.

References

Chao EL, Henshaw JL. (n.d.). How to Plan for Workplace Emergencies and Evacuations. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3088.html