Emergency Response Plan-Example

A business Emergency Response Plan (ERP) could include:

• Clear, written policies that designate a chain of command, listing names and job titles of the people (or departments) who are responsible for making decisions, monitoring response actions and formulating a plan for recovery.

• Names of those who are responsible for assessing the degree of risk to life and property and who should be notified for various types of emergencies.

• Specific instructions for shutting down equipment and production processes and stopping business activities.

• Facility evacuation procedures, including a designated meeting site outside the facility and a process to account for all employees after an evacuation.

• Procedures for employees who are responsible for shutting down critical operations before they evacuate the facility.

• Specific training, practice schedules and equipment requirements for employees who are responsible for rescue operations, medical duties, hazardous responses, fire fighting and other responses specific to your work site.

• The preferred means of reporting medical, fire and other emergencies.

Since your ERP needs to address all emergencies that can be reasonably expected to occur in your particular workplace, you should perform a hazard survey to determine your exposures. For example, emergency planners need to determine if other nearby facilities may pose a hazard.

Based on your hazard assessment, your ERP should then be written for various emergency situations, including floor plans or workplace maps that clearly show the emergency escape routes and safe areas. Next, employees must be trained to respond to these identified potential emergencies.

During a major emergency, it may be necessary to evacuate your facility, and utilities such as electricity, water and telephone may become nonexistent. Under these conditions, an alternate area needs to be designated where employees can report.

The objective of any ERP is to provide a safe environment for employees during an emergency and to limit the loss of property.