Jump To:
- Topics Covered in Emergency Action Plan Training
- What Is an Emergency Action Plan?
- Why Should You Have an Emergency Action Plan?
- What Is the Hazard of Not Having an Emergency Action Plan?
- Benefits of Taking an Emergency Action Plan Course
- Emergency Action Plan Course
No one goes into work thinking there will be an emergency that day. You and your employees expect to be productive and perform daily tasks like normal. But truthfully, workplace emergencies can occur at any moment. If your business is struck by a natural disaster or dangerous manmade incident, you and your employees need to be ready.
Emergency preparedness can keep injuries to a minimum, prevent loss of important records and reduce property damage. Most importantly, it can be the difference between life and death. Develop an emergency action plan (EAP) and put your employees through emergency action plan training to help keep everyone safer.
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Topics Covered in Emergency Action Plan Training
Emergency action plan training is necessary to prepare your employees for any workplace emergency. Even if your business has an emergency action plan, can your employees implement it if there is a need? Since every business is different and faces unique risks, making sure your workers are familiar with your plan is crucial.
Your company has unique risks associated with its products and specializations. Besides those risks, unplanned natural and manmade events could strike at any time, regardless of your business’s operations. Proper training will help prepare your employees to respond to various emergency situations. Some topics covered in emergency action training courses include the following:
- Familiarization with emergency action plans
- Exit and evacuation routes
- Assembly areas
- Fire prevention
- Fire extinguishing systems
- Types of workplace emergencies, both natural and manmade
- Elements of your emergency action plan
- Elements of fire prevention plans
Several of these topics are general, applying to all businesses regardless of their products, location or size. Every company will have an emergency action plan that includes these general precautions while also encompassing the organization’s particularities. To properly implement an emergency action plan for your business, you must first understand what they are.
What Is an Emergency Action Plan?
An emergency action plan is a written or verbal strategy that establishes the roles and actions of employers and employees during workplace emergencies. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that businesses with 11 or more employees have a written plan available in the workplace for all workers to review at any time. Businesses with 10 or fewer employees can communicate the plan verbally, but having a written document is still a good idea.
A proper OSHA emergency action plan must meet several requirements. Determine these by observing your workplace’s layout, structure and emergency systems. Your plan’s minimum requirements must include the following:
- An effective means of reporting emergencies such as fires or other events
- Evacuation procedures and emergency escape routes
- Proper practices and protocols for employees who remain to conduct critical plant operations before evacuating
- Assembly of and accounting for all employees after an emergency evacuation
- Employee medical and rescue duties
- Names and job titles of people to contact
Beyond these requirements, you are free to add elements more specific to your business. Once you have your emergency action plan in place, review it with your employees and offer training opportunities.
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Why Should You Have an Emergency Action Plan?
Whether OSHA requires your business to have a written emergency action plan or not, you should strongly consider drafting one. Employee morale and productivity may increase when workers know there is a plan in place when emergencies arise. With proper training and preparedness, employees can respond to emergencies effectively to limit injuries and business downtime. This decreases employee absenteeism, injury leave and workers’ compensation rates, which saves you money.
Of course, the most important reason of all is to keep your employees safe. Emergencies could happen at any time, and when one strikes, it’s too late to learn how to respond properly. For this reason, you should implement an emergency action plan from the beginning of your employer-employee relationship. Fostering open discussions and providing training will make sure your employees are ready when an emergency strikes. An EAP lets you invest in their health and well-being.
What Is the Hazard of Not Having an Emergency Action Plan?
Having an emergency action plan has plenty of benefits for your business and employees. But, without an EAP, emergencies can become more chaotic and dangerous. This can result in otherwise avoidable injuries and other repercussions. Taking measures beforehand to plan for emergencies will make sure your employees can stay calm, collected and knowledgeable in these situations. You can avoid jeopardizing your workers’ health and well-being by implementing an emergency action plan.
One other hazard could include suffering from fines and other consequences resulting from not having an emergency action plan. If your business has 11 or more employees, you must have a written plan available for everyone to see and study. This is in the best interest of your organization. Failure to do so results in consequences that can affect your revenue and reputation. Care for your business and employees by following the OSHA regulations and instituting an EAP.
Benefits of Taking an Emergency Action Plan Course
If you want to know how to become an emergency management specialist, consider taking an emergency action plan course. Emergency management specialists have completed a certificate program. This shows they can keep control and facilitate order during emergencies. Their training equips them to take charge during intense moments and make sure other employees behave in a safe, orderly manner. Their guidance ties into the business’s emergency action plan to ensure compliance and successful safety precautions.
You and your employees can undergo emergency action plan training to become an emergency management specialist and be more prepared when facing an emergency. Signing up for emergency action plan training is a critical step in keeping yourself and your workers safe. With proper training, you can learn the ins and outs of your strategy and understand how to use it during emergencies.
Purchase NASP’s Emergency Action Plan Course
By creating an emergency action plan, you’ve taken the first step toward fostering a safer business environment. When you undergo emergency action plan training, you establish yourself as a specialist capable of keeping your employees safe during an emergency. Prepare for these unfortunate moments long before they happen, and you increase the chances of coming out of an emergency with little damage. Consider purchasing the National Association of Safety Professionals’ (NASP) Emergency Action Plan Course.
We offer real-world training built by safety professionals. With our course, you can better prepare for emergencies in a way that makes sense and truly prepares you for the unexpected. Contact us today and learn more about how we offer The Practical Approach to Workplace Safety.
