Emergency Action Plan

OSHA mandates that all employers institute an Emergency Action Plan (EAP). These plans must be designed to be site-specific and must cover an enormous range of topics. Workplaces that contain hazardous materials, that may be subject to firefighting efforts, or that may be subject to rescue/medical tasks require even more extensive and complex plans.

An EAP developed with the input of employees is beneficial to everyone involved. An EAP should cover what to do before, during, and after an emergency, and should always be made available to workers.

Some items that should be covered in an EAP are the following:

• All potential natural and man-made emergencies that could affect the workplace, such as fires, explosions, and civil disturbances
• Potential internal sources of emergencies, such as chemical hazards
• The impact of these emergencies on the operation of the workplace
• Company personnel and their contact information for use in the event of an emergency
• Contact information for local emergency response, such as fire and medical
• How any rescue operation should be performed
• How medical assistance will be provided
• How and where personal information on employees is kept
• The conditions under which an evacuation would be necessary
• An authorized person and a chain of command for evacuation and shutdown procedures
• Actions to be taken by employees in potential emergency scenarios

The EAP should additionally cover the following:

• Who must stay on location to shutdown critical operations during an evacuation
• Specific evacuation and exit routes
• Procedures for assisting people during an evacuation
• Identification of assembly areas
• A method for accounting for all employees in an emergency situation
• How to assist and account for any potential visitors during an emergency
• A method for alerting workers to evacuate or take action
• A preferred method for contacting emergency services
• Identification of how and when employees will be trained to respond to emergency situations
• Identification of retraining processes
• Identification of if and how drills will be conducted

While not outlined in OSHA's EAP checklist, it is also recommended that workers be trained in first aid and prevention of unauthorized access to a workplace. It is also suggested that the EAP be continuously reviewed and updated as needed. Any time an EAP is updated, it is beneficial to review it with your employees!

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