Emergency Response Plan

An emergency response plan is the final component of the Safety and Health Program. Before any workers can handle hazardous substances or perform hazardous waste operations, employers must develop and implement a thorough written emergency response plan. The procedures in the emergency response plan must be compatible with and integrated into the disaster, fire, and emergency response plans of the site's nearest local, state, and federal agencies. Companies may use the local or state emergency response plans, or both, as part of their emergency response plans to avoid duplication of federal regulations. The emergency response plan applies to hazardous waste sites, and to treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. The emergency response plan should include the following information:

• Personnel roles, lines of authority, and communication procedures
• Pre-emergency planning
• Emergency recognition and prevention
• Emergency medical and first-aid treatment
• Methods or procedures for alerting onsite employees
• Safe distances and places of refuge
• Site security and control
• Decontamination procedure
• Critique of response and follow up
• PPE and emergency equipment
• Evacuation routes and procedures
• Site topography and layout
• Prevailing weather conditions
• Procedures for reporting incidents to local, state, and federal government agencies

Employers are required to rehearse emergency procedures regularly, review them periodically, and amend them as necessary. Employers are also required to keep employees abreast of changes to procedures. OSHA also requires that an alarm system be in place and functioning at all times to alert employees of emergency conditions.

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