Just like an unwanted solicitor, emergencies knock on your door when you least expect them. But unlike for an unwanted solicitor, you can prepare for emergencies.
When you get ready for disasters, whether natural or man-made, be sure to devise effective emergency preparedness plans that even in worst-case scenarios will help you and your employees out of harm’s way. This includes keeping an emergency kit handy and preparing your facility for catastrophes.
Alert your employees of possible danger with an Audible and Visual Emergency Signal.
Install emergency preparedness products such as smoke detectors and fire and carbon monoxide alarms to alert your employees of disasters. Help them evacuate if necessary by putting up glow-in-the-dark exit signs that will show their way out. Make sure you have emergency escape ladders to cater to those working in high-rise buildings.
You should also distribute emergency kits to your employees in case they get trapped. Ready, a national public service campaign, provides helpful information on how you can build a complete emergency kit. Ready recommends assembling your kit as soon as possible because you may not have enough time to do so if you have to evacuate during an emergency. After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own, so pack sufficient quantities of food, water and other supplies to last at least 72 hours.
Basic services such as electricity, gas and telecommunication services may be cut off for days, weeks or even longer. Make sure your kit has these emergency preparedness products to help you manage during these possible outages. (more…)
