An emergency action plan helps reduce losses caused from injury, downtime, product loss, as well as equipment and premises damage. As an OSHA requirement, an emergency action plan is a necessary precaution that will help guide your employees through an emergency situation.

What are the benefits of emergency action plan at work?

What is the overall objective of the emergency plan? – Back to top An emergency plan specifies procedures for handling sudden or unexpected situations. The objective is to be prepared to:

Prevent fatalities and injuries. Reduce damage to buildings, stock, and equipment. Protect the environment and the community. Accelerate the resumption of normal operations.

Development of the plan begins with a vulnerability assessment. The results of the study will show:

How likely a situation is to occur. What means are available to stop or prevent the situation. What is necessary for a given situation.

From this analysis, appropriate emergency procedures can be established. At the planning stage, it is important that the relevant individuals or groups be asked to participate. Members of the team can include:

employees with knowledge of the work supervisor of the area or work safety officer health and safety committee union representative, if applicable employees with experience in investigations “outside” experts representative from local government, police, fire, or ambulance

Where appropriate other organizations should also be consulted, especially when your organization’s plan involves relying on or using outside resources as part of the response, such as fire, police, or ambulance. In some situations, one organization may develop shared response teams with neighbouring organizations.

In all situations, communication, training and periodic drills will help make sure the plan is executed well. Note: In some cases, other authorities may have jurisdiction, such as if a serious injury or fatality occurred. Your organization should establish, implement, and maintain a procedure to coordinate managing incidents with the authority having jurisdiction (e.g., police, OH&S inspectors, etc.).

This coordination may include the authority taking control of the incident scene.

What is the importance of emergency action?

What is emergency planning? – Emergency planning is the course of action a company takes in order to minimise the effects of an incident or crisis. The main objective of emergency planning is to reduce injuries, protect the community and maintain business continuity.

What is an emergency action plan for employees?

An Emergency Action Plan describes the actions employees should take in case of fire or other emergency situations. Most workplaces must have an emergency action plan. For workplaces with more than 10 employees, the plan must be in writing. If a company has fewer than 10 employees, they may communicate the plan orally.

What are the benefits of emergency maintenance?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Emergency Maintenance (EM)

• Improve Article
• Save Article
• Like Article

Emergency, I think all of you are familiar with this word. As name suggests, it is a serious and unexpected situation that is required to be immediately solved. One can say that emergency is a dangerous situation that requires immediate and quick action.

Emergencies always occur without any warning. Similarly, in software engineering, there are certain situations that require immediate actions. Emergency Maintenance (EM) is an immediate action that is needed to be taken whenever any unexpected failure of asset occurs or assets get broken down. These unexpected failures can be dangerous and might cause greater damage to health, safety as well as working environment.

Emergency maintenance is something that if failed equipment is not repaired immediately after failure, then it might cause greater damage, affects health, and results in production loss. Workflow of Emergency Maintenance (EM) : Advantages :

• One of main advantages of emergency maintenance is that there is no initial planning involved so initial cost involved to maintain equipment before failure occurrence is safe.
• As no planning is involved, number of team members require to resolve issues will be less.
• EM usually guides technicians to take preventive measures to prevent system from greater damages.
• EM also helps one to immediately identify major cause of failure and then restore asset or equipment to its normal working condition. In turn, it minimizes loss.
• Minimizing downtime by addressing critical issues quickly
• Improving the functionality, performance, and reliability of the system
• Reducing the risk of system failures and customer dissatisfaction
• Flexibility in addressing problems based on the severity and urgency

Disadvantages :

• Unpredictability is one of main disadvantages of Emergency maintenance as one does not when failure is going to occur. This might result in delays in production, decrease in product quality, increase labor costs, etc.
• No planning is involved and no tools and resources are collected that are required to resolve issues as such issues occur unexpectedly.
• Emergency maintenance does not increase lifetime of equipment. In fact, it generally reduces lifespan of equipment.
• It can be more costly than expense of regularly implementing preventive maintenance.
• Everyone’s main priority is not to deal with such type of maintenance. But no matter what, one has to plan to overcome such emergency situations.
• Increased downtime and lost productivity
• Higher costs in the long run as problems are likely to recur without addressing root cause
• Difficulty in predicting when and how often incidents will occur
• Increased risk of system failures and customer dissatisfaction
• Lack of proactive identification and resolution of potential problems
• Difficulty in identifying the root cause of the problem which leads to recurrence of the problem
• Lack of time for thorough testing and validation of the solution
• Additional stress on the maintenance team and possibly overtime costs

1. Last Updated : 25 Jan, 2023
2. Like Article
3. Save Article

: Advantages and Disadvantages of Emergency Maintenance (EM)

What is the most important part of the emergency action plan?

Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool – A very simple plan will suffice in offices, small retail shops, and small manufacturing settings where there are few or no hazardous materials or processes, and employees evacuate when alarms sound or when notified by public address systems. It is essential that the emergency action plan developed be site specific with respect to emergency conditions evaluated, evacuation policies and procedures, emergency reporting mechanisms, and alarm systems. To assist you in your planning, a checklist is provided that identifies issues that must be considered when drafting a comprehensive emergency action plan.

An explanation of each issue and/or examples of how each issue might be addressed in typical workplaces is provided. The best emergency action plans include employees in the planning process, specify what employees should do during an emergency, and ensure that employees receive proper training for emergencies.

When you include your employees in your planning, encourage them to offer suggestions about potential hazards, worst-case scenarios, and proper emergency responses. After you develop the plan, review it with your employees to make sure everyone knows what to do before, during, and after an emergency.

1. Eep a copy of your emergency action plan in a convenient location where employees can get to it, or provide a copy to all employees.
2. If you have 10 or fewer employees, you may communicate your plan orally.
3. It is common practice to select a responsible individual to lead and coordinate your emergency plan and evacuation.

It is critical that employees know who the coordinator is and understand that this person has the authority to make decisions during emergencies. The coordinator should be responsible for assessing the situation to determine whether an emergency exists requiring activation of the emergency procedures, overseeing emergency procedures, notifying and coordinating with outside emergency services, and directing shutdown of utilities or plant operations if necessary. In other instances, local emergency officials, such as the local fire department, may order you to evacuate your premises. If you have access to radio or television, listen to newscasts to keep informed and follow whatever official orders you receive.

When emergency officials, such as the local fire department, respond to and emergency at your workplace, they will assume responsibility for the safety of building occupants and have the authority to make decisions regarding evacuation and whatever other actions are necessary to protect life and property.

The highest-ranking responder will assume the incident command role and will work with the onsite emergency coordinator, but will be responsible for directing all response activities. Before implementing the emergency action plan, the employer must designate and train enough people to assist in the safe and orderly emergency evacuation of employees.

1. Employers should review the plan with each employee when the initial plan is developed and when each employee is initially assigned to the job.
2. Employers should review the plan with each employee when his/her actions or responsibilities under the plan change or when the plan changes.
3. Effective plans often call for retraining employees annually and include drills in which employees can practice evacuating their workplace and gathering in the assembly area.

Educate your employees about the types of emergencies that may occur and train them in the proper course of action. The size of your workplace and workforce, processes used, materials handled, and the availability of onsite or outside resources will determine your training requirements.

Be sure all employees understand the function and elements of your emergency action plan, including types of potential emergencies, reporting procedures, alarm systems, evacuation plans, and shutdown procedures. Discuss any special hazards you may have onsite such as flammable materials, toxic chemicals, radioactive sources, or water-reactive substances.

An employer must inform employees of the fire hazards to which they are exposed and review with each employee those parts of the fire prevention plan necessary for self-protection. Clearly communicate to your employees who will be in charge during an emergency to minimize confusion.

• Individual roles and responsibilities.
• Threats, hazards, and protective actions.
• Notification, warning, and communications procedures.
• Means for locating family members in an emergency.
• Emergency response procedures.
• Evacuation, shelter, and accountability procedures.
• Location and use of common emergency equipment.
• Emergency shutdown procedures.

And remember, if training is not reinforced it will be forgotten. Consider retraining employees annually. You also may want to train your employees in first-aid procedures, including protection against bloodborne pathogens ; respiratory protection, including use of an escape-only respirator ; and methods for preventing unauthorized access to the site.

1. Once you have reviewed your emergency action plan with your employees and everyone has had the proper training, it is a good idea to hold practice drills as often as necessary to keep employees prepared.
2. Include outside resources such as fire and police departments when possible.
3. After each drill, gather management and employees to evaluate the effectiveness of the drill.

Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your plan and work to improve it. Once you have completed your emergency action plan, review it carefully with your employees and post it in an area where all employees will have access to it. The employer must review with each employee upon initial assignment those parts of the EAP and fire prevention plan (FPP) that the employee must know to protect him or herself in the event of an emergency. The written plans must be available to the employees and kept at the workplace.

For employers with 10 or fewer employees, the plans may be communicated orally. The plans should also be reviewed with other companies or employee groups in your building to ensure that your efforts will be coordinated with theirs, enhancing the effectiveness of your plan. In addition, if you rely on assistance from local emergency responders such as the fire department, local HAZMAT teams, or other outside responders, you may find it useful to review and coordinate your emergency plans with these organizations.

This ensures that you are aware of the capabilities of these outside responders and that they know what you expect of them. It is a good idea to hold practice evacuation drills. Evacuation drills permit employees to become familiar with the emergency procedures, their egress routes, and assembly locations, so that if an actual emergency should occur, they will respond properly.

1. Drills should be conducted as often as necessary to keep employees prepared.
2. Include outside resources, such as fire and police departments, when possible.
3. After each drill, gather management and employees to evaluate the effectiveness of the drill.
4. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your plan and work to improve it.

Operations and personnel change frequently, and an outdated plan will be of little use in an emergency. You should review the contents of your plan regularly and update it whenever an employee’s emergency actions or responsibilities change, or when there is a change in the layout or design of the facility, new equipment, hazardous materials, or processes are introduced that affect evacuation routes, or new types of hazards are introduced that require special actions.

Why is it important to have an emergency evacuation plan?

Back to Blog When most people think about emergency evacuation plans, often they’ll picture large-scale disasters like hurricanes or wildfires. However, emergency management plans include the response procedures for all possible emergency events big or small.

What is an emergency management/evacuation plan and why do I need one? How do I create an emergency management/evacuation plan? How to use the emergency management/evacuation plan in the event of an emergency Final tips for creating and implementing your emergency evacuation plan

1. What is an emergency management/evacuation plan and why do I need one? Getting ready for an emergency before it happens is the best way to ensure that your facility is prepared to keep your occupants safe. During the high stress of an emergency, it is extremely difficult for an occupants response to be logical and follow best practice.

• Instead, it is usually emotionally driven – emergency evacuation plans provide logical procedures for responding to an emergency.
• What exactly is an emergency management/evacuation plan? It’s a plan spelling out what your occupants and Emergency Control Organisation (ECO) should do when responding to an emergency situation.

It helps to efficiently and safely get people away from an area where there is an imminent threat, ongoing threat, or a hazard to lives or property. Emergency evacuation plans can be made for an entire facility, or personalised in the case of a person who requires assistance when responding to an emergency.2. Creating an emergency plan is an in-depth process that must outline all possible threats your facility or occupants may face and the appropriate response procedures including evacuation routes or, special consideration for certain occupants. Generally, the emergency management/ evacuation plan is written in collaboration with facility owners, managers, occupiers, and employers alongside the Emergency Planning Committee (EPC).

What is the most important thing in an emergency?

The most important thing to remember in an emergency is to STAY CALM and call 911. Make sure you know where you are and speak slowly and clearly. The dispatcher who answers your call will speak to you calmly. Don’t be alarmed, as the dispatcher is specially trained to remain calm.

What should be included in a workplace emergency action plan?

An EAP must include at a minimum: procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency. procedures for emergency evacuation, including type of evacuation and exit route assignments. use floor plans or workplace maps which clearly show the emergency escape routes.

What are the three C’s of an emergency action plan?

In an emergency situation, it may be challenging to think rationally. Before you find yourself in a stressful circumstance, prepare your mind so that you might potentially save a life or alleviate someone’s suffering. Check, Call, and Care are the three basic Cs.

Check: This refers to looking for anything dangerous. Assistance can be required if there is danger all around the situation. Rushing into a situation without first considering any potential threats could do more harm to you or other people. You will need to ask for first aid if, for instance, a vehicle accident occurs in a busy place or if someone is trapped in a fire. Before entering the scene, inspect it. Take the way the scene changed. The victim’s breathing should then be verified. You might need to administer specialized care, such as CPR. Call: It’s critical to get first aid from a specialist in an emergency. Check for victims’ breaths and pulses and collect any other necessary information after inspecting the site. Give local authorities accurate information so they can get involved as soon as possible. Care: Check the area and contact for assistance, and then give care until emergency personnel arrive. Watch the victims’ breathing closely. You might need to do CPR or halt the bleeding. The first aid triage is circulation-airway-breathing.

The Three P’s of First aid

Preserve Life: The primary goal for any first responder in any scenario should be to preserve life. To save the victim’s life, you might need to halt the bleeding, do CPR, or do anything else. Circulation, airway, and breathing (C-A-B) should come first. The victim’s circulation should be assessed, and any necessary changes should be made. Make sure the sufferer is breathing and that nothing is blocking their airway. The intention is to stop the condition from getting any worse. Prevent Deterioration: Do what you can to maintain the victim’s health until medical personnel arrive. The intention is to stop the problem from getting worse and stop any potential future harm. This may entail transferring the sufferer to a safer area, administering first assistance, stabilizing them, or simply remaining nearby and comforting them. Promote Recovery: After you’ve provided the best first aid care possible, it’s time to encourage recovery. This can be accomplished by boosting self-esteem, offering solace, striving to ease pain, and other methods.

Depending on your particular circumstance, these first aid and emergency tips and methods may change. However, keeping in mind the fundamentals of what to do could save a life or spare you from more suffering. Before you find yourself in a scenario where it’s difficult to think properly, be aware of these straightforward procedures. Dr. Naveen Prakash Verma Consultant Department of Emergency and Trauma Book an Appointment

How effective is an action plan?

What is an action plan? – An action plan is a list of tasks or steps you need to complete to achieve your goals. An effective action plan works like a management plan for your company’s initiatives, outlining the steps you need to take to make these larger goals a success.

What is the main purpose of an action plan?

What is an action plan? – An action plan is a document that lists what steps must be taken to achieve a specific goal. It breaks down the goal into actionable steps that can be easily followed and tracked. The purpose of an action plan is to clarify what resources are required to reach the goal and formulate a timeline for when specific tasks need to be completed.

What is the purpose and importance of action plan?

1. Effective communication – An action plan allows your team to be on top of your tasks and coordinate and communicate requirements to all stakeholders. Deliverables, timetables, responsibilities, task ownership, budget- all are key elements of any project that should be communicated properly for the successful execution of the project, An action plan helps you do just that and more.

What are the importance and advantages of planning?

Importance of Planning – Planning is definitely significant as it directs us where to go, it furnishes direction and decreases the danger of risk by making predictions. The significant advantages of planning are provided below:

• Planning provides directions : Planning assures that the objectives are certainly asserted so that they serve as a model for determining what action should be taken and in which direction. If objects are well established, employees are informed of what the company has to do and what they need do to accomplish those purposes.
• Planning decreases the chances of risk : Planning is an activity which permits a manager to look forward and predict changes. By determining in prior the tasks to be completed, planning notes the way to deal with changes and unpredictable effects.
• Planning decreases overlapping and wasteful activities : Planning works as the foundation of organising the activities and purposes of distinct branches, departments, and people. It assists in avoiding chaos and confusion. Since planning guarantees precision in understanding and action, work is conducted on easily without delays.
• Planning encourages innovative ideas : Since it is the primary function of management, new approaches can take the form of actual plans. It is the most challenging project for the management as it leads all planned actions pointing to growth and of the business.
• Planning aids decision making : It encourages the manager to look into the future and make a decision from amongst several alternative plans of action. The manager has to assess each option and pick the most viable plan.

Related read:

table>

• Through planning, the efforts of various individuals and departments are coordinated properly to eliminate overlapping & wasteful activities.
• It ensures clarity in thoughts and actions, work is carried on smoothly without any confusion and misunderstanding.
• Useless and wasteful activities are reduced or eliminated.
• It is easier to detect inefficiencies and take corrective measures to deal with them.

• • By stating in advance how work is to be done, planning provides direction for action.
  • Planning guarantees that goals and aim are distinctly defined so that they
  • operate as a pattern for determining what direction should be taken.
  • Planning makes the goals and objectives clear in the minds of all individuals working in different capacities.
  • Lack of planning brings chaos and lack of coordination.

Example: A car manufacturing company gives targets to employees who decide their direction of work. (3) INNOVATIVE IDEAS

• Planning is thinking in advance what to do and how to do it.
• New ideas can take the shape of concrete plans and innovation.
• Innovation is required to modify the plans for the growth and expansion of the business.
• Example:
• Through innovative products, the companies maintain a competitive edge in the market and it is planning through which it is decided how to innovate.
• In a company of real estate, there are different departments like Marketing, HR, Sales, and Finance. Each department has assigned targets and jobs. This reduces overlapping of work and wastage of efforts.

• Planning is done for the future and the future is full of uncertainties.
• Planning enables a manager to look forward and take appropriate steps to deal with future uncertainties and changes.
• Mis-happenings and uncertain events cannot be eliminated completely but their effect on the organisation can be minimised if we plan how to overcome such situations.
• Example: An organization might ensure its inventory yet an accident can take place and damage its assets. So, the future is uncertain yet we can minimise the risks by proper planning.

• Through planning, managers compare different alternatives with their benefits and limitations.
• Planning helps make rational decisions by choosing the best most profitable alternative which may bring lower cost, adaptable to the organisation and situations.
• Example: A group of marketing experts (deciding for best marketing strategy for the product) chalk out different alternatives evaluates these alternatives and finally selects the best alternative.

• Planning involves the setting of goals and these predetermined goals are accomplished with the help of managerial functions like planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling.
• Planning provides standards against which actual performance is measured.
• Without standards, the actual performance of each individual, department, and division cannot be measured.
• With the help of standards, deviations in the performance are found and such deviations become the basis of effective planning for future planning.
• Planning provides a basis to bring the desired output under controlling function and result of controlling function provides guidelines for effective planning.
• Example: A torch manufacturing company decides to manufacture 8000 torches in the month of December. However with the passage of 15 days only 2000 torches were manufactured. So the company decided to revise its standard for production,

table>

• b. Planning reduces overlapping and wasteful activities
• c. Planning provides directions
• d. None of the above
• Answer : d, None of the above

1. b. Direction
2. c. Coordination
3. d. None of the above
4. Answer : b, Direction

• b. Directing
• c. Coordination
• d. Standards
• Answer : a, Planning

table>

1. (OR)
2. DEFINE ‘PLANNING’ STATE ANY FOUR POINTS OF IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING. (OUTSIDE DELHI 2014)
3. (OR)

IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING DIRECTIONS AND REDUCING THE RISK OF UNCERTAINTY PLANNING HELPS MANAGERS IN THE MANY OTHER WAYS.’ EXPLAIN ANY FOUR SUCH WAYS. (DELHI COMPTT.2014) (OR) IS PLANNING ACTUALLY WORTH THE HUGE COSTS INVOLVED? EXPLAIN. (NCERT) ANSWER: (A) MEANING OF PLANNING

• Planning bridges the gap between where we are (present) and where we want to go (future).
• Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do when to do it and by whom it is to be done.

• Through planning, the efforts of various individuals and departments are coordinated properly.
• Thus, useless and wasteful activities are reduced or eliminated.
• It ensures clarity in thoughts and actions, work is carried on smoothly without any confusion and misunderstanding.

• By stating in advance how work is to be done, planning provides direction for action.
• Planning ensures that goals and objectives are clearly defined so that, they act as a guide for deciding what action should be taken and in which direction.

• Planning is deciding in advance what to do and how to do it.
• New ideas can take the shape of concrete plans and innovation.
• Innovation is required to modify the plans for the growth and expansion of the business.
• Example: Deciding in advance helps to innovate as a company can foresee what they may be facing in future and accordingly it can bring innovation in their products.

• Planning is done for the future and the future is full of uncertainties.
• Planning enables a manager to look forward and take appropriate steps to deal with future uncertainties and changes.
• Mishappenings and uncertain events cannot be eliminated completely but their effect on the organisation can be minimised with proper planning.
• Example: An organisation might take every step to prevent an accident; still, it can take place and damage its assets. So, the future is uncertain but we can minimise the risks by proper planning.

• • Through planning, managers compare different alternatives with their benefits and limitations.
  • Planning helps to make rational decisions by choosing the best possible alternative.
  • With correct planning, cost-effective methods can be chosen which can also prove to be the most profitable one.
  • Example:

Marketing experts in a company choose the best marketing strategy out of available alternatives, to promote the product of a company. (f) SET STANDARDS FOR CONTROLLING

• Planning involves the setting of goals and whether these predetermined goals are accomplished that is ensured with controlling.
• Planning provides standards against which actual performance is measured.
• With the help of standards, deviations in the performance are found and corrective actions are taken.
• Therefore, planning set standards for controlling.
• Example: A torch manufacturing company decides to manufacture 8000 torches in the month of December. However, with the passage of 15 days, only 3000 torches were manufactured. Thus, the company took corrective actions and made some changes and arrangements to make the remaining 5000 torches in 15 days.

table>

• (a) What is to be done?
• (b) How it is to be done?
• (c) Where is it to be done?
• (d) When is to be done?
• (e) By whom it is to be done?

The above mentioned is the concept, that is elucidated in detail about the ‘Planning’ for the class 12 Commerce students. To know more, stay tuned to BYJU’S. Other Important Topics in Business Studies : Planning – Meaning and Top 5 Importances of Planning

What are the benefits of planning work and setting goals?

The Importance, Benefits, and Value of Goal Setting We all know that setting goals is important, but we often don’t realize how important they are as we continue to move through life. Goal setting does not have to be boring. There are many benefits and advantages to having a set of goals to work towards.

1. Setting goals helps trigger new behaviors, helps guides your focus and helps you sustain that momentum in life.
2. Goals also help align your focus and promote a sense of self-mastery.
3. In the end, you can’t manage what you don’t measure and you can’t improve upon something that you don’t properly manage.

Setting goals can help you do all of that and more. In this article, we will review the importance and value of goal setting as well as the many benefits. We will also look at how goal setting can lead to greater success and performance. Setting goals not only motivates us, but can also improve our mental health and our level of personal and professional success.

What are the benefits of emergency maintenance?

Advantages and Disadvantages of Emergency Maintenance (EM)

• Improve Article
• Save Article
• Like Article

Emergency, I think all of you are familiar with this word. As name suggests, it is a serious and unexpected situation that is required to be immediately solved. One can say that emergency is a dangerous situation that requires immediate and quick action.

Emergencies always occur without any warning. Similarly, in software engineering, there are certain situations that require immediate actions. Emergency Maintenance (EM) is an immediate action that is needed to be taken whenever any unexpected failure of asset occurs or assets get broken down. These unexpected failures can be dangerous and might cause greater damage to health, safety as well as working environment.

Emergency maintenance is something that if failed equipment is not repaired immediately after failure, then it might cause greater damage, affects health, and results in production loss. Workflow of Emergency Maintenance (EM) : Advantages :

• One of main advantages of emergency maintenance is that there is no initial planning involved so initial cost involved to maintain equipment before failure occurrence is safe.
• As no planning is involved, number of team members require to resolve issues will be less.
• EM usually guides technicians to take preventive measures to prevent system from greater damages.
• EM also helps one to immediately identify major cause of failure and then restore asset or equipment to its normal working condition. In turn, it minimizes loss.
• Minimizing downtime by addressing critical issues quickly
• Improving the functionality, performance, and reliability of the system
• Reducing the risk of system failures and customer dissatisfaction
• Flexibility in addressing problems based on the severity and urgency

Disadvantages :

• Unpredictability is one of main disadvantages of Emergency maintenance as one does not when failure is going to occur. This might result in delays in production, decrease in product quality, increase labor costs, etc.
• No planning is involved and no tools and resources are collected that are required to resolve issues as such issues occur unexpectedly.
• Emergency maintenance does not increase lifetime of equipment. In fact, it generally reduces lifespan of equipment.
• It can be more costly than expense of regularly implementing preventive maintenance.
• Everyone’s main priority is not to deal with such type of maintenance. But no matter what, one has to plan to overcome such emergency situations.
• Increased downtime and lost productivity
• Higher costs in the long run as problems are likely to recur without addressing root cause
• Difficulty in predicting when and how often incidents will occur
• Increased risk of system failures and customer dissatisfaction
• Lack of proactive identification and resolution of potential problems
• Difficulty in identifying the root cause of the problem which leads to recurrence of the problem
• Lack of time for thorough testing and validation of the solution
• Additional stress on the maintenance team and possibly overtime costs

1. Last Updated : 25 Jan, 2023
2. Like Article
3. Save Article

: Advantages and Disadvantages of Emergency Maintenance (EM)

What is the most important part of the emergency action plan?

Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool – A very simple plan will suffice in offices, small retail shops, and small manufacturing settings where there are few or no hazardous materials or processes, and employees evacuate when alarms sound or when notified by public address systems. It is essential that the emergency action plan developed be site specific with respect to emergency conditions evaluated, evacuation policies and procedures, emergency reporting mechanisms, and alarm systems. To assist you in your planning, a checklist is provided that identifies issues that must be considered when drafting a comprehensive emergency action plan.

An explanation of each issue and/or examples of how each issue might be addressed in typical workplaces is provided. The best emergency action plans include employees in the planning process, specify what employees should do during an emergency, and ensure that employees receive proper training for emergencies.

When you include your employees in your planning, encourage them to offer suggestions about potential hazards, worst-case scenarios, and proper emergency responses. After you develop the plan, review it with your employees to make sure everyone knows what to do before, during, and after an emergency.

Eep a copy of your emergency action plan in a convenient location where employees can get to it, or provide a copy to all employees. If you have 10 or fewer employees, you may communicate your plan orally. It is common practice to select a responsible individual to lead and coordinate your emergency plan and evacuation.

It is critical that employees know who the coordinator is and understand that this person has the authority to make decisions during emergencies. The coordinator should be responsible for assessing the situation to determine whether an emergency exists requiring activation of the emergency procedures, overseeing emergency procedures, notifying and coordinating with outside emergency services, and directing shutdown of utilities or plant operations if necessary. In other instances, local emergency officials, such as the local fire department, may order you to evacuate your premises. If you have access to radio or television, listen to newscasts to keep informed and follow whatever official orders you receive.

When emergency officials, such as the local fire department, respond to and emergency at your workplace, they will assume responsibility for the safety of building occupants and have the authority to make decisions regarding evacuation and whatever other actions are necessary to protect life and property.

The highest-ranking responder will assume the incident command role and will work with the onsite emergency coordinator, but will be responsible for directing all response activities. Before implementing the emergency action plan, the employer must designate and train enough people to assist in the safe and orderly emergency evacuation of employees.

1. Employers should review the plan with each employee when the initial plan is developed and when each employee is initially assigned to the job.
2. Employers should review the plan with each employee when his/her actions or responsibilities under the plan change or when the plan changes.
3. Effective plans often call for retraining employees annually and include drills in which employees can practice evacuating their workplace and gathering in the assembly area.

Educate your employees about the types of emergencies that may occur and train them in the proper course of action. The size of your workplace and workforce, processes used, materials handled, and the availability of onsite or outside resources will determine your training requirements.

1. Be sure all employees understand the function and elements of your emergency action plan, including types of potential emergencies, reporting procedures, alarm systems, evacuation plans, and shutdown procedures.
2. Discuss any special hazards you may have onsite such as flammable materials, toxic chemicals, radioactive sources, or water-reactive substances.

An employer must inform employees of the fire hazards to which they are exposed and review with each employee those parts of the fire prevention plan necessary for self-protection. Clearly communicate to your employees who will be in charge during an emergency to minimize confusion.

• Individual roles and responsibilities.
• Threats, hazards, and protective actions.
• Notification, warning, and communications procedures.
• Means for locating family members in an emergency.
• Emergency response procedures.
• Evacuation, shelter, and accountability procedures.
• Location and use of common emergency equipment.
• Emergency shutdown procedures.

And remember, if training is not reinforced it will be forgotten. Consider retraining employees annually. You also may want to train your employees in first-aid procedures, including protection against bloodborne pathogens ; respiratory protection, including use of an escape-only respirator ; and methods for preventing unauthorized access to the site.

Once you have reviewed your emergency action plan with your employees and everyone has had the proper training, it is a good idea to hold practice drills as often as necessary to keep employees prepared. Include outside resources such as fire and police departments when possible. After each drill, gather management and employees to evaluate the effectiveness of the drill.

Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your plan and work to improve it. Once you have completed your emergency action plan, review it carefully with your employees and post it in an area where all employees will have access to it. The employer must review with each employee upon initial assignment those parts of the EAP and fire prevention plan (FPP) that the employee must know to protect him or herself in the event of an emergency. The written plans must be available to the employees and kept at the workplace.

For employers with 10 or fewer employees, the plans may be communicated orally. The plans should also be reviewed with other companies or employee groups in your building to ensure that your efforts will be coordinated with theirs, enhancing the effectiveness of your plan. In addition, if you rely on assistance from local emergency responders such as the fire department, local HAZMAT teams, or other outside responders, you may find it useful to review and coordinate your emergency plans with these organizations.

This ensures that you are aware of the capabilities of these outside responders and that they know what you expect of them. It is a good idea to hold practice evacuation drills. Evacuation drills permit employees to become familiar with the emergency procedures, their egress routes, and assembly locations, so that if an actual emergency should occur, they will respond properly.

Drills should be conducted as often as necessary to keep employees prepared. Include outside resources, such as fire and police departments, when possible. After each drill, gather management and employees to evaluate the effectiveness of the drill. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your plan and work to improve it.

Operations and personnel change frequently, and an outdated plan will be of little use in an emergency. You should review the contents of your plan regularly and update it whenever an employee’s emergency actions or responsibilities change, or when there is a change in the layout or design of the facility, new equipment, hazardous materials, or processes are introduced that affect evacuation routes, or new types of hazards are introduced that require special actions.

What should be included in a workplace emergency action plan?

An EAP must include at a minimum: procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency. procedures for emergency evacuation, including type of evacuation and exit route assignments. use floor plans or workplace maps which clearly show the emergency escape routes.

Why is emergency escape plan important?

Escape plans help families evacuate the home quickly and safely through routes that they have previously discussed and practiced. It is recommended that families not only have a fire escape plan in place, but that they have multiple escape plans in place from each room.