Find out what makes an effective EAP and how to create one for your business.
An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is a procedure that outlines how to respond and react during an emergency. An EAP describes who will take action with what tasks when there is an emergency, laying out specific steps that need to be taken for the organization or business to ensure people’s safety, property protection, continuity of operations, and minimizing business disruption.
An emergency action plan is vital for every organization to prepare and execute emergency management protocols and procedures. The purpose of an EAP is to help the organization eliminate confusion, injury, or property damage in case of a workplace emergency (e.g., blasting).
Regularly updating workplace emergency action plans empowers teams to recognize hazardous conditions that may worsen an emergency, allowing safety and health professionals to apply preventive measures. This practice also helps avoid devastating losses such as casualties and the financial downfall of an organization.
Below are the main benefits of having an Emergency Action Plan in place:
As defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in Standard 1910.38(a), every company or organization must have an EAP. Everyone can benefit from creating an EAP, from small firms to large organizations. It’s vital for companies with guests, customers, or on-site travelers, as well as those operating in risk-prone areas. An EAP can guarantee that everybody knows probable dangers and understands how to react if an unexpected situation occurs.
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No two EAPs are alike, and the particularities of each will depend on many factors, such as building construction, operating hours, staff qualifications, and more. However, there should typically be some essential components incorporated into most EAPs, including:
Detailed diagrams of building layouts are a crucial component of each EAP. No matter the emergency, it must feature an updated diagram for the whole property. The map should include marked pathways to safety, and all emergency exits must be unmistakable.
It is important to remember that specific emergencies require the presence of specialized emergency responders, such as a hazardous materials unit for chemical spills or a utility company for power lines and utility issues. Therefore, the EAP must have all relevant contact information and emergency numbers.
Other than calling on the proper authorities, it is crucial to properly communicate that an emergency is happening. For instance, sounding the fire alarm is possibly the most effective approach to facing flames. Other alert systems may entail blowing a whistle or striking a bell.
In an emergency, simplify accounting for personnel by printing a roster and having individuals indicate their safety from a designated area.
Once an EAP is implemented, it can be necessary to tell parents, guardians, or next of kin connected to the persons concerned. Depending on the situation, family members may have to be told immediately to bring advice or come and take their kids away.
A reporter may contact your organization in an emergency to get information. Addressing the press is imperative, so you should appoint one person in your organization as the contact for media inquiries.
New staff must be familiar with the emergency exits in emergencies. For example, if there was a chemical spill, staff should be trained to stay away from the exits closest to the area and find another means of evacuating the building safely.
Since emergencies in the workplace will occur, health and safety managers should ensure that every worker is prepared to respond accordingly. Follow these simple ways to integrate the practice of an emergency action plan in your organization:
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) recommends that relevant individuals, such as employees with knowledge of the work, employees with experience in investigations, and representatives from the local government, should participate in establishing or reviewing emergency procedures. Working with a cross-functional team makes EAP all-encompassing, accurate, and effective.
With an EAP in place, the designated responsible official should conduct an organization-wide emergency drill to determine how effectively the plan is carried out. Announced emergency drills remind emergency coordinators to review the emergency action plan, while unannounced emergency drills demonstrate how they understand what to do at the onset of emergencies.
Upon completing emergency drills, gather a cross-functional team to analyze the results. Determine the root cause of misalignment, if there’s any, and exchange ideas about what can be done to maintain a high level of proficiency. The OSHA EAP template contains 21 critical questions to help assess the effectiveness of an emergency action plan.
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Positive reinforcement makes it easier for employees to keep doing what they do right. The designated official and emergency coordinators should call out best practices. Changes to be applied for areas of improvement should be paired with proper training to sustain retention.
OSHA advises annual emergency drills to effectively implement an emergency action plan. SafetyCulture suggests putting the plan to the test periodically to ensure the effectiveness of site-specific emergency procedures and continuously build a proactive safety culture in the workplace.
To protect employees from potential injuries, emergency action plans have to be comprehensive and accurate, down to the smallest of details. SafetyCulture (formerly iAuditor) offers an easy-to-use platform to help create and manage an effective EAP.
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EAPs should be inspected and improved annually or more often as called for. The documentation should note any upgrades. Fresh recruits, building reconfigurations, new ventures, office transformations, makeovers, and even more can all impact the potency of an EAP.
Measuring an emergency plan’s success largely depends on how quickly it can restore normal operations after a major incident. It is a crucial measure because even short downtime can cost businesses dearly—potentially making the difference between survival and failure.
Employers must review the emergency plan with each employee following OSHA regulation [29 CFR 1910.38(e)], both when the plan is created and when the employee first takes up their role. It ensures that every employee knows what to do in an emergency and is kept up-to-date with any changes.
It is the employer’s responsibility to establish and implement emergency action plans, as well as share information about them. However, it is also the responsibility of the employee to remember these plans and follow them.
A good emergency plan contains the following :
Rob Paredes is a content contributor for SafetyCulture. Before joining SafetyCulture, he worked as a financial advisor, a freelance copywriter, and a Network Engineer for more than a decade. Rob's diverse professional background allows him to provide well-rounded, engaging content that can help businesses transform the way they work.
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