Practical Ways Businesses Can Prepare for Emergencies at Work

It’s not usual, or much fun, come to that, for business owners to spend a lot of time thinking about what emergencies might befall them – it feels like something that’s never going to happen, so why worry about it? But the thing is they do happen, and they happen without warning (that’s why they’re emergencies), so knowing what to do or who to call could actually make a massive difference. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more about practical ways businesses can prepare for emergencies at work. 

Start With A Clear Emergency Plan 

Every workplace should have a basic emergency plan that everyone knows about and can follow. It doesn’t have to be a huge document that spells absolutely everything out – in fact, that should be totally avoided because no one’s going to read that, which defeats the whole purpose) – but it does need to be clear and accessible. 

So what should go into your emergency plan? A few things to think about include what to do in case of a fire, for example, what happens if there’s a medical emergency, what happens if there’s a security incident, and who’s responsible for what. 

Make sure everyone knows where to find this information, and putting up posters, having internal web pages, or perhaps some short training sessions can all be useful. 

Assign And Train Key Roles 

One thing that often happens in an emergency is that people look around and wait for someone else to take charge – sometimes that strategy works because someone does step forward, but sometimes that idea can just waste precious minutes and everyone gets more stressed. To prevent that problem, it’s a good idea to assign roles and ensure everyone knows what their roles are and what they’re meant to do if they need to take action at any time. 

Some of the roles you’ll need include first aiders, fire wardens, and evacuation co-ordinators, for example. Train everyone to understand exactly what the role means, and make sure that everyone else knows who they are and that they need to listen to them if there’s an emergency. That’s going to keep people calm and save time. It could even save lives. 

Invest In First Aid And Emergency Equipment 

Basic first aid kits are pretty much a given because everyone business is going to have one (if you don’t, take this as your reminder to buy one immediately), but the problem is that’s where a lot of workplaces stop, even though, depending on your environment, you might also need other things like eyewash stations, spill kits, or perhaps emergency blankets, for example. 

For cardiac emergencies, having an automated external defibrillator (AED) on site can be crucial, and the good news is that programs like the Premedics AED program can help businesses manage devices, give training, and monitor what’s happening so that the equipment is ready when it’s needed rather than just sitting on a wall collecting dust without anyone who knows what to do with it. 

Make Emergency Equipment Visible And Accessible 

It’s not enough to have equipment – people need to know where it is and feel confident using it as well. Make sure you clearly label everything you’ve got, whether it’s an AED like we mentioned above, a first aid kit, fire extinguishers, or anything else. And always keep them in an accessible place, not locked away in a cupboard so no one can get to them when they’re needed. 

It’s also important to have the right signage in place so that if, for any reason, someone didn’t already know where to find whatever it is they need, they’ve got signs to guide them (and that’s also going to help if you ever have any audit because the inspectors will know you’re complying with guidance). 

Run Regular Drills And Refreshers 

Fire drills are common, but other emergencies tend to get forgotten, and that means they’re not practised very often, if at all. But that’s an issue if it means people don’t know what to do if that emergency ever actually happens. 

That’s why it’s wise to run more drills than just the fire one – and refresh everyone’s knowledge as often as you can. It might seem as though running drills is too much work, especially as it’s the kind of thing that can disrupt people and cause a drop in productivity, but it’s far better to be safe than sorry, and if a little bit of disruption means people can stay safer and not panic in an emergency, then that’s got to be a good thing. 

Encourage A Culture Of Reporting And Awareness 

Emergencies might sound like sudden events, and a lot of the time they are, but that’s not always the case – sometimes they’re actually the result of ignored risks building up over time. 

That’s why you need to encourage your employees to report any hazards they spot, no matter how small, and to always mention any near misses, or even just any concerns they’ve got. That means things like loose cables, blocked exits, faulty equipment, and so on. They might only seem like little things that are barely worth mentioning, but they could easily turn into big things, so they need to be dealt with. It’s your job to make it easy and safe for people to speak up without feeling like they’re complaining because otherwise you might never hear about the issues until they cause some damage. 

Think About Mental And Emotional Emergencies Too

Something else to bear in mind is the fact that not all emergencies are physical, and things like severe stress, panic attacks, or any kind of mental health crisis can also happen at work. 

Because of that, it makes sense to train managers to recognise the signs of distress and respond calmly and helpfully. Make sure everyone knows where to go for support, whether that’s HR, occupation health, or perhaps someone external, like a therapist. In the end, the more help you can offer people, the easier it’ll be to handle the emergency.