Question:
We're trying to find ways that companies handle employee safety after a disaster. Are there any 'best practices' when it comes to assuring employees are at the designated meeting site after a disaster?
Answer 1:
A double check of who is in the office
is done. The first track is electronic use of ID cards to enter the building.
Additionally, we have Floor Wardens who keep track that the employee is
in the office. All employees are trained where to meet in the event of
an evacuation. The meeting places are broken out by floor area. The Floor
Wardens track the employees that they are responsible for at the meeting
place. We have also established a bridge number that employees dial into
when they arrive home and for current information. This allows us to double
check that they are safe.
If the building is going to be uninhabitable for a period of time, personnel
are sent to alternate sites based on where they live. All this is already
in our Crisis Management Plan. We try to satisfy the needs of the business
and our personnel.
Hope this helps.
Al Rennick
AT&T
732 394-4415
Answer 2:
Accountability is a matter of careful planning before a disaster occurs. Plans range from school evacuation plans that account for every individual to business evacuation plans that ensure that everyone is out of a facility, but have no way of knowing exactly who was in the facility when the incident occurred.
Safety requires that you use area monitors or building wardens to ensure that an area is cleared of all personnel when an evacuation is ordered. When someone is left inside due to injury or disability, that should be reported by the area monitor once that monitor reaches the safe area.
Taking attendance isn't foolproof. Even if a supervisor has a staff roster, in most cases, employees wouldn't know if all personnel on the roster were in the area at the time of the evacuation. They might have been absent, off campus at a meeting, out at lunch or a doctor's appointment, etc. They may have just been in another area of the facility at the time of evacuation.
Employees who are away from their normal work areas, and who evacuate to the closest safe area, should report their presence to the area monitor so that information can be relayed to their assigned safe area.
In my experience, Nextel phones assigned to each area warden have proved to be the best communication system immediately following an evacuation. They provide an instant messaging system from safe area to safe area and to the Chief Building Warden. They also provide a cell phone for calling 911 if there is an emergency in a particular safe area (e.g. asthmatic reaction to smoke or chemicals, heart attack, person injured from a blast, fire, fall, etc.).
Creating a "Go Bag" with certain essential supplies is helpful. The staff roster could be contained in the Go Bag which is taken out by the supervisor or the backup supervisor.
Secondly, a buddy system might prove helpful. If one buddy makes it to the safe area, he/she might know the whereabouts of a missing staff member.
List in advance any semi-ambulatory employees, their assigned safe area on the floor where they work, and if possible, their cell phone number. In one company, the company purchased and issued cell phones to all semi-ambulatory staff. Their cell phone numbers and safe area assignments were kept in the Guard House and accessed by Security and the Chief Warden during an evacuation.
I hope this helps.
Dr. Thomas Phelan, President
Strategic Teaching Associates, Inc.
Answer 3:
You should have a primary
and alternate assembly site already designated.
Associates should be aware of these assembly sites. DO NOT post signs
indicating assembly points (could be used against you in a bomb or domestic
violence, etc. situation). A roll call should be conducted at the assembly
site. All associates need to ensure they report to the assembly site (do
not
go to car, leave the premises, go to nearby coffee shop, etc.)
In regards to safety, Security guards and/or emergency response team members should be trained in CPR/first aid and assist with any injuries. You should also have a primary and alternate site located for a triage area for injured personnel.
In addition, the Company should also have a toll
free number designated for
Associates to call in regards to a post-event incident. This number should
be listed on an emergency card and distributed to all Associates prior
to
event. After an evacuation, the Company should update the message on the
toll free line instructios associates where to report and at what time.
At
the very least, associates should have the contact information for their
immediate supervisors and vice-versa.
Hope this helps . . .
Robbie Attabaigi
The responses reflect the views of the individual EAB member, and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers, the DRJ, or the EAB as a whole.