Below is a 3-minute Safety Talk you can share with your workers to reinforce the importance of Emergency Preparedness and Response in the workplace. A downloadable PDF is located at the bottom of this post.

As we go about our daily work in manufacturing and processing, it’s essential to keep safety at the forefront of our minds. Today’s safety moment is about the importance of emergency preparedness.

Preparing for emergencies is more than having a muster point and a first aid kit. You can’t put a price on saving a life, your own or someone else’s, should an emergency occur. 

Everyone on a work site has the right to know the potential hazards, the severity of those hazards, and how to react when something goes wrong. Having a plan for unforeseen emergencies reduces the risk and severity of negative impacts on the health and safety of individuals on-site.

Emergency evacuations can happen in response to a fire, a chemical release, a natural disaster, a violent incident, or other life-threatening disaster. Don’t rely on guesswork during workplace emergencies. Waiting to find information during an emergency could be too late.

Ensure you are familiar with your workplace’s various alarm sounds and lights before an emergency occurs. Alarm systems typically have different signals for fire emergencies. Specific alarms may also be related to hazardous equipment, chemicals, gases, and other hazards.

Evacuation Procedures:

• As soon as you hear the alarm, leave the building immediately.
• Remain calm. Move quickly, but don’t run.
• Shut down all hazardous operations.
• Leave the area in an orderly fashion. Close doors, but do not lock.
• Follow instructions.
• Follow established routes to exit the building. Use a backup route if the primary way is blocked by fire or smoke.
• Use stairways. Never use elevators. If power is cut, the elevator could become a fatal trap.
• Test doors before opening them. If a door feels hot, use an alternate escape route.
• Stay close to the ground if there’s heavy smoke. The air is usually less smoky along the floor.
• If you’re the last one out, close all doors behind you to limit the spread of smoke or flames.
• Proceed to the nearest muster station and be accounted for. 
• Stay at the assembly area until instructed otherwise.

WE CAN HELP your team improve health and safety by providing hands-on coaching, training, mentoring and education, including recognizing, evaluating, and controlling workplace hazards.

Contact us today to learn how Made Safe NL can help you create or update your emergency preparedness and response plan.

Work Safe. Home Safe. Every Day.

Click HERE for a downloadable PDF of this Safety Talk that includes a sign-in sheet (printable or digitally fillable).