Describe the essential components of an emergency action plan.

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VIII

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Explain the rationale for emergency planning.

2. Define OSHA standard and emergency action plans.

3. Identify what an emergency action plan is and how it is used by employers.

4. Analyze how a company can use a safety policy and promote safety and health within their organization.

5. Explain how company-sponsored wellness programs help support a team-oriented environment.

Unit Lesson

Emergencies can be potentially life-threatening situations in which employees can be faced with potential long term issues. They occur suddenly and unexpectedly. Because of this, employers use planning, practicing, evaluating, and adjusting to prepare their employees to respond to any type of emergency situation. Employers develop an emergency action plan (EAP) to cover the actions that employers and employees must take in order to ensure employee safety during emergencies. An emergency at a job site can consist of anything from medical emergencies to potential hazardous chemical emergencies; therefore, emergency action plans must be set into motion to cover a variety of possible emergencies and they must also be location specific. The EAP must consist of a mapped plan, the establishment of the chain of command, a coordination of information, and training for everyone involved. Since trauma for all parties involved can result from an emergency situation, a company’s trauma response team can consist of health and safety personnel who have undergone specialized training to address the counseling of employees in trauma assistance.

In order to try to mitigate the possibility of emergencies happening on the job-site, companies can promote safety through the establishment and training of safety for all employees. A company’s safety policy is translated into everyday action and behavior by rules and regulations (Goetsch, 2010). Any company’s safety policy should include the following:

1. a company-wide commitment,

2. the expectation that employees will perform their duties in a safe manner, and

3. the company’s commitment to include customers and the community.

The defined safety policy must be enforced objectively and consistently. From a legal perspective, the employer has an obligation to ensure a safe and healthy work environment, ensure all employees are knowledgeable about the rules, and assist employees in ensuring that the safety rules are enforced objectively and consistently.

Reading Assignment

Chapter 10:

Emergency Response Plan

Chapter 12:

Promoting Safety

Key Terms

1. Accountability

2. Chain of Command

3. Commitment

4. Coordinator

5. Emergency

6. Emergency Action Plans (EAPs)

7. Emergency notification

8. Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act

9. Emergency Response Team (ERT)

10. Employee involvement

11. Incentives

12. Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs)

13. Location specific

14. Order of response

15. Safety policy

16. Safety training

17. State Emergency Response Commission (SERCs)

18. Traumatic event

19. Visual awareness

20. Wellness program

BOS 3401, Construction Safety 2

Reference

Goetsch, D. L. (2010). Construction safety and the OSHA standards

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall