You should always be ready for an emergency. Most disasters are hard to predict, so they will likely catch us off-guard. These situations can happen during working hours. Just imagine being focused at work when a widespread emergency hits.
It’s best to have the tools that make evacuation more manageable. With the right equipment, you can avoid any casualties in the aftermath of a disaster. Here are some evacuation must-haves for the workplace.
Updated Safety Kits
A safety kit can help people deal with the fallout of a disaster. Some of the essentials that should be in a safety kit include the following:
- Drinking water
- Flashlight
- Whistle
- Local maps
- Face masks
- First aid kit
- Extra cash
- Wireless radio
- Manual can opener
These items will come in handy when trapped under rubble, such as when a building collapses after a high-magnitude earthquake. You can use the safety kit to find your way out, alert someone to your presence, or dress wounds.
A safety kit should have clear markings, be within easy reach, and be portable. Anyone can grab one and go when disaster strikes. It’s also essential to regularly check all items are functional or usable. For example, make sure the batteries on the flashlights work.
Ideally, all employees should have a safety kit. They should have one in pedestals or lockers.
Evacuation Chairs
Emergency evacuation chairs are among the newest innovations in modern building safety. It helps carry people up or down the stairs in emergencies such as a fire.
A building evacuation chair can transport elderly employees, injured or disabled individuals, and pregnant women. Generally, an evacuation chair has a weight capacity of four hundred pounds with strong straps to secure the occupant.
Evacuation chairs are excellent for residential and commercial buildings, schools, and hospitals. They are easy to handle, so a safety officer won’t have difficulty evacuating people.
Head Counting System
Making sure everyone makes it out alive is essential to an emergency plan. That’s why a roster is vital for a thorough headcount. Fortunately, specific programs can do that.
Attendance systems are the bane for some employees, but it’s helpful in emergencies. It provides an accurate day-to-day list of people in the workplace.
An attendance list allows emergency coordinators to check for every employee, determining if someone is still in the building. Some workplaces may have a buddy system, making it easier to account for everyone quickly.
A head counting system should also account for visitors. Some workplaces may implement a visitor management program.
It works the same way as attendance systems but for logging visitors. A physical copy of employees and visitors can be a backup if the systems fail after the disaster.
Keep Everyone Safe
Employers and business owners are responsible for keeping everyone in the workplace safe. That includes being ready for any emergency. Ensure you have the proper safety equipment and monitoring systems in place and updated.
There’s no telling what or when disaster could strike in the workplace. With the proper tools and practices, you can ensure that everyone in the office will evacuate safely.
