We all want to feel safe in the places we work. A sense of security enhances our productivity, which means that we can work at our level best. However, what will happen if there is an emergency in your workplace? Are you even ready? As much as we all want to feel safe, some emergencies may happen and catch us completely unaware. These unforeseen situations can disrupt work activities, cause injuries, and sometimes even death. That's why how you respond to these emergencies is vital as employees.
In this article, we're going to look at how employees should respond to an emergency effectively.
Being Prepared Beforehand is Crucial
Even though you can't foresee a particular emergency, the best thing is that you can prepare for it. This way, if anything happens, you'll know what to do and tackle it easily. As employees, you need to come together and establish plans to handle different situations. Remember that emergencies are different (fires, chemical spills, gas leakages, severe weather, terrorism, and medical emergencies ), and thus, each plan should suit the type of situation.
The plan should include an emergency response team and an emergency response team coordinator who have been well-trained on how to handle emergencies. These are the people who will assess and situation and decide whether emergency procedures need to be activated.
Other things which you may need to include in your small business emergency preparedness plan are response procedures, suitable escape routes, evacuation procedures, accounting for all other employees, and reporting the emergency. Depending on the type of emergency, your plan should include all actions and items required from the start to the end, such as fire extinguishers, first aid kits, emergency contacts, etc.
Don't Panic
If an emergency has occurred in your workplace, staying calm is very important. Panicking can lead to making poor decisions, which may even worsen the situation. For instance, we've seen people who have jumped from as high as the sixth floor when they hear of a fire in the building. We've also seen others who freeze, not knowing whether to run or stay. Therefore, even though it's hard, try as much as possible not to panic. It's the only way to ensure you make the right decisions. An excellent calming technique you can use is breathing in and out slowly.
Follow Your Emergency Response Plan
In your emergency preparedness plan, you established all the actions you need to take; now is the time to follow them. As we mentioned earlier, you should have plans based on the nature of the emergency. How you would respond to a fire emergency may not be the same way you react to a medical emergency. Following each plan to the letter can make these overwhelming situations easy to handle. For instance, what does your emergency preparedness plan say you should do during a fire? Depending on the size of the fire, the procedures may be pulling the fire alarm to alert others, informing the emergency response coordinator, moving out of the building to ensure your safety, accounting for everyone, and calling for help.
During a medical emergency, the actions in your plan may be offering first aid such as CPR, informing the emergency response coordinator, assisting professional medical personnel, and informing the victim's relatives. During an earthquake, your plan may establish that you stay inside, take cover under a sturdy item, and stay away from objects that may fall. Each emergency has a plan; ensure you follow it for the best results.
Resolve the Emergency Situation
During an emergency, the first and most important thing is ensuring your own safety. After you've done that, you may want to know whether you can resolve the emergency if possible. Some situations are resolvable, while others are not. For instance, severe fires, terrorism, bomb threats, hazardous-substance release, weather-related issues such as floods and earthquakes may not be resolvable without professional knowledge and experience. However, you may be able to handle minor fires using a fire extinguisher and medical emergencies. As part of your response, know whether it's safe and whether you can handle it. If you can't, or it's not safe, call for help via 000, the primary emergency number in Australia.
An emergency can happen at any time in the workplace. As an employee, you must be well-prepared and have a plan in place to act depending on the situation. By staying calm and following an effective plan, you will handle the situation comfortably, and without risking injuries or anyone's life.
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