If a fire were to break out inside of your business today, would your employees know how to react? Hopefully, your answer to that question is a resounding “yes!” OSHA requires all businesses across the U.S. to have an emergency action plan in place with detailed instructions as far as how employers want their employees to get out of their buildings in the event of a fire. However, even if that wasn’t the case, all employers should still be concerned about the well-being of their employees and want them to have a reliable emergency escape plan. Here are some tips for putting one together.
Map out the easiest ways for employees to get out of your building.
You shouldn’t overthink your emergency escape plan. The idea should be to get your employees out of your building as quickly as you can during a fire. That means you should take the time to create maps that show employees exactly where they should go to leave your building based on where they’re at in your building at the time a fire breaks out. You should then post these maps throughout your building and let your employees know they are there.
Create a designated meeting place for employees.
Regardless of how your employees leave your building during a fire, they should all be required to report to a designated meeting place so that they can be accounted for. If your employees know nothing else, they should know where this designated area is so they can find it during a fire. The last thing you want is for everyone to be running around outside and making it difficult for you to keep track of who has made it out of your building during a fire.
Pick leaders within your business who can execute the plan.
If a fire ever breaks out in your business, you want to have a few people in place who know the ins and outs of your emergency escape plan and can share it with others, just in case they forget it or panic in the moment. You should designate these people to be your leaders and to spring into action at the first sign of a fire. You should also consider providing them with additional training so that they’re able to coordinate a successful departure from the building for all your employees if a fire ever takes place.
Practice the plan regularly.
Having an emergency escape plan in place is important, but if you don’t ever practice the plan, it probably won’t do you much good. About once every month, you and your employees should go through a practice drill to see how quickly everyone can evacuate your business during an emergency scenario.
In addition to creating an emergency escape plan for your business, you should also have fire detection and suppression equipment installed. R.G. Fire Company can provide you with the fire suppression systems you’ll need to get this done. Call us at 330-456-8848 to find out how we can help your business.
