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Emergency management
Emergency management refers to the act of responding to emergencies in work places, to minimize harm or potential harm, to employees. An emergency is referred to as an abrupt condition of danger. The measures that should be taken must be suitable to the potential dangers of the workplace, including efficient management of people in workplace. Emergency management is necessary to ensure that an unfavorable situation does not spin out of control and resulting in great harm to those present at the time.
Response to potential emergency situations include hazardous substances responses, severe injury, bomb fright, cash handling or armed obstruction, burglary, unwanted behavior by strangers, sudden breakdown of equipment and supplies
Eradication of threat
- Whatever the acknowledged potential dangerous situation, the threat must be eradicated or reduced where feasible, and an action or response strategy should be documented.
- As with any acknowledged dangers or procedure, there may be a need for making available training and equipment.
- Steps should be taken to ensure that the information regarding responses to emergency situations is updated, is easily presented to staff and is reachable.
In workplaces where use of hazardous substances is common, safety measures must be in place for controlling a spill or unplanned discharge of the substance. Spill kits suitable for the substance must be easily obtainable and the individual using the substance must have the expertise to tackle incident. In certain instances, the spill can be controlled inside the laboratory. If the substance is unidentified, or beyond the ability of the people who present to tackle it, the door should be fastened to hold back any fumes. Subsequently an alarm should be raised from a place that is safe
For effective emergency management in workplaces every work area must have provisions for first aid, appropriate to the type and site of the work being performed.
It is imperative to keep a person capable of administering first aid in emergency situations in a workplace One first aid worker should be made available for every 10 employees in places of work where quick access to medical care or ambulance is limited.
A qualified workplace first aid worker is a person who has undergone the 2-day or 16 hour workplace first aid training. This training also necessitates a two yearly refresher course of one day. First aid workers are accountable for their own first aid kit, and the kit should contain items that are suitable to the kind of injury or incident for that work area.
Emergency reaction to fieldwork must be chalked out before the start of the field trip. Significance of the site and type of the work and environment will specify the kind of response necessary. In isolated place efforts should be made to ensure that communication cab be established with concerned authorities in the event of an emergency.