Written by Nora Mork
When there’s an emergency at work, you’ve got to stay calm, think clearly and have an effective plan in place in order to keep the situation under control. If something unexpected, frightening and potentially dangerous is taking place, it’s natural for people to begin panicking, but in order to keep everyone safe, being prepared for these situations is key.
Whether big or small, it’s essential to be ready for an emergency situation that may present itself. Here are 5 mistakes you’ll want to avoid to help maintain a safe workplace during an emergency:
Not Doing Drills
It’s one thing to talk about a plan, but it’s another to work through it in real time. It’s absolutely crucial that you’re drilling the plan you have in place in order to ensure all staff know what will happen, and what they need to do. Not only will this help them stay calmer during an emergency, because they know what’s happening, but you’ll also be able to see what potential snags your plan may run into.
“Things can happen by chance, that you may not have thought about before. For instance, perhaps there is a designated emergency exit for staff, but there was a heavy snowfall the night before, and now that exit has been blocked off. Drilling this before a real emergency happens means you can identify these problems and figure out solutions beforehand,” explains safety blogger Judith Archer of SimpleGrad and StudentWritingServices.
Miscommunication or lack of communication
When it comes to workplace safety, everyone has a role to play, whether they’re leading workers to safety, or simply remaining calm to help keep others calm. It’s important to effectively communicate your safety plan to everyone involved, so they know their role, and what everyone else is responsible for. If there’s a lack of communication or miscommunication about things, it’s easy for a stressful and panicked situation to quickly become chaotic.
Old or Missing Equipment
It’s great to have a fully prepared staff, but if the necessary equipment isn’t around or working when it’s needed, your plan will quickly become irrelevant. Make sure that there are plenty of the necessary supplies that would be needed in any emergency situation, they’re easily accessible and always in the same place. “If there’s maintenance that needs to be done, for example with a fire extinguisher, or if certain equipment has a shelf life, make sure that these things are being taken care of. Designate a specific person to look after these things, and have a secondary person act as a follow-up,” suggests Betty Gaddis, a health writer at Rated Writing and LetsGoAndLearn.
Not Keeping an Updated Emergency Plan
Things are always changing, so it’s important that your emergency plan is reflecting those changes whenever necessary. Whether it’s rearranging the setup of office furniture, adding more staff member or saying goodbye to a staff member who played an integral role in the emergency plan, there needs to be a frequent evaluation of the plan to ensure things are kept updated.
Being Ignorant to the Risks
There may be a very low risk for certain emergencies within your workplace, but it’s still important to have a plan and be prepared, regardless of what emergency you may be faced with. A trained safety consultant can present you with a number of different scenarios and help walk you through them. Just because something hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it never will, so it’s good to be prepared even for an emergency that has a low risk of happening.
Whether the emergency is big or small, it’s important to be prepared for any situation that may present itself. Things can quickly become chaotic and even more dangerous if there isn’t a prepared plan in place. Avoid these mistakes, and you can help create a safer work environment that’s ready for any emergency situation.
Nora Mork is a business writer at Assignment writing services and Top Canadian Writers. She helps businesses create better content and writes posts for Grade on fire blog.