Is your Workplace Ready for an Emergency?
How to prepare for an emergency in your workplace
All workplaces should be prepared to deal with an emergency of any nature, at any time. Therefore the best time to respond to an emergency is before it happens.
The saying goes, “Fail to plan; plan to fail,” and it applies to preparation and response. Having a plan in place to deal with emergencies, and ensuring that all employees are aware of it and trained on it. This is one of the best things that your company can do to prepare to deal with an emergency. Below, we’ve listed some tips for emergency planning and preparedness in the workplace:
1. Develop a plan that takes all emergencies into consideration
Include policies and procedures for employee safety. Consider a spills response plan if your company houses, uses, or transport dangerous chemicals. Also a lockdown procedure in case of a violent event. This plan should also include contingency plans that deal with potential damage to facilities, and how employees, vendors, and customers will be handled during and after the event. Be sure to include a chain of command and that all workers know from whom to expect communication in the event of an emergency.
2. Train all affected workers, sub-contractors, and anyone else who may be affected
What good is an emergency response plan if no one knows about it, or what it contains? Training is a crucial part of any plan’s success. Communicate the plan with everybody, and ensure that everybody understands the roles, responsibilities, and expectations for every employee – from manager down to worker.
3. Review the plan and update as often as required
Best practice stipulates that all workplace policies and procedures should be reviewed at least annually to ensure that any changes to the business in the past year are addressed and/or still applicable. If a change is made to the workplace that drastically affects the plan, it should be reviewed at that time and updated to reflect the change.
Having a plan in place and following it when the time comes will mitigate the damage to your business and hopefully reduce or completely avoid injury or fatality to your workforce. It may also help you get back to business sooner, which is important for your bottom line.
MyeLearnsafety run Health and Safety courses and Chemical Safety Courses that are both tailor made and specific to your business. Contact us today or take one of our online training courses now.
HSA marks 200,000 participants in Choose Safety young people at work programme
Choose Safety
- Young people as new recruits are at higher risk of workplace injury (ESRI).
- Young people (aged 18-24) are 50% more likely to be injured at work than any other group of workers (EU Agency for Safety and health at Work)
The Health and Safety Authority today (05/09/18) celebrated 200,000 plus learners over ten years of its flagship programme Choose Safety. This is aimed at post-primary senior cycle students and students in further education. Choose Safety aims to prepare young people with skills for the world of work through educating them about safety, health and welfare.
More than 28,000 students participated in the Choose Safety programme. These are from;
- Transition Year
- Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA)
- Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP)
- Also across further education settings, in the 2017/2018 academic year.
A total of 647 institutions were involved last year and that included 63% of post-primary schools nationwide. Within further education, the programme is taught to growing numbers of students on plc courses. Courses at Levels 4 and 5 on the National Framework of Qualifications. Within Youthreach, and the National Learning Network.
Core Concern
Speaking at a seminar to mark the occasion was Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Authority, Dr. Sharon McGuinness. She said that the success of the programme comes from the wide recognition that safety, health and welfare is a core concern within employment. Young people need to be aware of their rights and responsibilities around safety, health and welfare at work.
Dr. McGuinness said;
“Young people, as new recruits, are at a higher risk of workplace injury than their more experienced colleagues. Their lack of experience, combined with being new to the world of work can leave them exposed and vulnerable to workplace accidents and injuries. They need a good common sense grounding in what it means to look after themselves and those around them in the workplace. The Choose Safety programme supports young people to develop a ‘safety first mind-set’ before they reach the workplace. This also makes a lot of sense for employers who are responsible for managing workplace safety and health and recruiting these young people.”
Free of charge
Choose Safety consists of safety, health and welfare programme texts for teachers and students. These are supplied, free of charge to schools/further education settings. It includes a free elearning course ‘Get Safe – Work Safe’ which can be found at https://hsalearning.ie. The programme is coordinated locally by the 21 fulltime Education Centres, and is rolled out from Kilkenny Education Centre. Certificates of completion can be awarded as well as online digital badges for any units completed.
Margaret Maxwell, Director of Kilkenny Education Centre said;
“Choose Safety gives students the opportunity to explore core principles of health and safety as it applies in their current or future work experience or workplaces. These are essential life skills for young people and the Education Centre network is committed to promoting this most valuable programme in schools. Choose Safety is designed to assist teachers in delivering key senior cycle skills such as good communication, critical thinking, working with others and being personally effective.”
Schools/FE centres wishing to participate in the Choose Safety programme should contact their local education centre. Or the HSA at: educationunit@hsa.ie or Kilkenny Education Centre at honorah@eckilkenny.ie or 056- 056-7760202.