Emergency Planning Guide
An Emergency Plan is a written document detailing how a workplace and its occupant’s deal with or manage an emergency. An effective emergency plan consists of the preparedness, response and recovery activities and includes the agreed emergency management roles, responsibilities, strategies, and system arrangements for the site.
What is an Emergency?
Sudden unforeseen events which occur and require action to protect lives, property, and the environment. This may include fire, explosion or toxic material release, an electrical failure, security breach or natural event.
What is Emergency Planning?
Preparation to manage an emergency which aims to prepare for and mitigate the effects of the emergency.
What is an Emergency Plan?
The emergency plan is prepared to respond to and manage emergencies. The plan should be simple and link to your business continuity plan and other business plans.
The following points summaries key items to assist preparing an effective emergency plan:
Types of emergencies including common industry incident data and historical data of site.
Description of the area to be covered by the emergency plan with respect to people, locations, environment, boundaries, systems, and plant and equipment.
Consultation (workers, contractors, product and plant specialists, and emergency services).
Documentation of the process of hazard identification and analysis.
Gap analysis (against established standards).
Description of the emergency management system.
Writing the plan using an established format and listing areas to be addressed schematics/evacuation diagrams required.
Description as to how the emergency plan is activated and terminated.
Describe how the emergency plan is managed including documentation, record keeping and exercises. Documented training and exercises; and monitoring and reviewing (checklists, exercise debriefs).