Emergency Procedures
Contingency planning and emergency procedures guide
management, employees, students and visitors to act appropriately during and
after a crisis.
Civil, Natural, Medical and Criminal Emergencies
- Civil emergencies include
fires, gas or water leaks, and spills of chemical, biological or
radioactive materials.
- Natural emergencies
include storms, floods, tsunami, forest fires and earthquakes
- Medical emergencies
include bodily harm, heart attacks, psychosis and suicide attempts
- Criminal emergencies
include bomb threats, riots, hostage taking and terrorist activity
Emergency Preparedness
Emergency preparedness facilitates the safe implementation of emergency procedures, including evacuation. An
organization that is prepared for emergencies can respond appropriately
during a crisis, pending the arrival of professional emergency workers.
Authority for Emergency Response
Authority for emergency response rests with an Emergency
Coordinator, for all outside emergencies and for natural, medical and criminal
emergencies in buildings; and with management for civil emergencies in
buildings.
Emergency Resources
Emergency resources include:
- People trained in emergency preparedness in a building
can assess a civil emergency and, if necessary, coordinate an evacuation
of the building.
- People trained in first aid and cardio-pulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) can assess injury and provide first aid to an injured
people.
- People trained in security can provide assistance and
advice to management on emergency responses in the event of natural or
criminal emergencies.
People in the above groups can call emergency authorities
- fire department, ambulance, police, bomb squads, national emergency
services, etc.
Post-Emergency Stress Coaching
An officer with authority for responding to an emergency
can arrange post-incident stress coaching for employees involved in, or
responding to, an emergency.
Emergency procedures should be read in conjunction with
the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) procedures and other relevant
policies and procedures.
Following Death or Serious Injury
- Ensure that the next of kin are notified by an
appropriate person (Police often contact the next of kin)
- In the event of a death, arrange for a letter of
condolence to the next of kin
- Arrange for appropriate administrative actions
- Notify the employee's manager
- Arrange appropriate administrative action
- Notify Human Resources and Health Services
- Arrange post-traumatic and spiritual support as
required
- Manage enquiries about the incident, including those
from media agencies
- Contact Worker's Compensation and
Rehabilitation agencies
Emergency Coaching
| Martyn Carruthers
was a medical technician and served on Royal Navy nuclear
submarines during the Cold War. He was health physics and
safety officer at English and Canadian nuclear power stations, and Radiation
Protection Officer for the Canadian government, where he worked with Public Health
and Emergency Measures organizations. Martyn also founded
Soulwork
Solutions,
a complete system of coaching and mentorship. |
|