Richard AgamaMost employees don’t know what to do if their office catches on fire. Should they find a group meeting place the way we did in school? Are they allowed to go home? Who do they need to notify? If you don’t find ways to prepare your office for an emergency, people will make mistakes when disaster strikes. Follow these tips for keeping your office safe.
Develop an EAP
An emergency action plan (EAP) will ensure everyone in your office is on the same page when it comes to taking steps during a crisis. Your action plan tells everyone where to go and what to do when they face various types of disasters, including:
- Fires
- Tornadoes
- Hurricanes
- Blackouts
- Earthquakes
- Bomb threats
- Active shooters
Practice Your Evacuation Plan
It’s a common office mistake to develop a plan and expect staff to know what to do with it. You must show your employees the drill and keep them informed of changes. As you hire new staff, retrain everyone on safety procedures to ensure no one is unsure of what to do during an emergency.
Prepare a First Aid Kit
Even if you don’t handle sharp objects or heavy machinery in your office, accidents can still happen. Keep a first aid kit on hand in case a staff member sustains an injury. Make sure everyone knows how to use essential items in the kit to treat others or themselves if they get hurt. This training may prevent employees from needing additional medical attention.
Train Staff on Safety Practices
The people you hire to work in your office are your best assets during a crisis. You can give them the tools they need to keep themselves and others safe so that they rely less on first responders. Staff should know how to use fire extinguishers and maintain fire detectors.
Pro tip: Appoint people to maintain your EAP and keep track of employees during an evacuation.
Install Public Safety DAS
Obviously, your staff can’t control every emergency. Sometimes, EMTs, police, or firefighters must come to your office to aid with a crisis. Since a building’s walls may be too thick to allow signals through, equip your space with a public safety distributed antenna system (DAS). It’s important to know the requirements for installing public safety DAS to ensure that it won’t fail when first responders need it most. The system allows first responders to communicate with their team while entering and searching your building.
The best ways to prepare your office for an emergency are to have an emergency plan, install public safety DAS, and train your staff. While you can’t prepare for everything, that’s not an excuse to be unprepared. Predict potential disasters, and decide what you’ll do if they occur.
