Smell smoke? Feel the building starting to shake? Employees may start to panic in disaster situations. Having the right business insurance is important but creating an emergency action plan for your employees as well as your small business can help prevent injuries and potentially save lives. Employers who have an evacuation plan and train employees on it can help prevent injury and loss of life during catastrophes. There are several excellent resources businesses can use to build a quality evacuation plan. And—music to your budget team’s ears—disaster planning doesn’t have to break the bank.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has free resources for business owners available for download on its website: osha.gov. Employers can download information on establishing an evacuation plan and can prepare staff for a variety of emergencies.
Your local government will often have weather related resources and potentially even violence or terrorism materials. Consider creating a reference manual with tabs for each emergency
evacuation since different events necessitate different responses. Then, share it with your staff and run drills to familiarize them with execution.
