Emergency Action Plan Template

Most workplaces are required by law to establish emergency plans. If the company employs more than ten people, then this plan must be in writing. Yet whether obligatory or not, it is always wise to put an Emergency Action Plan in writing and share it with all employees.

Plans will vary depending on the nature of the workplace. For example, a power plant or other volatile site might require some employees to evacuate after completing specific on-site tasks. In any case, all plans should include:

• Clear procedures for reporting emergencies;
• The names of employees who have been assigned responsibility for leading evacuations;
• The location where employees will reconvene and a process for conducting a headcount; and
• Detailed evacuation routes.

Employees should be encouraged to report all potential emergencies. It is always better to err on the side of caution. The Emergency Action Plan should provide specific directions for reporting. Should all issues be reported to the police, or is there another means of notification? Are there alternative authorities, such as a campus or office park security service, that should be contacted first?

This is the crux of the Emergency Action Plan. This section details when, how, and why evacuations should occur. Who is authorized to order an evacuation, and why? To what location should employees evacuate? Are any actions required prior to evacuation, such as shutting windows or powering down machinery?

Regardless of the size of the workplace, it is standard practice to post publicly visible evacuation route maps. Evacuation procedures should be reviewed periodically with employees.

The plan should assign responsibility to specific individuals for overseeing evacuations. In some workplaces, leaders are given bright vests or other garb to don during an incident.

Workers should reconvene at a designated space that is beyond any prospective danger, and a head count should be commenced as quickly as possible. The location of this “safe space” and count responsibilities should be clearly laid out in the Emergency Action Plan.