Despite an organization’s best efforts, accidents and other emergency situations can occur. Therefore, the organization should have policies, plans and procedures to deal with them effectively and efficiently in order to reduce potential injuries, prevent or minimize environmental impacts, protect employees and neighbors, reduce asset losses, and minimize downtime.
The emergency preparedness and response (EP&R) program should include at a minimum the following:
1) Risk assessment for potential accidents and emergencies under different scenarios (e.g. accidents, emergencies, out of office hours).
2) Preventive measures and/or countermeasures to avoid incidents and their associated (environmental / business) impact.
3) Response to incidents (i.e. emergency plans and procedures).
4) Training.
5) Regular testing of emergency plans and procedures.
6) Mitigation of impacts associated with accidents and emergencies.
7) Review policies and procedures (regular as well as incident based).
The EP&R should at least cover the following potential emergencies:
1) Power failures / blackout.
2) Fire.
3) Gas/chemical spills.
4) Computer room / ICT shutdown.
5) Safety/Medical emergencies:
a) Accidents.
b) Pandemics.
c) Health issues.
6) Extraordinary threats/events:
a) Bomb threat.
b) Unrest (political, internal etc.).
c) Strike.
d) Sudden loss of company executives/officers.
7) Natural events/disasters.
Quick Reference Handbook (QRH)
