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Because most workplace emergencies happen with little or no warning, you need to ensure that workers know in advance what they should and should not do in case of an emergency. They may not have time during an emergency to read the company policy for the particular emergency they are facing.
It’s also crucial to review your organization’s emergency action plan in general and in specific circumstances. Perhaps annually, go over the general principles that the disaster planning emergency plan covers in detail, such as:
- Emergency escape procedures and routes for all departments and employees
- Emergency response assignments to be followed by employees who remain in the facility to perform critical operations or shutdown operations before the plant is completely evacuated
- Accounting for personnel outside the facility after the emergency evacuation has been completed
- Rescue and medical duties for those employees who are designated to perform these vital emergency response tasks
- Emergency reporting procedures for fires and other emergencies
- Information resources, including the names and job titles of the people or departments to be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan
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Imagine sleeping peacefully in bed, when suddenly the room starts shaking. Furniture begins moving and hanging pictures crash violently to the floor. Your home creaks and groans as the strength of its foundation is tested. What you do in the next few seconds can determine if you survive an earthquake. Ranked as one of the most amazing phenomena of the natural world, earthquakes can be among the most deadly. While minor tremors occur under our global feet on daily basis without much notice.
Don’t take these small geological events lightly. Even mild earthquakes can injure people due to falling objects or hazardous conditions. Several areas, California, Hawaii, Alaska, and The Pacific Northwest, have added risks of devastating, cataclysmic earthquakes of 7.0 magnitude or higher. These can strike at any time, without warning. As with all survival techniques, earthquake survival must be learned prior to the event. This is especially important for travelers to keep in mind. Visitors to quake-prone areas may not be acclimated to earthquake tips and life saving procedures.
Earthquake Survival Strategies:
1. “Drop, Cover and Hold On”- Earthquake related injuries are most likely to be from falling objects, rather than building collapse. Protecting your head is vital. In the scenario of being in bed when a quake hits, stay there and cover your head with a pillow if there are not any flying objects or falling hazards.
2. When there are unsecured flying objects (glass, ceiling pieces, or light fixtures) that can strike you while in bed, drop to the floor and attempt to cover your body by crawling under the bed and holding on. The best way to stay alive is to be underneath heavy items and move with sturdy furniture. This allows for two essentials- shielding your head from falling objects and preventing you from being crushed between furnishings when they move.
3. If there isn’t room to position your body beneath sturdy furniture, drop to the floor. Hold on to the furniture or a large heavy object, while getting as close to it as possible. Firefighters are trained to find individuals in survivable voids, such as those found around large items. (However, it should be noted that predicting these areas is not science. Being under an item is still your best option) However, you may find this practice offers a measure of safety if getting under an object is not possible. Hold on until the shaking ceases.
4. Stay away from windows or heavy hanging items, such as light fixtures, artwork, etc.
5. If you are cooking, turn off the stove. Then drop to the floor and crawl to a safe spot under furniture.
6. Do not stand in doorways. According to Mark Benthien, Director of Education and Outreach at the Southern California Earthquake Center, it’s very likely you wouldn’t be able to stand during a strong quake and these areas offer little protection from falling objects. Additionally, swinging doors or shifting framework might add injuries, not prevent them.
7. Buildings constructed to withstand earthquakes will be safest along interior walls.
8. Never use elevators and stairways during an earthquake.
9. If you happen to be outside when a quake strikes, keep away from power line areas or structures that can fall. Get down low and stay still till the tremors stop.
10. Those who are in a vehicle during a quake should take care not to stop on or near unstable spots, such as bridges. Avoid proximity to objects that can collapse. If you can, drive to an open area. Turn off the vehicle. Utilize parking brake and emergency flashers. Watch for further hazards and wait till it’s safe to continue. Remember, roadways may have suffered damage, so be alert to new dangers.
11. If you do become trapped in your home or car, stay calm. Avoid yelling or excessive breathing of building dust. Instead, try to find an object to bang or knock on to alert rescuers of your position.
12. Keeping a first aid kit, a ready supply of water and non-perishables and flashlight with batteries at hand is vital in areas with earthquake potential. Stash a flashlight and shoes or slippers near your bed. In the event an earthquake occurs, broken glass and uneven surfaces present a great risk to escaping the building.
13. Be aware of aftershock potential, which may cause further damage. If the structure you are in seems unsafe, try to evacuate quickly and carefully to an open area once shaking stops. Never run out doors during a quake, you are very likely to be struck by falling objects and injured. As with all potential hazards, awareness is the first step in survival. Be savvy to earthquake possibilities where you live and travel. Teach your family these tips and practice them with your children. Most quakes last a very short time. Living through those moments is far easier when you know the proper techniques for survival.
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Regardless how severe, all bleeding can be controlled. If left uncontrolled, bleeding may lead to shock or even death. Most bleeding can be stopped before the ambulance arrives at the scene. While you’re performing the steps for controlling bleeding, you should also be calling for an ambulance to respond. Bleeding control is only part of the equation.
The first step in controlling a bleeding wound is to plug the hole. Blood needs to clot in order to start the healing process and stop the bleeding. Just like ice won’t form on the rapids of a river, blood will not coagulate when it’s flowing.
The best way to stop it is to…stop it. Put pressure directly on the wound. If you have some type of gauze, use it. Gauze pads hold the blood on the wound and help the components of the blood to stick together, promoting clotting. If you don’t have gauze, terrycloth towels work almost as well.
If the gauze or towel soaks through with blood, add another layer. Never take off the gauze. Peeling blood soaked gauze off a wound removes vital clotting agents and encourages bleeding to resume.
Once bleeding is controlled, take steps to watch and treat for shock. If an oxygen unit is present do not hesitate to use until help arrives.
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How to help someone…
If a person collapses and seems unresponsive:
- Call 911. DO NOT WAIT. Try to pay attention to the time when the person collapsed, to tell EMS.
- Loosen their clothing and make sure they are lying down or seated in a comfortable position.
- If they do not appear to have a pulse, begin chest compressions; continue even if the person does not seem to be breathing. you DO NOT need to be certified in CPR.
- Stay with the person and ask a bystander to see if there is an emergency oxygen unit or an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) nearby.
- If you are in a building, call security and let them know exactly where you are.
- Stay with the person until EMS arrives, and make sure someone is sent to meet EMS and guide them to the location of the person.
After…There is value in CPR. Get familiar with this life saving technique. If you are a SOS customer CPR is included in your Medical Management Program. Call our office 604-277-5855 to schedule your training. You can also visit www.heartandstroke.ca and/or www.redcross.ca for more information.
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Businesses need to be encouraged to give employees more space, more personal equipment and more opportunities to wash their hands in order to minimize the impacts of a possible pandemic.
Businesses should not react but should already be developing a plan of action. If a pandemic erupts, employers must be ready to reduce interaction between workers to try to stop disease from spreading. There’s a lot of equipment which is used in most workplaces which is typically shared, be it manufacturing equipment, computers, tools, or telephones. As much as possible, the sharing of equipment should be minimized.
Viruses on hard surfaces can survive up to 48 hours, possibly infecting anyone else who touches the surface during that time.
Installing hand-washing stations, removing commonly used water fountains and giving employees enough workspace so that they are not subjected to the sneezes of adjacent colleagues are also key. Even in conference rooms and lunch areas, workers should be able to keep at least one metre away from anyone else – the estimated distance a sneeze or cough-propelled droplet of virus can travel.
These suggestions are not only geared toward pandemics, they can also reduce the transmission of the regular kind of flu that goes through workplaces every year.
While no one can predict when the next pandemic might break out, experts feel it is only a matter of time. If a pandemic erupts, businesses can expect up to a quarter of their workforce to be absent on any given day. Some workers will be ill while others will stay home to tend to relatives or because they fear catching the disease. There are usually about three pandemics a century – the most severe of the 20th century was the 1918 Spanish flu.
Business leaders have been looking for ways to ensure their enterprises can continue to function if a pandemic erupts, but warn that small companies may not be able to offer their employees dedicated equipment and separate work spaces.
Having employees wipe down hard surfaces such as, telephones, doorknobs, keyboards etc with products like ACCEL TB Spray and wipes would be helpful and ensure best practices of healthy workplaces.
