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An office emergency is any situation that disrupts, threatens, shuts down operations, or causes physical and environmental damage to the workplace and its workers. Companies often prepare for emergencies by spending large sums of money on disaster insurance to relieve them of any economic and physical damages during the accident.
So why not spend as much money to protect the workers?
This year, ensuring your office emergency kit is up-to-date and ready for anything mother nature throws at you is crucial.
What to Put in Your Office Emergency Kit
Office emergency kits should have the supplies necessary to help employees escape danger or shelter-in-place at work until emergency relief has arrived.
This includes having a stock of long-term shelf-life food and water as well as enough supplies to maintain healthy hygiene habits.
Each emergency kit provides the basic needs of the employee, including:
Food and water
Breathing protection
First aid
Shelter
Communication
Light
Tools
Hygiene and sanitation
These supplies cost a business about $5 to $6 per employee annually.
Review our office survival kit checklist to equip your office with all the necessary supplies to survive several days without electricity, food, and water during an emergency.
Click here to purchase your company’s 72hrs Workplace Preparedness Contents
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Mental Health First Aid is a program that aims to educate individuals on how to identify and respond to potential mental health and substance use disorders in their friends, family, or colleagues. The program is designed as a “lunch and learn” introduction to the full 16-hour certification program. It is a 2-hour training session that provides a comprehensive overview of the key concepts and skills needed to recognize and support individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. The program is designed to take the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems. It improves understanding and provides an action plan that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental illness or substance use disorder. This training is also a great way to help reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues and encourages people to seek help when they need it.
Click here to check out our SOS OHS Courses for British Columbia
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On October 17 at 10:17 a.m., millions of people worldwide will practice how to “Drop, Cover and Hold On” during Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drills. British Colombians can join by registering for the 2019 Great British Columbia ShakeOut.
- register for the drill
- spread the word
- plan your drill
After you register, send proof of registration to info@sostech.ca and you will be entered to win a 1 person 72 hour emergency kit.

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Province regulations specify minimum requirements that employers must meet and the contents of the first aid kit at work should be guided by the first aid needs assessment completed by your OHS team. Your OHS department knows the workplace better than anybody else and site-specific assessments should be regularly conducted to identify potential hazards that employees are exposed to at the place of work. This hazard assessment will identify the individual needs of the workers in order to choose a first aid kit that not only meets provincial requirements but one that can properly handle the most likely problems to occur. Looking for a more robust or custom first aid kit? Contact us today and one of our knowledgeable team members will work with you from beginning to end to make sure you have everything you need. Keep your first aid well-stocked with extra supplies at all times: You never know when a disaster or crisis will hit.
Items I like to make sure to add to my first aid kit:
- Large gauze pads are easier to cut down to size than trying to make smaller pads fit over a large wound. If you can only choose one size pad, go for the larger size such as a 4″ x 4.”
- Non-stick dressings would be a good idea, otherwise the bandage will have a tendency to stick to the wound and this makes dressing changes difficult.
- Waterproof dressings can come in handy, as they can be used over clean skin and are flexible enough for camping and hiking activities
- Emergency blanket – besides being used as a blanket, it can be used for shelter and the fluorescent orange/shiny silver can help attract attention.
Always go for branded items and make sure you check the expiration date of all available first-aid items with you. The most useful items in a first aid kit are gauze, gauze pads, ice packs, steri-strips, butterfly bandages, ace bandages, slings, splints, and glucose for diabetic situations.
Click here to see our line of First Aid Kits