1. Workplace Emergencies
Preparing for
Workplace Emergencies
Richard Mendelson
Area Director
Manhattan Area Office
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
SENY PDC – April 2006

2. Planning for emergencies
Conduct a comprehensive assessment
Consider accidents, fires, medical emergencies, chemicals, severe weather, transportation, utilities, deliberate acts
Most likely scenarios
Worst-case scenarios

3. Minimum elements of an Emergency Action Plan
Preferred method of reporting
Evacuation policy & procedure
Emergency escape procedures and route assignments
List of contacts with telephone numbers
Inside & outside facility
Procedures for employees that remain for:
Shutdown of critical operations
Fire suppression

4. Other EAP elements Rescue duties & medical care
Assembly area & employee accountability
Coordinator
Size-up emergency
Oversee operations
Coordinate with emergency responders
Direct orderly shutdown of operations

5. Employee training Roles & responsibilities
Threats, hazards, and protective actions
Notification, warning, and communication
Proper response
Train employees:
Initially
New hires
Changes to process, facility, or plan

6. Important considerations
Evacuation routes
Alternatives
Muster point
Accountability
Handicapped individuals
Visitors and contractors
Coordination with other tenants
Practice drills

7. Contingency plans Continuity of operations (COOP) Who’s in charge?
Employee rosters (current? available offsite?)
Staff morale
Temporary space
Resumption of operations (critical, other)
Telecommunication & information technology
Administrative functions & files
Permanent relocation

8. Continuum of response Host site employees Public safety responders
Emergency Action Plan
Evacuation / Shelter-in-Place
Public safety responders
Skilled support personnel
Continuity of operations
Emergency
Response
Recovery

9. Definition: Exit Route
A continuous and unobstructed path of exit travel from any point within a workplace to a place of safety (including refuge areas). An exit route consists of three parts: The exit access, the exit, and the exit discharge.
An exit route includes all vertical and horizontal areas along the route

10. Definition: Exit access
That portion of an exit route that leads to an exit.
Example: A corridor on the fifth floor of an office building that leads to a two-hour fire resistance-rated enclosed stairway (the exit)

11. Definition: Exit
That portion of an exit route that is generally separated from other areas to provide a protected way of travel to the exit discharge.
Example: A Two-hour fire resistance-rated enclosed stairway that leads from the fifth floor of an office building to the outside of the building

12. Definition: Exit discharge
The part of the exit route that leads directly outside or to a street, walkway, refuge area, public way, or open space with access to the outside.
Example: A door at the bottom of a two-hour fire resistance-rated enclosed stairway that discharges to a place of safety outside the building

13. Exit doors must be unlocked
Employees must be able to open exit route doors from the inside at all times without keys, tools, or special knowledge
Devices such as panic bars which lock only from the outside are permitted on exit discharge doors
Exit route doors must be free of any device or alarm that could restrict emergency use of the exit route if the device or alarm fails

14. Minimize fire hazard to employees
Exit routes must be free and unobstructed
No materials or equipment may be placed, either permanently or temporarily, within the exit route
Safeguards designed to protect employees during an emergency must be in proper working order at all times
Sprinkler systems, alarm systems, doors, exit lighting

15. Exit signs, marking and lighting
Each exit must be clearly visible and marked by a sign reading “Exit”
Directional signs where needed
Clear line of sight
Illuminated and clear distinctive color
“Not an Exit” signs
Each exit route must be adequately lighted
Each exit route door must be free of decorations or signs that obscure its visibility

16. Basic requirements Exit route must be permanent
Exit must be separated by fire resistant materials
Openings into an exit must be limited
Number of exit routes must be adequate
At least two available to permit prompt evacuation
Located as far away as practical from each other to minimize risk that both are blocked
More than two if needed based on occupancy load, type, size, and arrangement of workplace
A single exit route may be permitted in certain conditions

17. Basic requirements Exit discharge Exit doors Lead directly outside
Destination large enough to accommodate users
Stairs that continue beyond the level of discharge
Exit doors
Swing in direction of travel
>50 occupants or high hazard room
Side hinged

18. Basic requirements Adequate capacity Minimum height and width
Guardrails for fall protection
Ice & snow management
Reasonably straight with smooth, solid, substantially level walkways
No dead-ends longer than 20’

19. Basic requirements
Free of explosive or highly flammable furnishings or other decorations
No travel towards a high hazard area

20. Exit routes during construction
New construction not occupied until the exit routes are completed and ready for use
During repairs or alterations, employees must not occupy a workplace unless:
The required exit routes are available and
Existing fire protections are maintained, or
Alternate fire protection is furnished that provides an equivalent level of safety
Employees must not be exposed to hazards during construction that are beyond the normal conditions in the workplace, or that would impede exit

21. National Incident Management System & National Response Plan
NIMS
Aligns command, control, organization structure, terminology, communication protocols, & resources/resource-typing
Used for all events
Resources
Pages
Knowledge
Using the graphic representation on the visual, present the following key points:
The National Incident Management System (NIMS):
Is a consistent, nationwide approach for Federal, State, tribal, and local governments to work effectively and efficiently together to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity.
Aligns command, control, organization structure, terminology, communication protocols, resources, and resource-typing for synchronization of response efforts at all echelons of government.
Is used for all events.
The National Response Plan (NRP):
Is an all-hazards plan for integrating and applying Federal resources before, during, and after an incident.
Is activated only for Incidents of National Significance.
NRP
Integrates & applies Federal resources, knowledge, & abilities before, during, & after an incident
Activated only for Incidents of National Significance
Abilities

22. Emergency Support Function Annexes
NRP Structure
BASE PLAN
JFO, PFO, IIMG, HSOC
ESF #5 – Emergency Management
ESF #10 – Hazardous Materials
ESF #15 – Emergency Public Info
ESF #4 - Firefighting
ESF # 9 – Urban Search and Rescue
ESF #14 –
Community Recovery, Mitigation, and Economic Stabilization
ESF #3 – Public Works and Engineering
ESF #8 – Public Health & Medical Services
ESF #2 – Telecommunications
ESF #13 –Public Safety and Security
ESF #7 –Resource Support
ESF #1 - Transportation
ESF #12 - Energy
ESF #6 – Mass Care, Housing and Human Services
ESF #11 –Agriculture and Natural Resources
Emergency Support Function Annexes
Insular Affairs
Logistics
Cyber Response
Science and Technology
Terrorism Response
Diagrammatic Illustration of content of NRP –
Pink – Annexes where OSHA is identified as a Support Agency
Green – ESF #5, which activates the Worker Safety and Health Support Annex
Yellow – Worker Safety and Health Support Annex
Note: In addition to these the DOL is named in a number of other ESFs.
Biological Response
Private Sector Coordination
Volunteer Coordination
Nuclear/Radiological Response
Financial Management
International
Coordination
Hazardous Materials Response
Worker Safety and Health
NRP Changes and Updates
Public Affairs
Catastrophic Incident Response
Acronyms and Abbreviations
Tribal Relations
Support Annexes
Incident Annexes
Terms and Definitions
Appendices

23. NIMS Framework Multiagency Coordination Entity
Field Level
Regional Level
National Level
NIMS Framework
Multiagency Coordination Entity
Strategic coordination
Prioritization between incidents and associated resource allocation
Focal point for issue resolution
EOCs/Multiagency Coordination Centers
Support and coordination
Identifying resource shortages and issues
Gathering and providing information
Implementing multiagency coordination entity decisions
Incident Command
Directing on-scene emergency management
Coordination Structures
Command Structures
Local
Emergency
Ops Center
(EOC)
Incident Command Post
Area Command
State
Joint Field Office
(JFO)
Regional
Response Coordination Center (RRCC)
Homeland
Security
Operations
Center (HSOC)
JFO Coordination
Group
Interagency Incident Management Group (IIMG)
National
Response
Coordination
Center
(NRCC)
Pages
Refer the participants to the chart on page 19 of the National Response Plan. Explain that this chart puts together the command and coordination discussed on the previous visuals. Note if you are not planning to hand out complete copies of the plan, it is recommended that you provide a copy of this page.
Tell the participants that the National Response Plan includes a framework for the following types of situations:
Terrorist Incidents. The chart on page 20 depicts the Department of Justice's role working through the FBI's Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC) and the Joint Operations Center (JOC).
Federal-to-Federal Support. The chart on page 21 depicts the coordination structure for Federal-to-Federal support when DHS is coordinating resources to support another Federal agency in non-Stafford Act situations. This chart assumes that incident command is the responsibility of a Federal entity.

24. Safety for responders
“Responders” includes more than formal emergency services
Skilled support personnel, contractors, utilities, public works, transportation

25. Safety for responders Incident management Preplanning Training
Incident Command System (ICS) implementation
Unified command
Incident Safety Officer
Risk management
Realistic estimate of risk vs. benefit
Hierarchy of controls

26. Safety for responders Incident management, cont’d
Personnel accountability, span of control
Identification of hazards and implementation of controls
Establish perimeter, operational zones, access control
Management of mutual-aid and volunteers

27. Safety for responders Safety & health represented in planning cycle
Incident Action Plan (IAP) should include safety components
Medical, rehabilitation, evacuation, accountability
Safety & health concerns may be inadvertently overlooked
Competing priorities, limited experience with certain hazards

28. OSHA activities Focus on risk management WTC critique
OSHA – FEMA Summit
First Receivers document
Disaster Site Worker training (#5600 & #7600)
Internal preparedness
Planning, training, equipment
Drills and exercises
Specialty Response Teams

29. Applicable standards Revised Exit Routes standards
29 CFR 1910 Subpart E (November 2002)
Recognizes Life Safety Code (NFPA )
CPL – Compliance Policy for Emergency Action Plans and Fire Prevention Plans (July 2002)
Hazardous Waste and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)
29 CFR
Portable Fire Extinguishers
29 CFR

30. References http:/www.osha.gov/ E-tools Fire Safety Expert Advisor
Evacuation plans & procedures
ICS / UC
Anthrax
Fire Safety Expert Advisor