b. Ensure that delegation of responsibility is clear. c. Establish liaison with community emergency response agencies. 3. Assess company’s risks, vulnerabilities, capabilities, and the likely hazards facing it, both within the company and in the community, as well as weather-related incidents. 4. Develop a two-way communication and decision-making/reporting chain of command. a. Identify and list key personnel by their specialty and the best means of contacting them on- and off-site. Identify special vehicles (e.g., ambulances, hazardous material (HAZ- MAT) vehicle, etc.) as well as their locations and availability. b. Keep employees informed of their roles and responsibilities through periodic employee e-mail, employee newsletters, company intranet, posters, drills, or other means. c. Consider setting up a telephone “calling tree,” password-protected page on company website, e-mail alert system, or call-in voice recording. d. Designate an out-of-town number on which employees can leave an “I’m OK” message in case of catastrophic disasters. 5. Identify potential work-area resources, supplies, or equipment that could prove useful during an emergency. Repair or replace any equipment in poor condition. Identify key suppliers, vendors, and shippers. Keep their contact information current and accessible. a. Exit signs and directions. b. Fire extinguishers. c. Fire hoses and axes. d. Respiratory protection (e.g., self-contained breathing apparatus dust or filter masks). e. First aid kits. f. Oxygen equipment. g. Blankets. h. Plastic sheeting and duct tape to seal a room. i. Garbage bags and plastic ties. j. Protective equipment. k. Moist towelettes and/or waterless antiseptic hand cleansers. l. Communication equipment (two-way radio, AM/FM radio, battery-powered radio and extra batteries, television) and back-up method of communicating if no power (e.g., cell phone). m. Alarms, warning devices. n. Monitoring devices (air sampling, oxygen-level meters, sound levels, dosimeters). o. In-house edible food, can opener, and potable water. 6. Post floor plans, showing location of exits and emergency equipment on each floor, near elevators and on employee bulletin boards. Clearly mark evacuation routes inside and out- side the facility. Develop plans for care and movement of employees and visitors, including those with disabilities or others who may need extra time to evacuate. Designate locations outside the facility as assembly points for employees and visitors. 7. Make a “shelter-in-place plan” because there may be situations when it’s best to stay in place rather than evacuate (i.e., tornado, civil disturbance, workplace violence incident). As precau- tionary, determine the location for shelter in place, such as interior room or hallway on lowest floor, away from windows, doors and outside walls. Identify a location to “seal a room.” 8. Identify sources of potential hazards, such as the storage, transfer, and use of hazardous gases, chemicals, petroleum products, natural gases, compressed gases, corrosive and oxi- dizing agents, radioactive material, acids, and alkalies. Routinely check the integrity of the containment of these materials. 9. Establish procedures and periodically train employees how to report an emergency. Post emergency telephone numbers on employee bulletin boards and in other prominent places. a. Establish a system for warning personnel of an emergency. The system should be audible or within view of all people in the facility. It should also have an auxiliary power supply and a distinct and recognizable signal. b. Establish a system for warning employees and visitors who do not speak English or those with disabilities (such as a flashing strobe light for the hearing impaired) and plan emer- gency rescue for those with special needs. 10. Safeguard all forms of data processing, records, and computer retrieval. Plan for a backup system at a secure remote location. 239
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