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No one wants it to happen, but an emergency, natural or manmade, can strike at anytime, 24/7. What’s more, it need not be a major, nationally-televised incident, such as a hurricane, earthquake, or act of political terror. An event as common as a local building fire can present just as large a challenge to you. These resources will help you create a plan for handling such crises, whatever their scope, and to carry it out in a way that best protects your employees and your company.
Have you taken a good look at your workplace emergency action plan lately? Maybe it’s time for a review. General Issues Does your emergency action plan: Consider all potential natural or man-made emergencies that could disrupt your workplace? Consider all potential internal sources of emergencies that could disrupt your workplace? Consider the impact of these […]
Whether it’s a weather emergency or some other disaster that hits your workplace, you need to be prepared to recover quickly and effectively. Large and small disasters happen all the time. Events ranging from purely local disasters, such as local flooding caused by a break in a local water main, smoke or fire damage caused […]
After a disaster, you’ll probably need to get in touch with a lot of people. But you could also have a limited ability to recharge your electronic devices, including cell phones, laptops, and tablets. The following checklist, adapted from recommendations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will help ensure you have enough battery power […]
Defining responsibility for EPCRA compliance on a site can often lead to questions that apply only to that particular situation or event. One such situation is that of chemicals brought on a site by contractors hired to perform work and where reporting responsibility lies—with the facility owner/operator or with the contractor. According to the Environmental […]
One of the most confusing exemptions under EPCRA is that for “routine agricultural use” (Section 311(e)(5)) under Sections 311 and 312, which cover Safety Data Sheet (SDS) reporting and Tier I/Tier II Inventory reporting, respectively. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the exemption is “designed to eliminate the reporting of fertilizers, pesticides, and other […]
The design requirements for exit routes are found in 29 CFR 1910.36. Here’s a quick look at the basic requirements. Is each exit a permanent part of your facility? [1910.36(a)(1)] Do the construction materials used to separate exits have at least a one-hour fire resistance rating if the exit connects three stories or less? [1910.36(a)(2)] […]