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Every company needs an emergency response plan to help protect the safety of employees as well as ensure continuity of business operations. The following steps are published by the American Red Cross in their free publication "Emergency Management Guide for Business & Industry":
Step 1: Establish a Planning Team
Determine who will lead the
planning process and who will develop each aspect of the emergency response plan. Set calendar
dates for each step of the progress to keep the planning on track. Establish a budget for all expenses.
Step 2: Analyze Capabilities and Hazards
Review existing internal
plans and policies. Meet with outside groups (including Property Management) to determine
what resources will be available in an emergency. Identify codes and regulations. Identify
critical products, services and operations. Identify internal resources and capabilities.
Identify external resources. Do an insurance review. List potential emergencies and assess
their impact on people, property and business operations.
Step 3: Develop the Plan
Prepare an Executive Summary
for top management. Write out all emergency response procedures as simply and briefly as possible.
Establish a training schedule for all employees. Distribute the plan to all appropriate internal
and external resources.
Step 4: Implement the Plan
Integrate the plan into company
operations. Perform drills and exercises to test the plan; don't wait until an actual emergency
to find out your plan has flaws. Incorporate emergency response training into new employee orientation.
Evaluate and modify the plan annually.
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