Emergency Response Procedures | Human Resource Guidebook

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Emergency response procedures should spell out how the facility will respond to certain emergencies or for specific situations such as a fire, bomb threat or tornado.

Human safety must be the first consideration undertaken as part of any response procedure. Often companies list Records Safety as the second consideration. Therefore determine what actions would be necessary to ensure the safety of your employees and records.

Your business will have to determine what actions would be necessary for things such as:

Communications Procedures

Example: Notification Procedures - Media Relations. Identify media spokesperson. (Name) is the only authorized spokesperson to meet or talk with media. The President and senior administration are to be immediately informed of emergencies by media spokesperson. All calls from media are to be referred directly to the media spokesperson at (Phone Number).

Identifying the Source and Scope of the Problem Procedures

A checklist can be used to determine the source and scope of the problem.

Example: Source and Scope of Problem Checklist
 Determine the type of emergency.
 What is the impact of the damage?
___Small ___Medium ___Large (or use a scale of 1-5)

The scope of the damage will determine whether it can be handled by staff in-house or by outside vendors and the response and recovery procedures.
 Determine if the damage is contained to one area of the facility or throughout the facility.

Response and Recovery Procedures for things like Water Damaged Materials and Bomb Threats

Evacuation Procedures

Warning System Procedures

Report Back Procedures

Ordering Supplies and their Usages Procedures

SAMPLE PROCEDURE

BOMB THREATS

Personnel who are likely to receive a telephone bomb threat (switchboard operator, supervisory personnel) should be familiar with the following telephone procedures:

1) Keep the caller on the telephone as long as possible. Ask the caller to repeat the message.

2) Record conversation using the Bomb Threat Caller Report Form.

3) If the caller does not indicate the location of the bomb or the time of the detonation, ask the caller to provide this information.

4) Ask what does the bomb look like and what will make it explode.

5) Ask why the bomb was put there.

6) It may be advisable to tell the caller the building is occupied and the detonation of the bomb may cause serious injury or death to many innocent people.

7) Pay particular attention to background noise such as motors running, music and any other type of noise that might give a clue to where the call is being made.

8) Determine if the voice is male or female. Listen for accents, speech impediments and voice quality. Determine if the voice is familiar. Determine if it is someone old, middle age or young.

9) Report information to the Planning Team Coordinator as soon as the caller hangs up.

The Planning Team Coordinator will determine what procedures to activate such as an evacuation or notification of appropriate agencies such as the police department.

If evacuation procedures are activated, no employees will be allowed back in the facility until official notification from (Name).

Category:Disaster Planning

Categories:

Disaster Planning

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