Assignment
Part 1: Review of emergency response procedures
Conduct a review of the emergency response procedures at your workplace to see whether they are up-to-date and being implemented properly.
Your review document could use a similar structure to the checklist below. Note that you will need to customise it to meet your site-specific requirements. If your company has an Emergency Procedures Manual or similar document, you should make that the benchmark for your review document.
The checklist is based on Australian Standard 3745 – 2010: Planning for emergencies in facilities. You should judge for yourself the extent to which these requirements apply to your site. If you are working at a forest operation, your review document might need to include provision for other features in the emergency plan, such as:
- communication systems, including mobile phone signals in the area and two-way radio channels in operation
- grid references for emergency evacuation meeting points and ambulance or helicopter pick-up locations.
Component | Checklist questions |
---|---|
Training | Is there an Emergency Control Organisation (ECO) or some other group of employees with special responsibilities in the event of an emergency? Have all members of the ECO been given clear duties and roles to fulfil in the event of an emergency, and appropriate training to perform those duties competently? Are the ECO members and other personnel on-site given refresher training at appropriate intervals? (See the slideshow below for more information.) |
Evacuation exercises | Is an emergency evacuation drill carried out at scheduled times, such as once per year, in each area of the workplace? Are observers appointed to record the details of the evacuation drill and other emergency response exercises and report on their effectiveness? Are the emergency response exercises developed in consultation with the site owner, employer, managers, supervisors, and other appropriate people, and reviewed at scheduled times to determine their effectiveness? |
Emergency plan | Is there a documented Emergency Plan containing an evacuation diagram and emergency response procedures? Are there documented training arrangements and schedules for all personnel identified in the Emergency Plan? Are all personnel on-site, including staff, workers, contractors and visitors, given a safety induction which includes the emergency evacuation procedure? |
Evacuation diagram | Is the evacuation diagram at least A4 in size? Does the diagram show all designated exits, hose reels, hydrants and extinguishers and fire blankets, marked with appropriate colours and symbols? Does the diagram show emergency communication equipment, if installed, such as warden communication points and manual control points? Does the diagram clearly show the assembly area? |
Part 2: Development of action list
Develop an action list to address any of the issues identified above as not meeting the required standards. Indicate the personnel responsible for carrying out the action and estimated lead time required to complete the process.
Skills retention training in emergency procedures
The slideshow below summarises the main requirements for skills retention (refresher) training in emergency response procedures at a facility. These provisions come from Australian Standard 3745 -2010: Planning for emergencies in facilities, Clause 6.5.