Roles of personnel
Not all sites use a formal term like 'Emergency control organisation' to describe the group of people whose role it is to direct others in the event of an emergency.
However, even if your workplace is small and only has a few people on-site, you still need to have clear lines of authority and a recognition as to who is in charge when an emergency arises.
During an emergency, designated people in the workplace need to take on special roles and responsibilities. Depending on the physical size and layout of the site and the number of people working there, your company should have some form of 'Emergency control organisation' (ECO).
Set out below are the main members of a typical ECO and a description of their roles and responsibilities. Note that these descriptions are most applicable to large sites with many employees. Your own company may use different names for these positions or combine some of the duties into single positions. Nonetheless, all of the responsibilities listed are important, and need to be allocated to someone on-site. This will help to ensure that in the event of an emergency there is a coordinated and effective response.
Chief Warden
The Chief Warden takes command of an emergency situation in the absence of the emergency services, such as the Fire Brigade or Police. Once the emergency services arrive, the Chief Warden hands responsibilities over to them and assists in taking the action decided on by the Senior Officer to bring the situation under control.
Select the links below to see the Chief Warden's typical responsibilities at particular times.
Responsibilities during an emergency
Responsibilities following an emergency
Deputy Chief Warden
The Deputy Chief Warden assists the Chief Warden, and stands in as Chief if the Chief Warden is away from the site. In some ECOs they also act as the Communications Officer.
Responsibilities during an emergency
Wardens
Wardens supervise the orderly evacuation of people on-site and check the area to make sure that everyone has reached safety. In large workplaces an Area Warden oversees each section of the site and supervises the Wardens in that section.
Responsibilities during an emergency
Communications Officer
The Communications Officer conveys information to ECO members and other employees, and initiates contact with the emergency services. Because this person must be familiar with the company's communications system, the position is sometimes held by the front-desk receptionist. In other teams it is held by the Deputy Chief Warden.
Responsibilities during an emergency
First Aid Officers
First Aid Officers are employees who have completed an approved first aid course and been appointed to that role in their area of the workplace. During an emergency situation, the First Aid Officers generally pair off with Wardens during the evacuation process, so that they are on hand to provide prompt assistance if required.
Responsibilities during an emergency
Occupants and visitors on-site
The remaining 'occupants' and visitors on-site carry a responsibility for following the emergency evacuation procedure, if asked to do so, and obeying all directions from the ECO members. This includes management staff, workers, contractors and any other people in the workplace.
Responsibilities during an emergency
Learning Activity
Your own organisation may have different titles and functions for the emergency personnel on-site, depending on the nature of the business and the types of emergencies it is most likely to face.
Make a comparison between your own 'emergency control organisation' (or equivalent group) and the ECO described above. You may find it useful to use a table layout like the one shown below to highlight the most obvious differences.
Once you have identified the main differences, think about the roles and responsibilities of your own emergency personnel and any gaps that may exist or improvements that could be made to the existing system.
Share your answers with your trainer and other learners in your group. You can use group emails or a social networking site to send your own responses and provide feedback on others' responses