Publications

Emergency Planning in the Workplace (2002)

By Diane Brown

Thousands died at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Somerset, Pa., on Sept. 11. A few weeks later, the intentional release of anthrax in the mail resulted in several deaths and serious illnesses. The loss of life and other physical harm have also created psychological problems, including feelings of fear, vulnerability and uncertainty.

These crises occurred in workplaces and nearly all the people who died or suffered injuries were workers. As a result, workers and their employers have a heightened concern about workplace safety and security. While these events may be of a new and frightening nature, the reality is that workplace emergencies are not a new problem. Workers everywhere need to know what to do if there is an emergency at their job site.

An emergency is any unplanned, unexpected event that threatens harm to life, health, property or the environment. In general, there are two types of emergencies:

Natural Emergencies

  • wildfire
  • flood
  • hurricane
  • tornado
  • earthquake
  • winter storm

Emergencies Caused by People

  • structural fire
  • violence
  • release of chemicals or infectious agents
  • release of radiation
  • bomb threat/explosion
  • civil disturbance

The best way to deal with emergencies is to eliminate or reduce the chances for such an occurrence. Steps should be taken to identify and control existing and potential problems. Advance planning and preparation are also needed to limit harm to people, property and the environment in case there is an event. Emergency planning and preparedness include the following steps.

(1) Establishing a health and safety committee (if none exists) to coordinate activities. (For information on health and safety committees, see SAFE JOBS NOW! An AFSCME Guide to Health and Safety in the Workplace.

(2) Developing and/or updating and implementing emergency action plans.

Identify potential risk for emergencies.

  • Check available resources.
  • Review workplace documents
  • Inspect emergency measures in-place.
  • Develop written emergency procedures.

(3) Training all staff on emergency procedures.

(4) Addressing workers' needs following an emergency and resuming operations.

(5) Evaluating and modifying the plan as needed after drills and/or a real event.

The work of the health and safety committee does not stop with addressing emergency procedures. Nearly 6,000 workers are killed on the job and hundreds of thousands more suffer serious injuries and illnesses each year from well-known hazards on the job. Identifying and controlling workplace hazards prevent deaths, injuries and illnesses. The committee should lead efforts to correct dangerous working conditions as well as plan for emergencies.

To assist AFSCME members and staff in taking a proactive approach to dealing with these and other potential situations, the AFSCME Department of Research and Collective Bargaining Services has published a new booklet, Are You Prepared? An AFSCME Guide to Emergency Planning in the Workplace. The publication is available in both hard copy and on the AFSCME Web site. Awareness and planning are also needed to deal with the emerging threat of biological and chemical weapons.

Information on anthrax, smallpox, and other biological agents and chemicals that could be used to cause sickness and death is also available on the AFSCME Web page mentioned above. Information on these topics changes frequently, and will be updated.

For more information, or for copies of the booklets, training and other information mentioned in this article for those without Internet access, please e-mail, call (202) 429-1228 or write to: AFSCME Department of Research and Collective Bargaining Services, 1625 L Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-5687.

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