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Common Emergency Procedures

Emergencies--situations when life or property are threatened--generally require the immediate intervention of police, firefighters or other emergency responders. Some emergency situations can be prevented by following health and safety procedures, but events like natural disasters can't be avoided. Fire or natural disasters emergencies can have serious consequences if people don't have the knowledge or training to protect themselves. Other emergencies like injuries require training in first aid and suspicious mail-- assistance from specialized professionals.

  1. Fire Procedures

    • Public and private businesses, government agencies and schools should have specific procedures in case of a fire emergency, and conduct evacuation drills at least once a year. Workers must be familiar with standard evacuation procedures and know the locations of the exit doors in the building. Management should have emergency plans and building maps for evacuation. When a fire alarm rings, employees should exit the building in an orderly manner, without using elevators, through the closest exit doors and go to a previously designated assembly area at a safe distance from the building. Supervisors or managers take a head count to make sure other people are not trapped inside the building, and then call the fire department.

    Natural Disasters

    • Different kinds of inclement weather call for different sets of emergency procedures. In any bad weather event, contact local authorities. If there is an earthquake, don't take the stairs or the elevator and get down on the floor close to a piece of furniture that can reduce the impact of objects that might fall. In case of floods, gas appliances must be switched off and power lines avoided. In case of severe weather, like tornadoes, take shelter into a basement or interior room, and stay away from windows or exterior doors.

    Medical Emergency

    • Every institution should have at least one designated member of the staff who can perform first aid and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) procedures. The trained employee should have a first aid kit. If a person has fainted, loosen his tight clothing (collar, tie and belt), but be careful not to move him. If a person is bleeding from a nostril, he needs to sit up and breathe through his mouth. His nostrils should be pinched for about 5 minutes and wet towels placed on his nose to stop the bleeding. Managers, employees or other people around should call 911 and explain the situation on the phone, then stay with the injured person until an ambulance arrives.

    Suspicious Mail

    • Employees should be trained to be suspicious of mail that has no return address or contains misspelled words, or packages that look bulky or rigid. Any piece of mail that looks suspicious should be handled carefully. It must be isolated and left intact. The manager should call the local authorities and follow their instructions about how to proceed with either opening the package or evacuating the building.

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