Are your employees trained fire fighters?  Do your employees form their own personal fire brigade that is trained and equipped to fight fires? If this is not the case then your organization must have an evacuation plan to be used if an emergency should occur. An evacuation plan provides a safe, organized means of evacuating individuals during an emergency. Without one, chaos will occur that could cause injury and even death.

In 2005 thousands of people died as a result of Hurricane Katrina, but many of the deaths could have been prevented. These deaths were a result of pure negligence and disregard for human life. Hundreds of elderly and disabled people were unable to evacuate, and the lack of an evacuation plan caused them to be left behind. At just one nursing home 34 patients were discovered dead after being left behind during the evacuation for Hurricane Katrina.

Most of these nursing home deaths occurred due to drowning when the victims were left behind and the facilities flooded. Others died because of inadequate evacuation plans. Some suffered while being stranded on sweltering hot busses with no air conditioning, while others were evacuated without any medical records which prevented proper health care. These nursing homes were forewarned about the need for an evacuation plan, but many failed to provide these plans to state officials which caused the death of many elderly and disabled people.

In addition to hurricanes, workplace evacuation may be necessary in instances such as fire, earthquake, flooding, toxic material release, or even workplace violence. All employees should receive instruction regarding the company evacuation plan. Employers should post maps directing occupants of the building to the nearest exits. The plan should also identify a common outside location where employees should assemble. These maps should be easy to read with a highlighted exit route, and adding a few graphics will make the map more visually appealing.

Some employees should be designated to handle certain tasks during an evacuation. These employees should be assigned these tasks during the emergency evacuation preparation, not during the emergency. These tasks include assisting other employees and visitors out of the building, shutting down critical operations and equipment if safely possible, and accounting for employees and visitors after the evacuation.

Employers should ensure that all employees are very familiar with the evacuation procedures and are aware of duties they are responsible for in case of an emergency. Employers should schedule evacuation drills and conduct surprise drills to keep employees aware and on their toes. These are just the basic steps employers need to take to ensure a safe and well-organized evacuation. The OSHA website provides additional instructions and tools to further assist the formation of an adequate evacuation plan. If these simple steps had been followed by the nursing homes in New Orleans many lives could have been saved. Hopefully these individuals learned from their mistakes. Stay Safe.