• Directing all emergency activities including

evacuation of personnel.

• Ensuring that outside emergency services are

notified when necessary.

• Directing the shutdown of plant operations

when necessary.

Emergency Response Teams

Emergency response team members should be

thoroughly trained for potential crises and physically capable of carrying out their duties. Team

members need to know about toxic hazards in the

workplace and be able to judge when to evacuate

personnel or when to rely on outside help (e.g.,

when a fire is too large to handle). One or more

teams must be trained in:

• Use of various types of fire extinguishers.

• First aid, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

• Requirements of the OSHA bloodborne

pathogens standard.

• Shutdown procedures.

• Chemical spill control procedures.

• Search and emergency rescue procedures.

• Hazardous materials emergency response.

Response Activities

Effective emergency communication is vital. An

alternate area for a communications center other

than management offices should be established in

the plans, and the emergency response coordinator should operate from this center. Management

should provide emergency alarms and ensure

that employees know how to report emergencies.

An updated list of key personnel and off-duty 

telephone numbers should be maintained.

Planning

Where required by some Occupational Safety 

and Health Administration standards, firms with

more than 10 employees must have a written

emergency action plan; smaller companies may

communicate their plans orally. Top management

support and the commitment and involvement of

all employees are essential to an effective emergency action plan.

Employers should review plans with employees

when initially put in place and re-evaluate and

amend the plan periodically whenever the plan

itself, or employee responsibilities, change.

Emergency procedures, including the handling of

any toxic chemicals, should include:

• Escape procedures and escape route assignments.

• Special procedures for employees who perform

or shut down critical plant operations.

• Systems to account for all employees after evacuation and for information about the plan.

• Rescue and medical duties for employees who

perform them.

• Means for reporting fires and other emergencies.

Chain of Command

The employer should designate an emergency

response coordinator and a backup coordinator.

The coordinator may be responsible for plantwide operations, public information and ensuring

that outside aid is called. Having a backup coordinator ensures that a trained person is always

available. Employees should know who the 

designated coordinator is. Duties of the coordinator and employer include:

• Determining what emergencies may occur and

seeing that emergency procedures are developed to address each situation.

FactSheet

Planning and Responding to 

Workplace Emergencies

Nobody expects an emergency or disaster. Yet emergencies and disasters can

strike anyone, anytime, anywhere. Employers should establish effective safety

and health management systems and prepare their workers to handle emergencies before they arise.
Accounting for personnel following evacuation is

critical. A person in the control center should 

notify police or emergency response team members of persons believed missing.

Effective security procedures can prevent unauthorized access and protect vital records and

equipment. Duplicate records of essential

accounting files, legal documents and lists of

employee relatives – to be notified in case of

emergency – can be kept at off-site locations.

Training

Every employee needs to know details of the

emergency action plan, including evacuation

plans, alarm systems, reporting procedures for

personnel, shutdown procedures, and types of

potential emergencies. Any special hazards, such

as flammable materials, toxic chemicals, radioactive sources or water-reactive substances, should

be discussed with employees. Drills should be

held at random intervals, at least annually, and

should include outside police and fire authorities.

Training must be conducted at least annually and

when employees are hired or when their job

changes. Additional training is needed when new

equipment, materials or processes are introduced,

when the layout or design of the facility changes,

when procedures have been updated or revised,

or when exercises show that employee performance is inadequate.

Personal Protection

Employees exposed to or near accidental chemical splashes, falling objects, flying particles,

This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies or 

standards. It does not impose any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of 

compliance requirements of OSHA standards or regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal

Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.

The voice phone is (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: (877) 889-5627.

unknown atmospheres with inadequate oxygen or

toxic gases, fires, live electrical wiring, or similar

emergencies need appropriate personal protective

equipment.

Medical Assistance

First aid must be available within 3 to 4 minutes of

an emergency. Worksites more than 3 to 4 minutes from an infirmary, clinic, or hospital should

have at least one person on-site trained in first aid

(available all shifts), have medical personnel readily available for advice and consultation, and develop written emergency medical procedures.

It is essential that first aid supplies are available to

the trained first aid providers, that emergency

phone numbers are placed in conspicuous places

near or on telephones, and prearranged ambulance services for any emergency are available. It

may help to coordinate an emergency action plan

with the outsider responders such as the fire

department, hospital emergency room, EMS

providers and local HAZMAT teams.

Further Information

More detailed information on workplace emergencies is provided in “How to Plan for Workplace

Emergencies and Evacuations” (OSHA 3088) available free on OSHA’s website or from OSHA

Publications, Room N3101, 200 Constitution Ave.,

N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210, telephone 1-800-

321-OSHA, or local OSHA offices. Further information is also available in OSHA’s Evacuation Plans

and Procedure eTool and Emergency

Preparedness and Response webpage

U.S. Department of Labor

www.osha.gov

(800) 321-OSHA

For more complete information:

4/2004