evacuation planning is a vital security strategy of people and companies, however many organizations do not have an elaborate one or a truly adequate one in case of emergency.
In this article we will explain what an evacuation plan is, why it is important and how can you make one to protect the worker and the general public. Stick around to see it below!
Definition of an evacuation plan
An evacuation plan has, as a definition, that it is a set of procedures that are implemented in case of emergency to ensure the safety of people in a given environment. The main objective of an evacuation plan is to ensure that everyone in the building or in the risk area gets out correctly and quickly in case of any disaster that occurs.
During an emergency, communication is vital to ensure the safety of individuals, so it is valuable that an evacuation plan include a communication system that allows people to receive updated information on the emergency situation. It is important that different means of communication and advertising are used to disseminate, such as loudspeakers, megaphone, text messagesemail, etc., all in order to reach all the people involved.
Is valuable Review and update regularly the evacuation plan to guarantee its effectiveness, since carelessness with changes in the company’s structure, recent sustainable technology and new risks can cause the eviction project to be obsolete and not very useful.
An evacuation plan is crucial because can save lives in case of shocks. Additionally, these plans help reduce panic and confusion during an emergency, which can improve people’s safety.
The companies must have a feasible occupational health for all citizens who are part of its establishments, ensuring the comforts of the people who make up these places. A correctly prepared evacuation plan is an example of this.
What is a civil protection evacuation plan?
Civil protection is a set of measures and actions elaborated correctly, which are intended to protect the populationproperty and the environment in emergency situations.
Therefore, a civil protection evacuation plan is a strategy used to protect people in the event of any natural disaster such as an earthquake or accident. It is a procedure that is used to guarantee civil security, as the name itself indicates.
What is an evacuation plan for?
An emergency evacuation plan is used to ensure the safety of people in emergency situations, such as fire, earthquake, flood, etc. An evacuation plan can save many lives.
It is necessary and of the utmost importance that all companies and organizations have an evacuation plan at their workplace, in order to guarantee the lives of workers and the general public.
The incorporation of occupational, academic and civil risk prevention measures in the evacuation plan can help prevent accidents. In fact, generalized risk prevention allows reduce the costs of institutions and improve the health and safety of workers, students and people in general.
It is crucial that companies with large staff within their headquarters include preventive measures of risks in its march plan, in order to guarantee the safety of workers and the public.
What are the components of an evacuation plan?
An evacuation plan should have the following components:
- Risk identification: An evacuation plan must begin with a signaling of inconveniences that may affect the safety of people in the company.
- Evacuation routes: The plan must include clear and precise withdrawal pathways to leave the building or the risk area.
- meeting points: The plan must have established designated meeting places where workers and the public can meet after the situation.
- responsibilities: The plan must assign clear obligations to the people in charge of implementing the evacuation plan.
- Training: Staff and the public must be indoctrinated in the evacuation plan and know how to implement it in an emergency.
- Communication: The eviction plan must include a communication system that allows people to receive updated information on the emergency situation.
It is essential to take care and guarantee the existence of each of the components within the evacuation plan, since this will ensure a certain percentage of success when it is carried out.
What are the characteristics of an evacuation plan?
These security plans must have the following features:
- An evacuation plan has to be effective and easy to understand for all the people involved.
- The plan must be flexible and adaptable to different emergency situations.
- The procedure must be clear and concise for all the members of the place.
- It is also important that the project check and update as many times as necessary and, preferably and demanding, that it be done persistently to guarantee that it continues to be effective and safe.
- Has to added so much fire extinguishers and zones fire systems as well as escape areas.
- Carry out drills on a regular basis it is essential.
It’s crucial make a withdrawal in these cases, which means that people should go to the least risky areas of the establishment when they are on a high floor. This plan should be prepared in advance to ensure a higher success rate.
How to make an evacuation plan?
The preparation of emergency plans must be carried out based on the identified risks. These, in detail, are the following:
- Depending on the severity of the problem: This depends on the level of the event and the difficulty to correctly assume the emergency caused, as well as its consequences.
- Depending on the risk and its type: this relates the risks between the environment and the interior of the building or establishment, and the people’s health that are inside it.
- Depending on shifts and occupations: must be necessary to have different plans according to different situations of the individuals that are in the zone of gravity.
Taking into account the risks, in order to develop an evacuation plan, the following procedures must be followed: Next steps:
- Identify risks: take the inconveniences that can affect the safety of people in the company, as already mentioned.
- Develop an evacuation plan: including routes of deposition, meeting points and responsibilities.
- train staff: instruct the team and the public in the evacuation plan.
- Carry out drills: Carry out regular drills to ensure that the evacuation plan is effective.
- Update evacuation plan: review and renew immediately the evacuation plan to ensure its effectiveness.
In conclusion, eviction planning is vital to ensure people’s lives in case of unforeseen events. In addition, the incorporation of risk prevention measures in the evacuation plan can help prevent accidents and reduce the costs of the company.
For all these reasons, all offices and organizations should have an evacuation plan in place, which is verified by a professional in occupational and industrial safety, in order to also update it constantly to guarantee the safety of the people who go to work every day to fulfill their duties.
