Safety

Safety is the condition of being protected from harm or other non-desirable outcomes.

Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level
of risk.

Limitations

It is important to realize that safety is relative. Eliminating all risks, if even possible, would be
extremely difficult and very expensive. A safe situation is one where risks of injury or property
damage are low and manageable.

Safety Precautions (Example of working in a chemical lab)

It has been said that there are no nonhazardous chemicals, only nonhazardous ways of dealing
with them.

There are a variety of ways in which one can be harmed by chemicals, and there are also a variety
of ways that can be used to help protect an individual from being harmed by chemicals.

Pay attention to what you are doing and what you are working with.
Always wear safety glasses or goggles when working with dangerous chemicals. Also
wear safety glasses when you're near someone working with chemicals.
Know where the laboratory safety equipment is located. When you are in the lab,
have the instructor show you where the eyewashes are and how to use them. Also, find
out about the other safety equipment in the lab like the emergency shower, the fire
extinguisher, and the first aid kit. When working with chemicals, if you should get any
in your eye, use the special eyewash.
Report to the instructor of any accidents immediately.
Keep food and drinks out of the laboratory work area.
When dealing with chemicals, you should always read labels carefully to be absolutely
certain you have the right chemical. Sometimes names are very similar. If you don't get

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 the right chemical, it may ruin your experiment; and of course, you might get a dangerous
reaction.

Never mix chemicals that you haven't been told to mix without an OK from the
instructor.
If you spill a chemical, wipe it up immediately and advise the instructor.
Acids, in general, are fairly hazardous chemicals so you should be sure to wear safety
glasses while using them. If you should get any one of them (or any other chemical) on
you, rinse it off immediately with lots of water and let the instructor know what you
spilled--on your way to rinsing it off.

Emergency Response

Environmental emergencies are incidents or events that threaten public safety, health, and welfare
and include hurricanes, floods, wildfires, industrial plant explosions, chemical spills, acts of
terrorism, and others.

Hurricanes Floods

Wildfires Industrial Plant Explosion

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While these events range in size, location, cause, and effect, most have an environmental
component.

 Emergency response is the organizing, coordinating, and directing of available resources

in order to respond to the event and bring the emergency under control.

The goal of this coordinated response is to protect public health by minimizing the impact of the
event on the community and the environment.

An EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN must:

a) provide the resources and information needed to evaluate the human and environmental
health impacts of the event,
b) assess and reduce human exposures to contaminants, and
c) develop science-based strategies for remediation and rebuilding.

One example is the immediate response of NIEHS and other government agencies to the
devastation and hardship caused by Hurricane Katrina. This included the establishment of a field
hospital in Mississippi to meet the immediate health needs of the hurricane victims, as well as the
development of a Geographic Information System to plot the locations of chemical plants,
refineries, clean-up sites, and other potential hot spots of contamination where flooding occurred.

Emergency Response Plan (TYPES)

Every facility/workplace should develop and implement an emergency plan for protecting
employees, visitors, contractors and anyone else in the facility.

This part of the emergency plan is called “protective actions for safety of life” and includes:

o evacuation from building (“fire drills”),

o sheltering from severe weather such as tornadoes,
o “shelter-in-place” from an exterior airborne hazard such as a chemical release and
o Lockdown. (Lockdown is protective action when faced with an act of violence).
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  Some severe weather events can be forecasted hours before they arrive. This will provide
valuable time to protect a facility.

PROPERTY CONSERVATION

A plan should be established and resources should be on hand, or quickly, available to prepare a
facility. The plan should also include:

 a process for damage assessment,

 salvage,
 protection of undamaged property and
 cleanup following an incident.

These actions serve to minimize further damage and business disruption and are examples of
property conservation.

Priorities After Emergency:

When an emergency occurs, the first priority is always Safety of Life.

The second priority is the STABILIZATION of the incident.

There are many actions that can be taken to stabilize an incident and minimize potential damage:

IMMEDIATE RESPONSE
The actions taken in the initial minutes of an emergency are critical.
 A prompt warning should be given to employees to evacuate, shelter or lockdown, and this
can save lives.
 A call should be made for help to public emergency services that provides full and accurate
information. This will help the dispatcher send the right responders and equipment.
 Administration of first aid or performing CPR by trained employees, and this can be
lifesaving.
 Use of fire extinguishers by trained employees can extinguish a small fire
 Containment of a small chemical spill and supervision of building utilities and systems can
minimize damage to a building and help prevent environmental damage.

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  Action by employees with knowledge of building and process systems can help control a
leak and minimize damage to the facility and the environment.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, commonly known

as CPR, is an emergency procedure that combines
chest compression often with artificial ventilation
in an effort to manually preserve intact brain
function until further measures are taken to
restore spontaneous blood circulation and
breathing in a person who is in card.

Risk Assessment

The first step when developing an emergency response plan is to conduct a risk assessment to
identify potential emergency scenarios. An understanding of what can happen will help to
determine resource requirements and to develop plans and procedures to prepare your business.
“Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail” as the adage goes.

 A risk assessment is a process to identify potential hazards and analyze what could happen
if a hazard occurs.

A business impact analysis (BIA) is the process for determining the potential impacts resulting
from the interruption of time sensitive or critical business processes.

There are numerous hazards to consider. For each hazard there are many possible scenarios that
could unfold depending on timing, magnitude and location of the hazard.

There are many “assets” at risk from hazards.

First and foremost, injuries to people should be the first consideration of the risk assessment.
Hazard scenarios that could cause significant injuries should be highlighted to ensure that
appropriate emergency plans are in place.

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Many other physical assets may be at risk. These include buildings, information technology, utility
systems, machinery, raw materials and finished goods.

The potential for environmental impact should also be considered. Consider the impact an incident
could have on your relationships with customers, the surrounding community and other
stakeholders. Consider situations that would cause customers to lose confidence in your
organization and its products or services.

The impacts from hazards can be reduced by investing in mitigation. If there is a potential for
significant impacts, then creating a mitigation strategy should be a high priority.

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PROTECTIVE ACTIONS FOR LIFE SAFETY
When there is a hazard within a building such as a fire or chemical spill, or other incidents such as
a bomb threat or receipt of a suspicious package, occupants within the building should be
evacuated or relocated to safety.

If a tornado warning is broadcast, everyone should be moved to the strongest part of the building
and away from exterior glass.

If a transportation accident on a nearby highway results in the release of a chemical cloud, the fire
department may warn to “shelter-in-place.”

To protect employees from an act of violence, “lockdown” should be broadcast and everyone
should hide or barricade themselves from the perpetrator.

Emergency plan should include these protective actions for life safety:

1) Evacuation
2) Sheltering
3) Shelter-In-Place
4) Lockdown

1. EVACUATION
a) Prompt evacuation of employees requires a warning system that can be heard throughout the
building.
o Fire alarm system should be tested to determine if it can be heard by all employees.
o If there is no fire alarm system, a public address system, air horns or other means can be
used to warn everyone to evacuate.
o The evacuation signal should be sounded during planned drills so employees are familiar
with the sound.

b) Make sure that there are sufficient exits available at all times.
 Check to see that there are at least two exits from hazardous areas on every floor of every
building. Building or fire codes may require more exits for larger buildings.

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  Walk around the building and verify that exits are marked with exit signs and there is
sufficient lighting so people can safely travel to an exit. If you find anything that blocks an
exit, have it removed.
 Enter every stairwell, walk down the stairs, and open the exit door to the outside. Continue
walking until you reach a safe place away from the building. Consider using this safe area
as an assembly area for evacuees (Muster Point).

c) Appoint an evacuation team leader and assign employees to direct evacuation of the building.
Assign at least one person to each floor to act as a “floor warden” to direct employees to the
nearest safe exit.

d) Assign a backup in case the floor warden is not available or if the size of the floor is very
large.

e) Assign a “buddy” or aide to assist persons with disabilities during an emergency.

f) Contact the fire department to develop a plan to evacuate persons with disabilities.

g) Have a list of employees and maintain a visitor log at the front desk, reception area or main
office area. Assign someone to take the lists to the assembly area when the building is
evacuated. Use the lists to account for everyone and inform the fire department whether
everyone has been accounted for.

h) A fire, chemical spill or other hazard may block an exit, so make sure the evacuation team can
direct employees to an alternate safe exit.
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2. SHELTERING
 If a tornado warning is broadcast, a distinct warning signal should be sounded and everyone
should move to shelter in the strongest part of the building. Shelters may include basements
or interior rooms with reinforced masonry construction.
 Evaluate potential shelters and conduct a drill to see whether shelter space can hold all
employees.
 Early warning is important, since there may be little time to shelter when a tornado is
approaching.

3. SHELTER-IN-PLACE

Public emergency officials may order people in a vicinity to “shelter-in-place” when such
examples as below occur:

 A tanker truck crashing on a nearby highway releasing a chemical cloud.

 A large column of black smoke billowing into the air from a fire in a nearby manufacturing
plant.
 An explosion, or act of terrorism has occurred.

The emergency plan should include a means to warn everyone to move away from windows and
move to the core of the building.

o Warn anyone working outside to enter the building immediately.

o Move everyone to the second and higher floors in a multistorey building.
o Avoid occupying the basement (WHY?).
o Close exterior doors and windows and shut down the building’s air handling system.
o Have everyone remain sheltered until public officials broadcast that it is safe to evacuate
the building.

4. LOCKDOWN

An act of violence in/around the workplace could occur without warning. If loud “pops” are heard
and gunfire is suspected, every employee should:

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  know to hide and remain silent.
 seek refuge in a room, close and lock the door, and barricade the door if it can be done
quickly.
 be trained to hide under a desk, in the corner of a room and away from the door or windows.

Multiple people should be trained to broadcast a lockdown warning from a safe location.

TEN Steps for Developing the Emergency Response Plan

1. Review performance objectives for the program.

2. Review hazard or threat scenarios identified during the risk assessment.

3. Assess the availability and capabilities of resources for incident stabilization including

people, systems and equipment available within your business and from external sources.

4. Talk with public emergency services (e.g., fire, police and emergency medical services) to

determine their response time to your facility, knowledge of your facility and its hazards

and their capabilities to stabilize an emergency at your facility.

5. Determine if there are any regulations pertaining to emergency planning at your facility;

address applicable regulations in the plan.

6. Develop protective actions for life safety (evacuation, shelter, shelter-in-place, lockdown).

7. Develop hazard and threat-specific emergency procedures using guidance from the

resource links on this page. Write your emergency response plan using this template

8. Coordinate emergency planning with public emergency services to stabilize incidents

involving the hazards at your facility.

9. Train personnel so they can fulfill their roles and responsibilities.

10. Facilitate exercises to practice your plan.

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