Emergencies can happen at any time and at any place so it's best to prepare ahead in planning for workplace emergencies. No one expects disaster to strike, especially when it directly affects your business and your employees.

You could be forced to act quickly in a dangerous situation when you least expect it. The best way to alleviate damaging effects from emergencies in the workplace is to have a well-developed emergency action plan in working order when immediate action is necessary.

Not only is your office emergency plan a good idea for employee safety, it may also be a requirement of state or federal law as it applies to your industry. A good office emergency plan should encompass the following situations:

1. Office emergency plans should include natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes and tornadoes.

2. Think about toxic gas and chemical spills, as well as explosions when constructing office emergency planning.

3. Emergency preparedness means having a plan in place for workplace violence as well as other civil disturbances that may result in injuries.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Develop a business emergency plan

From establishing a planning team to analyzing potential hazards, there are many steps that go into developing and implementing an emergency plan. Make sure you take ample time and utilize all available resources to come up with a plan that covers all facets of your business.

I recommend: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers many documents detailing workplace requirements, as well as a tool to help you create your own evacuation plan and procedures. Find free emergency management webinars offered by vendors at the Disaster Recovery Journal.

Purchase a crisis management alert system

Once an emergency happens, the first step is to notify leaders who can act quickly and then disperse information to all employees whether they be in the office or at a remote location. Emergency notification systems exist to help you accomplish that task.

I recommend: Dell's AlertFind crisis notification system can send alerts via e-mail, phone calls, text messages, pagers, BlackBerry devices, fax and other channels. Telcom & Data Inc. offers an Advanced Messaging Server to deliver voice and text messages as well as audio and visual alerts in seconds.

Avoid emergencies in the workplace by thinking about safety year-round

When all emplyees know their individual responsibilities and role in workplace safety you can decrease the amount of potential accidents and emergencies. Although you can't prevent all emergencies, thinking about safety on an ongoing basis will help keep employees alert and better prepared.

I recommend: Check out the SAFE program from Owen Media Partners. They offer a monthly safety message through posters, table tents, employee cards and meeting outlines. Some safety messages even feature characters from "The Simpsons" or can be personalized to include your company logo. The Nonprofit Risk Management Center offers a variety of resources for employers' use, including a workplace safety quiz and tutorial.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Workplace emergency training should include drills held at regular intervals. Those employees learning new operations should be closely supervised to be made aware of potential hazards. Supervisors should also be equipped with guidelines for reporting and correcting potentially dangerous situations.