The Power of Emergency Preparedness — Occupational Health & Safety

The Power of Emergency Preparedness

Regardless of changing conditions, employers have a responsibility to make sure their workers are well-prepared for the risks their roles may pose.

• By Clare Epstein
• Dec 08, 2023

Despite the regulatory requirements placed on safety training and emergency preparedness in the workplace, many employers still fall short of setting their workers up for success. Providing staff with the education and training they need to be efficient, confident and prepared for emergencies isn’t as easy as it sounds due to ever-changing workplace conditions.

The scope and type of emergencies faced by employers and employees have evolved dramatically beyond the original preparedness standards initiated by OSHA in the 1970s and updated in 2002. Challenges like the rise in extreme weather events, increased types and complexity of emergencies, technical advances in emergency notifications and employee turnover require employers to review their emergency preparedness approach and training on a regular basis.

Regardless of changing conditions, employers have a responsibility to make sure their workers are well-prepared and equipped to handle whatever hazards, emergencies and day-to-day risks their roles may pose.

Why Does Emergency Preparedness Matter?

OSHA requires that employers develop and implement an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) and train all employees on this plan, both upon their date of hire and when the plan itself or the staff member’s responsibilities under the plan change. In practice, most employers train employees on emergency action plans and preparedness on an annual basis.

Emergency preparedness can result from a wide variety of conditions like hazardous material spills, fires and workplace violence. Extreme weather events also make up a large number of emergencies, and these types of events are only expected to increase. Per the National Safety Council (NSC), weather-related events increased by 11 percent between 2018 and 2022. The NSC reports that 69,473 weather events led to 813 deaths and 1,718 injuries in 2022 alone, with heat, winter weather, floods and hurricanes claiming the most lives.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the most significant benefit of promoting emergency preparedness is keeping employees physically safe during emergencies. Providing proper training and education for emergency preparedness can also assist in retaining employees. Employees need to feel confident their safety will be prioritized in the event of an emergency. Otherwise, they run the risk of feeling unprepared and unsupported by their organization.