ASIS International (ASIS) is the preeminent organization for security professionals, with more than 35,000 members worldwide. Founded in 1955, ASIS is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and productivity of security professionals by developing educational programs and materials that address broad security interests, such as the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits, as well as specific security topics. ASIS also advocates the role and value of the security management profession to business, the media, government entities, and the public. By providing members and the security community with access to a full range of programs and services, and by publishing the industry’s number one magazine — Security Management — ASIS leads the way for advanced and improved security performance.
ASIS has prepared this publication to assist its members and others engaged in disaster planning.
ASIS INTERNATIONAL DISASTER PREPARATION GUIDE
Today’s world, awash with continuous terrorist threats and the buzz of imminent war, requires people to have steely nerves, resolve, and most importantly, foresight. One of the best ways to help ease fear and protect the country’s most important asset—its citizens—is for businesses, families, and individuals to be prepared for an attack of any kind.
With that in mind, ASIS International (ASIS) and its 33,000 members are working hard to secure our Nation. This Disaster Preparation Guide was created with your business and its employees in mind. Human resource managers will find it helpful as an employee handout, and management will find the training and testing information invaluable as a starting point to securing company facilities and the employees inside.
Much of the guidance within is taken from the Emergency Planning Handbook, Second Edition, published by ASIS International in February 2003, and edited by the ASIS International Disaster Management Council. Other information comes from the American Red Cross and the Department of Homeland Security.
With a little planning and a lot of common sense, we can all be better prepared to face the unknown.
The key to success of any emergency plan is training and testing. A plan cannot be expected to work properly unless it has been tested before its actual implementation during an emergency. Practicing emergency response helps assure that the response can proceed predictably in an actual emergency. By exercising the plan, problems or weaknesses in the plan and procedures can be identified, stimulating appropriate changes to the plan. The relationship of planning to training and testing is depicted below.
TRAINING IN THE PLANNING PROCESS
1
2 Disaster Preparation Guide
Training, tests, and exercises serve several purposes. They allow management to use and assess plans and procedures to determine whether they are actually feasible and will work under actual conditions; they assess and measure the degree to which personnel understand their emergency response functions and duties; they identify areas for improvement; they enhance coordination, communication, and proficiency among response staff; and they enhance the ability of management and staff to respond to emergencies.
Experience gained and errors committed during exercises can provide valuable insights and lessons learned that can be factored into the planning process. In addition, there may be regulatory requirements for periodic testing of emergency plans, and testing may enhance the public image of the company, since when it tests, it is acting responsibly. Inviting the fire department to a well-planned fire drill is one example of corporate responsibility in action. Inviting the news media to a test is a bit more daring but demonstrates this responsible behavior as well.
TRAINING
All personnel should be provided with training in emergency response, commensurate with their expected level of involvement. Basically, there are three groups to which the training should be directed: employees, management, and emergency response personnel.
Employees. General employee training should assure that all employees could react automatically to warnings of an impending or imminent emergency. They should also be trained in any duties they will be expected to perform during an emergency. An important part of this training is basic understanding of the emergency management plan and how to get information and guidance during an emergency.
Training and Testing for an Emergency 3
General training for employees should include:
Hazards at the facility and neighboring facilities
Warning signals and their meaning, and what response is required to the signals
Job specific defined responsibilities clearly describing the sequence of actions to be taken
Sequence of actions to take in an emergency, including how to report incidents and to whom
Identification, location, and use of emergency equipment (e.g., fire extinguishers, protective clothing, breathing equipment such as personal hoods)
Emergency shutdown procedures
Evacuation procedures and routes, assembly areas, and headcount procedures.
Management. Leadership during an emergency is crucial to success. Therefore, more detailed training is required for those who have leadership responsibilities during an emergency. In addition to training in their duties and responsibilities for emergency response, as defined in the emergency management plan, they should understand:
Disaster planning, response, recovery, and community linkages
Responsibilities in the emergency management plan
Industrial mutual aid and coordination with government agencies
Leadership and media relations skills required for disaster management
Special company-specific interests, such as hazardous substances.
4 Disaster Preparation Guide
Emergency Response Personnel. Personnel who have specific response responsibilities in the emergency management plan should be trained in these specific responsibilities and the requirements of the plan and its supporting procedures. This may require specific job task analyses to determine the specific performance objectives desired. Once the performance objectives are determined, a training program should be designed to meet those objectives. For example, the emergency management team coordinator may perform a wide range of emergency duties and functions that are not related to his/her normal job. Training must assure that the emergency functions can be performed adequately. General considerations for training response personnel include:
Threats and vulnerabilities to company facilities due to disasters
Response procedures for events included in the plan
Command, control, and lines of authority
Special equipment, where it is located, and how to use it
Equipment and systems checks (e.g., sprinkler systems, power supplies and utilities, shutdown systems)
Status reporting.
Training administration and program development may include:
Defined responsibility for training
Determination of those subject to training
Training program design (job task analysis, performance objectives, program objectives, and training methods)
Designated instructors
Program evaluation, quality, and revision.
Training and Testing for an Emergency 5
However simple or complex the training is, each employee and manager must know what actions they are to take in the event of a disaster, as well as what part they play in emergency response. Training should provide the background to achieve this. Tests, drills, and exercises provide management with information as to the readiness of the company in executing the plan.
Drills and exercises should be preceded by training seminars or workshops, where participants are trained in their emergency responsibilities. Following training in more formal settings, exercises can extend the training to provide opportunities to use existing skills and to learn new ones. Exercising the emergency management plan using simulations provides the opportunity for testing skills and knowledge to identify strengths and weaknesses; learning new skills; practicing decision-making, techniques, and communications; determining gaps in planning and procedures for management attention; and critically examining methods and procedures to stimulate revisions and modifications to the emergency management plan.
Three types of simulations that can be employed are tabletop exercises, limited scope drills, and full-scale exercises. Tabletop exercises are interactive discussions of hypothetical scenarios that take place in a small group setting. They are most useful for management team decision-making scenarios and testing the effectiveness of emergency management in responding to a host of incidents. Drills involve limited mobilization of personnel and equipment and are used specifically to evaluate and stimulate participant activity. Drills are limited in scope, providing limited testing of interaction and coordination within specifically defined groups (e.g., evacuation of a building), and they can indicate the level of participant’s knowledge of required procedures. Full-scale exercises are comprehensive tests of the interaction and coordination in the emergency planning program and test the knowledge and skills of most key staff with emergency responsibilities. An exercise mobilizes personnel and equipment and uses trained personnel to control, evaluate, and simulate participant activity on a large scale. Outside agencies may also be involved.
6 Disaster Preparation Guide
The scope of the drill, test, or exercise is determined by what is required to ensure the learning objectives are achieved by the participants. For example, if the objective is to test the ability of senior management to make decisions as specified in the emergency management plan, a tabletop exercise would be appropriate, although the same objective could be tested during a full-scale exercise.
Simulations also require controllers or evaluators. They must be knowledgeable in the execution of the emergency management plan and should also prepare the exercise scenario. The lead controller, who provides overall guidance to the evaluation team and coordinates with the “players”, should assure that the evaluation team, as appropriate:
Prepares player instructions (including test scope, purpose, rules and procedures)
Prepares controller instructions and assigns controllers to specified duties
Prepares the full scenario and player scenarios, as well as a master sequence of events
Prepares evaluation checklists and a briefing following the exercise.
For simulations to be effective and achieve their objectives, results must be evaluated and reviewed. Evaluators who are not “playing” in the simulations should point out what went well and what did not. Corrective action should be initiated, based on lessons learned from the simulations.
These actions are highlights of the basic requirements for controlling a simulation. They may be further developed by local company experience and procedures, as appropriate.
MAJOR PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS CHECKLIST
The following checklist is provided as a guide to assure that relevant considerations are identified in the emergency management planning process.
Use the blank space provided to record the current status of the plan or checklists:
Yes = Complete
No = Requires Action
N/A = Not Applicable
(Unknown is not an acceptable answer)
The provisions listed below are suggested for consideration in developing a plan/planning checklist. The checklist can be used prior to developing the emergency management plan to review and evaluate organizational preparedness status and to determine planning voids and weaknesses.
Direction and Control
Does your plan or checklist have provisions for:
______
Indicating who is in charge for each emergency or disaster situation and citing the location of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or on-the-scene command post from which direction and control will emanate?
______
Determining the need to evacuate the facility or site or when to issue evacuation orders?
______
Identifying the individual responsible for issuing evacuation orders and how they will be announced?
7
8 Disaster Preparation Guide
______
Identifying an alternate EOC site to serve as a backup if the primary EOC is not able to function?
______
Identifying the personnel assigned to the EOC for emergency operations?
______
Identifying lines of succession to assure continuous leadership, authority, and responsibility in key positions?
______
Providing for logistical support for food, water, lighting, fuel, etc., for the emergency response force?
______
Timely activation and staffing of emergency response teams and/or personnel?
______
Assigning operational and administrative support for emergency response activities?
______
Clear and concise summary of emergency functions, direction and control relationships, and support communications system?
______
Ensuring that EOC staff members can be recalled on short notice?
______
Describing EOC functions, layout, concept of operations, duties of staff, use of displays, and process to bring the EOC to full readiness on a 24-hour basis?
______
Protecting resources (essential personnel and equipment) during disaster situations?
______
Implementing resource controls?
______
Safeguarding essential records?
______
Disaster effects monitoring and reporting capability?
______
Central coordinating point(s) for receiving, analyzing, reporting, and retaining (events log) disaster related information (property damage, fire status) for EOC staff and/or response teams?
Major Planning Consideration Checklist 9
______
The EOC staff to acknowledge/authenticate reports?
Communications
Does your plan or checklist have provisions for:
______
Primary and backup radio communication, with gas generators or extra batteries (fixed and mobile, as available)?
______
Describing the methods of communications between the EOC and response teams, dispersed company/ plant operating locations, adjacent firms, and local government emergency services (fire, police, etc.)?
______
Two-way radio communication requirements for emergency response forces, if available?
______
Assuring that the response team members (and their backups) assigned to communications tasks understand communications terminology, and know where to obtain communications equipment and how to operate it effectively?
______
Recalling communications staff members on short notice?
______
Obtaining additional telephone services during emergencies?
______
Listing key telephone numbers for industry emergency assistance organizations?
Alerting and Warning
Does your plan or checklist have provisions for:
______
Receiving warning from the weather service or local government when hazardous situations threaten the facility?
______
Warning the employees in the event of a disaster?
10 Disaster Preparation Guide
______
Describing the warning system (type of devices, e.g., alarms, paging systems, detectors, word-of-mouth) used to alert the workers?
______
Alternate means of warning to back up the primary system?
______
Defining the responsibilities of departments or personnel and describing activation procedures?
______
Warning local government and nearby establishments of onsite disasters that might spread to areas outside the facility?
______
Requesting emergency assistance from local government (fire, police, medical, etc.)?
______
Differentiating warning signals that identify specific threats or require specific response actions?
______
Warning any hearing impaired and non-English-speaking workers?
______
A 24-hour warning point to alert key officials and to simultaneously activate all warning devices?
______
Call-up procedures to notify key officials and/or request offsite assistance in the event of an emergency?
______
Routine checks of the warning system to assure that it is functioning properly?
Facility Shutdown
Does your plan or checklist have provisions for:
______
Indicating under what conditions shutdown must occur or be considered?
______
Identifying who will make the decision to shut down equipment, utilities, or the facility?
Major Planning Consideration Checklist 11
______
Specifying who is responsible for carrying out shutdown? Assigning specific roles for equipment and utility (e.g., gas and water) shutoffs, and for checking automatic shutoffs (and for doing it manually if the automatic system fails)? Identifying who is to be equipment shutoff backup? Requiring report of shutdown completion to EOC?
______
Establishing prearranged order or signal to initiate shutdown procedures appropriate for the impending hazard?
______
A complete checklist for emergency shutdown?
______
Diagrams to show where to turn everything off?
______
Posting shutdown instructions on or near control panels, valves, switches, and operating mechanisms of each piece of major equipment?
______
Instructing and training personnel to implement the emergency shutdown procedures?
______
Designating personnel to close doors and windows, tie down loose equipment, move equipment and supplies to shelter area, and barricade windows and doors?
______
Assigning personnel to stand by firefighting hoses and equipment to be ready to extinguish fires?
______
Identifying and protecting valuable and sensitive tools, instruments, machinery, and materials?
______
Protecting equipment and material stored outside by banding tiedown, moving critical or valuable items to inside storage, or moving mobile equipment to high ground or to protected sides of the buildings, as circumstance requires and time allows?
______
Establishing damage assessment and control techniques to minimize property loss during a disaster?
12 Disaster Preparation Guide
______
Testing shutdown procedures for utility services and equipment by department managers?
Evacuation
Does your plan or checklist have provisions for:
______
Describing the conditions under which evacuation would be ordered?
______
Developing evacuation procedures, with appropriate options for the various hazards, that avoid potential secondary hazards (i.e., live high voltage wires that could fall; fuel lines that could be ruptured by earthquake explosion; fire damage; etc.)?
______
Identifying the individual responsible for ordering an evacuation and establishing lines of succession for carrying out evacuation functions?
______
Indicating under what conditions it would be safe to complete facility shutdown before ordering general evacuation?
______
Describing the alerting and communication systems for signaling impending or immediate evacuation for each type of evacuation your facility may require?
______
Procedures for search and rescue teams, if evacuation alarms are inoperative?
______
Maps indicating evacuation routes from buildings and the facility site?
______
Clearly marked evacuation routes throughout company facilities, with two exit options (and fire escapes where needed) for every employee?
______
Safety lighting (to ensure adequate light for evacuation during a power outage) in stairwells and corridors?
Major Planning Consideration Checklist 13
______
Assuring that all personnel know the evacuation routes, routines, and check-in procedures for both area and site evacuations?
______
Helping any handicapped employees to evacuate?
______
Special attention to ensure that any non-English-speaking employees understand warning signals and know where and how to evacuate the work place?
______
Identifying public or company provided safe reassembly areas that will not leave evacuees exposed to adverse weather conditions—below freezing temperatures, driving rains, etc.—or to radiological hazards following a nuclear incident or attack?
______
Assigning responsibility in an evacuation to a rear guard to ensure that all personnel get clear?
______
An organized head-count to ensure that all facility occupants have exited?
______
A system for identifying missing persons?
______
Ensuring that vital records are evacuated?
______
Identifying critical equipment to be evacuated and explaining how and by whom it will be moved?
______
A facility status report to specified company and civil authorities from the responsible onsite person following a site evacuation?
______
Periodic evacuation drills for all facilities?
______
Designating responsible staff members (by name and title) to maintain and update the evacuation plan on a standby basis?
14 Disaster Preparation Guide
Shelter
Does your plan or checklist have provisions for:
______
Identifying existing shelter space in company facilities?
______
Orderly movement to onsite shelter, with a general traffic pattern and ready-made directional signs?
______
Assigning corridor, floor, and building wardens to assist employee movement?
______
Crisis stocking of food, water, medical supplies, and other necessities for fallout shelter stay (for on-site company shelters only)?
______
Designating shelter managers and support staff?
______
Obtaining radiation measuring devices from local emergency management officials?
______
Arranging training for shelter managers and radiological monitors from local and state emergency management officials?
______
Receiving and registering additional people from nearby areas, in close coordination with government officials, if company facilities have been included in the local in-place fallout shelter inventory?
______
Coordinating with local authorities to identify shelter locations assigned to company employees outside the facility in accordance with the local in-place shelter allocation?
______
Printed instructions advising employees of shelter locations and routes to get there, either within the facility or nearby?
______
Identifying the individual responsible for maintaining on-site shelters?
Major Planning Consideration Checklist 15
______
Assuring that key workers required to continue essential operations are provided blast shelter in or near the work place?
______
Coordinating all key worker shelter needs with the local government?
______
Determining when occupants can be released from shelter?
Emergency Services
Does your plan or checklist have provisions for:
______
General Services (may not be applicable to every emergency service)
______
Maintaining current notification/call-up rosters for each emergency response team (ERT)?
______
Advising personnel of specific risks associated with handling hazardous materials and of the best means to protect themselves?
______
Obtaining appropriate equipment, instruments, antidotes, and protective clothing for ERT members to perform emergency tasks in a hazardous material, chemical, or radiological environment?
______
Assuring that ERT members understand how and when to use response equipment, instruments, antidotes, and protective clothing?
______
Establishing a routine for team members to check for contamination and to dispose of contaminated clothing?
______
Standard operating procedures for each response team, describing how the team will accomplish its assigned tasks and how it will deal with the various agencies?
16 Disaster Preparation Guide
______
Entering into mutual aid agreements with other private sector companies, state and local government service agencies, and volunteer agencies?
______
A plot plan (site plan, map of buildings and grounds), including utility shutoff locations; water hydrants and mains; storm drains and sewer lines, fences, gates; natural gas, chemical pipelines; name of each building; and street names and street number directions?
______
A building plan (floor plan for each building), including room layout, indicating the materials to be typically found in each room or area, with notes on quantities and storage containers?
______
Supplying copies of the organization’s plot and building plans to local fire and police departments?
______
Handling inquiries and informing families on the status of employees separated from them, especially if injured or missing, due to a disaster event?
______
Logistical support during emergency operations?
______
Reporting the appropriate information (casualties, damage assessment, evacuation status, etc.) to the EOC during emergency operations?
______
Direction and control of ERT personnel during operations?
______
Designating a representative for each ERT to report to the EOC to advise decision makers, to coordinate the team response?
______
Recovery operations during disaster events?
Major Planning Consideration Checklist 17
Specific Services
Security
______
Traffic control during an emergency
______
Assisting movement to shelter or to evacuate the facility
______
Security for critical resources
______
Keeping order in emergency shelters
______
Protecting company property in damaged area
______
Evacuating disaster areas during emergency operations
______
Training in sabotage prevention for security force
Fire and Rescue
______
Deploying fire/rescue teams and equipment in the event of an emergency
______
Storing fire control equipment where it will be accessible despite direct hazard effects (earthquake, fires, etc.)
______
Assuring that team members know how to operate rescue equipment
______
Fire protection in emergency shelters
______
Advising decision makers about the risks associated with hazardous materials
______
Rescuing injured people during emergency operations
______
Alerting all emergency services of the dangers associated with technological hazards and fire during emergency operations
______
Training in radiological monitoring
18 Disaster Preparation Guide
Health/Medical
______
Selecting and setting up emergency casualty station for screening casualties, administering first aid, initiating identification and casualty records, and arranging transportation to medical facilities if necessary
______
Obtaining emergency medical support during an emergency
______
Maintaining an adequate inventory of medical supplies for emergency use
______
Emergency procedures for exposure to onsite chemicals and for dealing with the injured who may also be contaminated
______
First aid training for personnel assigned to supplement medical staff
______
Health/medical care at any facility shelter
______
Information programs to ensure good health under shelter conditions
Engineering
______
Establishing and testing shutdown procedures
______
Precautions, as necessary, to protect equipment during shutdowns and to preserve it over extended periods of nonuse
______
Maintaining drawings showing locations of utility key valves, switches, feed lines, and hazardous areas
______
Backup electrical power to the EOC and essential production lines
Major Planning Consideration Checklist 19
______
Preparing and maintaining a resource list identifying source, location, and availability of earthmoving equipment, dump trucks, fuel, etc., to support disaster response recovery operations
______
Damage assessment reports
______
Restoring utilities to critical and essential facilities
______
Post-disaster repairs and restoration of facility and services
______
Sanitation services for emergency facilities
______
Maintaining adequate water supply after shutdown for drinking, firefighting, decontamination, and sanitation
Emergency Information
Does your plan or checklist have provisions for:
______
Assigning responsibility to assure that all employees understand the warning signals, receive general instructions on what to do in an emergency, and know where to go and how to get to their shelter areas and/ or disaster stations?
______
Preparing emergency employee guidance material based on all hazards affecting the company?
______
Distributing emergency information materials to employees?
______
Disseminating emergency information and instruction routes, etc., on bulletin boards and other prominent areas of the building?
______
Providing special instructions to any key workers expected to continue operations on their roles, including information about provisions made for their safety and that of their families?
20 Disaster Preparation Guide
______
Including emergency response activities on the agenda of regularly scheduled meetings for supervisory staffs?
______
Ensuring supervisors and foremen meet regularly with their staffs to discuss the provisions of the emergency management plan?
______
Providing routine briefings for all employees when they first enter the company to acquaint them with the emergency management plan and the response roles they will be expected to assume?
______
Scheduling general training in safety measures for all employees and specific response action training for all response team members on a regular basis?
______
Designating an information office to act as official point of contact during an emergency?
______
Assigning the responsibility of spokesperson for all contacts with the news media?
______
Providing an established procedure for authenticating all sources of information received and verifying such information for accuracy?
______
Providing rumor control?
Administration and Logistics
Does your plan or checklist have provisions for:
______
Assuring review and written concurrence from all company departments assigned emergency responsibilities?
______
Assuring approval and promulgation by the chief executive of the company?
______
Specifying the approval date?
Major Planning Consideration Checklist 21
______
Identifying the office or individual (by job title) who is responsible for maintaining (review/update) the plan and for ensuring that necessary changes and revisions are prepared, coordinated, published, and distributed?
______
Updating, as necessary, based on deficiencies identified through drills and exercises, changes in organizational structure, technological changes, etc.?
______
Developing and maintaining a resource inventory listing that includes source and quality? (This listing should include lighting, first aid, medical, firefighting, and other basic emergency response support equipment.)
______
Statements identifying additional emergency resource requirements for personnel, equipment, and supplies?
______
Readily locating specific subjects in the plan or checklist through a table of contents and, if feasible, an index?
______
Training response staff and specialized teams to carry out emergency functions?
______
Reviewing those portions of the plan or checklist actually implemented in an emergency event or in an exercise to determine whether revisions can be made to improve disaster response and recovery operations?
Recovery Planning
Does your plan have provision for:
______
Identification of the time sensitivity of business functions and their maximum allowable downtime
______
Identification of critical business units and support units
22 Disaster Preparation Guide
______
Use of a Business Impact Analysis, including periodic review
______
A policy statement/mission statement/charter issued and signed by a senior executive
______
Re-establishing time sensitive functions within their maximum allowable downtime
______
Establishing when, where, and how these operations will be continued
______
Identifying the employees who will continue the required operations
______
Identifying and designating lodging facilities for employees, where necessary
______
Arranging transportation for employees to alternate/ backup sites or other locations that will be used to maintain services/product delivery
______
Supplying employees with food, water, and other essential needs
______
Establishing and equipping an Emergency Operations Center
______
Consigning resources, skilled work force, equipment, and material to backup/alternate sites or other locations to be used to maintain services/products delivery
______
Informing employees of the organization’s recovery plans, their roles and responsibilities, and the resources that will be provided
______
Establishing a recovery management team
______
Establishing specific recovery function teams and/or individuals with specific recovery functions
Major Planning Consideration Checklist 23
______
Detailing specific procedures and tasks for both department and recovery function teams
______
Establishing notification procedures
______
Clearly defined procedure for declaring a disaster and activating the plan
______
Creation of a recovery information database
______
Maintaining critical supplies off site if they cannot be obtained with the required time frames to support the recovery
______
Establishment of a vital records program including back up and offsite storage
______
Liaison with senior management during the recovery process
______
Crisis communication plan and procedures, including designated spokespersons
______
Continuity with other existing crisis management plans and emergency response procedures
______
Identification and use of salvage/restoration companies
______
Training and orientation for new employees
______
Procedures to maintain and update the plan on a periodic basis
______
Testing program
______
Procedures to control the distribution and security of the plan document
______
Inclusion of recovery planning considerations as part of the organization’s strategic planning and new product/service development procedures
SUGGESTIONS TO CONSIDER
Start building your plan now. Here are some suggestions the American Red Cross believes you should consider:
Keep phone lists of your key employees and customers with you, and provide copies to key staff members.
If you have a voice mail system at your office, designate one remote number on which you can record messages for employees. Provide the number to all employees.
Arrange for programmable call forwarding for your main business line(s). Then, if you can’t get to the office, you can call in and reprogram the phones to ring elsewhere.
If you may not be able to get to your business quickly after an emergency, leave keys and alarm code(s) with a trusted employee or friend who is closer.
Install emergency lights that turn on when the power goes out. They are inexpensive and widely available at building supply retailers.
Back up computer data frequently throughout the business day. Keep a backup tape off site.
Use UL-listed surge protectors and battery backup systems. They will add protection for sensitive equipment and help prevent a computer crash if the power goes out.
Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone alert feature. Keep it on and when the warning signal sounds, listen for information about possible severe weather and protective actions to take.
25
26 Disaster Preparation Guide
Reduce Potential Damage
Prevent or reduce disaster damage in your facility by taking precautions, such as
Bolting tall bookcases or display cases to wall studs.
Protecting breakable objects by securing them to a stand or shelf using hook-and-loop fasteners.
Moving to lower shelves large objects that could fall and break or injure someone.
Installing latches to keep drawers and cabinets from flying open and dumping their contents.
Using closed screw eyes and wire to securely attach framed pictures and mirrors to walls.
Using plumber’s tape or strap iron to wrap around a hot water heater to secure it to wall studs.
You should also consider having a professional install —
Flexible connectors to appliances and equipment fueled by natural gas.
Shutters that you can close to protect windows from damage caused by debris blown by a hurricane, tornado or severe storm.
Automatic fire sprinklers.
Protect Your Employees, Customers and Business
Designate one employee from each work shift to be the safety coordinator. This person will make all decisions relating to employee and customer safety and to the safety of the business itself.
Suggestions to Consider 27
Safety coordinators should know how to contact the owner or operator at all times.
Everyone in your facility should know how to prepare for a disaster and what to do if a disaster occurs
Stock a minimum supply of the goods, materials, and equipment you would need for business continuity
Consult with your insurance agent about special precautions to take for disasters that may directly
Impact your business. Remember, most policies do not cover earthquake and flood damage. Protect valuable property and equipment with special riders. Discuss business continuity insurance with your agent.
SPECIFIC TERRORIST THREATS
This material comes from the Department of Homeland Security.
Biological
A biological attack is the deliberate release of germs or other biological substances that can make you sick. Some, like anthrax, are not contagious while others, like the smallpox virus, can result in communicable diseases. Many agents must be eaten, inhaled, or enter your body through a cut in the skin.
A biological attack may not be apparent immediately. Local healthcare workers will likely be the first to notify us all that something has happened because they will have experienced numerous patients with unusual symptoms.
If you learn that something has occurred, get away from the area as quickly as you can. Cover your mouth and nose with layers of fabric that can filter the air but still allow breathing— such as a cotton t-shirt, handkerchief, or towel. Several layers of tissue or paper towels may also help. Wash with soap and water and call the authorities.
Keep watching news reports or listen to the radio and think of the following:
Are you in the group or area authorities consider to be dangerous?
Are medications or vaccines being distributed? Where? Who should be getting them?
Where is the nearest place with emergency medical care if you become sick?
29
30 Disaster Preparation Guide
Use common sense, practice good hygiene and cleanliness to avoid spreading germs, and seek medical advice if you feel you have been exposed.
Chemical
A chemical attack is the deliberate release of a toxic gas, liquid, or solid that can poison people and the environment.
Watch for large numbers of people experiencing watery eyes, twitching, choking, having trouble breathing or losing coordination. Many sick or dead birds, fish or small animals are also reason for suspicion.
Take immediate action to get away from the affected area.
If the chemical is inside a building where you are, try to get out without having to pass through the contaminated area. If that is not possible, move as far away from where you suspect the chemical release is and create a barrier between yourself and the contaminated air. An interior room is best.
Nuclear Blast
If there is a flash or a fireball, take cover immediately—below ground if possible, though any thick shield or shelter will help protect you a bit from the immediate effects of the blast and the pressure wave. Remember, though, that nothing is foolproof in the event of a nuclear blast. In fact, you may be too close to the blast to do anything. That said; think about shielding, distance, and time. A thick shield will absorb some of the radiation and you will be exposed to less. Likewise, the farther away you are from the blast and the fallout, the lower your exposure. Also, try and minimize the time spent exposed if at all possible.
Specific Terrorist Threats 31
Radiation threat, or “dirty bomb”
This is the use of common explosives with an enclosed radioactive element. It is used to spread radioactive materials over a targeted area. It is NOT a nuclear blast, as the force of the explosion and radioactive contamination will be more localized. The blast will be immediately obvious, but the radioactive element may not be clearly defined until trained personnel with specialized equipment are on the scene. As with a nuclear blast, think about shielding, distance, and time.
PERSONAL WORKPLACE DISASTER SUPPLIES KIT
For the workplace, where you might be confined for several hours, or perhaps overnight, the following supplies are recommended by the American Red Cross.
Flashlight with extra batteries
Use the flashlight to find your way if the power is out. Do not use candles or any other open flame for emergency lighting.
Battery-powered radio
News about the emergency may change rapidly as events unfold. You also will be concerned about family and friends in the area. Radio reports will give information about the areas most affected.
Food
Enough non-perishable food to sustain you for at least one day (three meals), is suggested. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water. The following items are suggested:
Ready-to-eat canned meals, meats, fruits, and vegetables
Canned juices
High-energy foods (granola bars, energy bars, etc.)
Water
Keep at least one gallon of water available, or more if you are on medications that require water or that increase thirst. Store water in plastic containers such as soft drink bottles. Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as milk cartons or glass bottles.
33
34 Disaster Preparation Guide
Medications
Include usual non-prescription medications that you take, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, etc. If you use prescription medications, keep at least three-day’s supply of these medications at your workplace. Consult with your physician or pharmacist how these medications should be stored, and your employer about storage concerns.
First Aid Supplies
If your employer does not provide first aid supplies, have the following essentials:
(20) adhesive bandages, various sizes
5” x 9” sterile dressing
conforming roller gauze bandage
(2) triangular bandages
(2) 3 x 3 sterile gauze pads
(2) 4 x 4 sterile gauze pads
roll 3” cohesive bandage
(2) germicidal hand wipes or waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizer
(6) antiseptic wipes
(2) pair large medical grade non-latex gloves
Adhesive tape, 2” width
Anti-bacterial ointment
Cold pack
Scissors (small, personal)
Personal Workplace Disaster Supplies Kit 35
Tweezers
CPR breathing barrier, such as a face shield
Tools and Supplies
Emergency “space” blanket (mylar)
Paper plates and cups, plastic utensils
Non-electric can opener
Personal hygiene items, including a toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, brush, soap, contact lens supplies, and feminine supplies
Plastic garbage bags, ties (for personal sanitation uses)
Include at least one complete change of clothing and footwear, including a long sleeved shirt and long pants, as well as closed-toed shoes or boots
If you wear glasses, keep an extra pair with your workplace disaster supplies
Your kit should be adjusted based on your own personal needs
Do not include candles, weapons, toxic chemicals, or controlled drugs unless prescribed by a physician
Quick Link
