An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is designed to organize workplace responses during emergencies, enhancing safety and reducing risks. OSHA mandates the development of EAPs for various emergency scenarios, detailing procedures for reporting, evacuations, and employee accountability. The document emphasizes the need for site-specific plans, regular training, and reviews to ensure compliance and effectiveness.

1. Emergency
Response
Planning

2. What is an Emergency Action Plan?
▪ An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) is intended to facilitate and
organize employer and employee action during a workplace
emergency
▪ Well developed plans and training help workers and emergency
responders understand their roles and responsibilities during a
workplace emergency event reducing the severity and frequency of
injuries and property damage.
▪ OSHA standards 29 CFR 1910.38(a) for General Industry and 29
CFR 1926.35 for Construction require written EAPs

3. Emergencies
▪ Fire
▪ Medical
▪ Natural Disaster
▪ Earthquake
▪ Flood
▪ Inclement Weather
▪ Tornado
▪ Snow/ Ice
▪ Chemical Spills
▪ Active Threat

4. OSHA Minimum Plan Requirements
▪ Procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency
▪ Procedures for emergency evacuation/ shelter in place
▪ Procedures for employees who remain to operate critical systems
before they evacuate
▪ Procedure to account for all employees after evacuation
▪ Emergency contacts
▪ Employee alert system
▪ Training
▪ Plan review

5. Additional Requirements
▪ Additional EAP procedures may need to be included when required
by specific OSHA regulations such as:
▪ Confined Space
▪ Diving Operations
▪ Bloodborne Pathogens
▪ Open Excavations
▪ Underground Construction
▪ RCRA
▪ HAZWOPER
▪ Respiratory Protection
▪ Process Safety Management for Highly Hazardous Substances (PSM)

6. Additional Considerations for an EAP
▪ Neighboring facilities
▪ Railways
▪ Landing strips
▪ Sensitive Environmental Areas
▪ ALICE/ Run, Hide, Fight
▪ Storage of records and documents essential for business
continuity
▪ Company Disaster Recovery Plan
▪ Media Coordinator

7. Developing an EAP
▪ Plans may range significantly in complexity. Simple plans will
suffice in offices, retail stores, and small manufacturing settings
with few or no hazardous materials or processes.
▪ An EAP should be site specific to effectively address potential
hazards.
▪ Approach development from a worst case scenario.
▪ Assess potential hazards in the workplace
▪ Roles and responsibilities clearly defined
▪ Coordinate with outside shareholders; neighboring businesses,
local police and fire, HAZMAT teams, etc.

8. Reporting
▪ Who to notify
▪ Emergency Coordinator
▪ Supervisor
▪ Public Emergency Services
▪ Employees
▪ How to notify
▪ Alarm systems
▪ Calling trees
▪ Paging systems
▪ Alert systems

9. Evacuation Plans
▪ When is evacuation required?
▪ Who is authorized to order evacuations/ shutdowns
▪ Specific instructions; egress routes, exits, assisting persons with
disabilities, rally points
▪ Designation of persons required to shutdown critical systems/
operations.
▪ How to account for evacuees.
▪ Rescue operations
▪ Is special PPE required?

10. Accounting for Employees
▪ Designated rally points
▪ Who performs headcounts
▪ Procedure for unaccounted employees
▪ Communication to emergency services

11. Emergency Contacts
▪ Emergency Coordinator
▪ Fire, EMS, Police
▪ Spill Responders
▪ First Responders
▪ Site Nurse
▪ Ensure emergency contacts are
conspicuously posted throughout facility

12. Training
▪ Roles and Responsibilities
▪ Notification, warning and communications procedures/systems
▪ Hazards, threats, proactive actions
▪ Emergency shutdown
▪ Emergency contacts
▪ Emergency shelter and rally points
▪ Accountability procedures

13. Training
▪ Training should be done:
▪ Plan is newly developed
▪ New hires
▪ Facility, process, or equipment changes that affect evacuation routes
or hazards
▪ When the plan is revised
▪ Annually

14. Plan Review
▪ Plans should be reviewed at least annually to ensure compliance
with all applicable standards.
▪ Plans should be reviewed anytime:
▪ There is an emergency response
▪ Operational changes
▪ Facility changes
▪ Use of drills, incident reporting and actual events should be used
to gauge effectiveness of plan and identify weaknesses.

15. Tools for Developing Plans
▪ OSHA Emergency Action Plan eTool
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/evacuation/eap.html
▪ U.S. Dept. of Labor- How to Plan for Workplace Emergencies and
Evacuations https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3088.html
▪ Wayne County Ohio Alerts http://www.911alert.me/
▪ Wayne County Emergency Management Agency
https://www.wcemaoh.org/
▪ Training on assisting persons with disabilities- Ohio Dept. of Health
https://www.train.org/odh/course/1072437/compilation

16. Bring Emergency Preparedness Home
▪ Encourage employees to create emergency action plans for home.
▪ Learn First Aid/ CPR
▪ Vehicle/Home emergency kits
▪ Red Cross- http://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-
emergencies/make-a-plan
▪ Ready.gov- https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan
▪ NSC Emergency Medical Response app

17. Questions?