Emergency Preparedness: Key to Effective Response in Emergencies - Research Paper

Introduction

Emergency response protocols are critical in any organization; the first activities taken to control emergency or preventing further risks are more essential and beneficial to a company (Alexander,2015). In any case of emergency, safety has to be a top priority. Different workplaces have different potential risks of crisis, therefore educating employees and be aware of critical risk factors is one of the essential factors to consider to control any emerging issue effectively. The emergency response plan should, therefore, be developed by an organization based on the risk factors to avoid life-endangering scenarios and loss of property. As a private sale at Eads distribution in the Freeport, Tx, I consider the education of employees, especially those at a warehouse on emergency response procedures and risk management activities, to reduce chances of risks create awareness on emergency control capacity. It is normal not to expect an emergency, but it is real that a crisis can strike at any time, anywhere, and anyone. Some of the emergency may call for an evacuation action, which is a critical issue if there is no plan or the employees are not aware of the exits or any emergency strategies or materials used to facilitate the process (Alexander,2015). The best way to protect the employees, the management, and the property are to expect emergency and develop emergency response procedures to help in guiding the participants when there is a necessity of immediate action. Workplace emergencies, in some cases, may lead to adverse health effects, loss of property, and environmental issues. This article, therefore, describes safety- emergency response procedure by Eads distribution in the Freeport, Tx.

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Background

Eads distribution company is one of the leading distributors in Texas; there are many activities taking place in the company that involving employees, large premises and consignments, and facilities. It, therefore, implies that safety and emergency issues must be put in place to sustain normal operations and prepare the company and the employees to be able to respond to any emergency that may occur. In the sales department, I have identified several factors that may lead to emergency issues. Workers operate on machines and the distribution of various products from place to place. From previous experiences of emergency issues, it is possible to experience any emergency issue at any time, which makes it necessary to have an emergency response procedure. Some of the emergencies that have been identified include illness accidents, oil spill, fire, or infectious disease emergencies. There have been instances of employee accidental injuries in the workplace. Secondly, and most adverse is a fire emergency. Since the company is dealing with the large-scale distribution of commodities and a large number of employees, safety must be at stake. Effective protection and emergency response procedure do not begin when an emergency has occurred; instead, it is from the initial establishment of the facility and preparedness for an emergency (World Health Organization, 2017).

Workers are essential because they are the critical components in the company. It is vital to provide information to employees through newsletters, email notice board, or bulletin boards. This document, therefore, provides the required data to handle emergencies at Eads workplace. The primary objective is to ensure that all the employees and the emergency response team are aware of the possible emergencies and procedures to follow to diminish or avoid disastrous consequences (World Health Organization, 2017). Also, proper emergency response procedure will help in:

• Preventing fatality or injury or further infections
• Preventing or reducing adversative damage of Eads systems, equipment's and consignments
• Eliminating or minimizing harm to customers, employees, or emergency response team
• Ensure ring that Eads personnel are well-coordinated and trained to respond to emergencies
• Ensuring effective control of crisis to embark on regular business as soon as possible.
• Preventing further infections in case of infectious disease
• Providing medical attention or first aid to the injured
• Besides, it is important to consider essential elements to effective emergency response; these are:
• An excellent chain of command
• Proper communication
• Confident and strong leadership
• Clear roles and responsibilities
• The trained emergency response team
• Consistent and clear procedures

Primary Concepts That One Should Consider in All Emergencies

Since individual move can influence the overall process of emergency response, each individual needs to consider the following concepts to ensure an effective response to an emergency. All emergencies require individuals to remember the following ideas which should be posted in all communication platforms of the company to reach all employees; these are:

• Do not put yourself at the individual risk
• Be calm and don't panic
• Evaluate the situation
• Contact police or emergency response agency
• The steps to ensuring effective emergency response include:

Preparing the Facilities

The facility paly an important role in responding to an emergency; despite having well-educated employees on contingency, the condition of the facilities matters as employees and response teams must have access to excellent communication and materials to control emergencies (World Health Organization, 2017). here are some of the things that the company must do to ensure that the facility is prepared

a) Install Alarm and Alert Systems in All the Departments

The building must be equipped with alarms and other emergency alert equipment such as audio conveyance devices. Many companies operating on commercial businesses have developed all-in-one emergency solution programs, including fire alarms, carbon (I) oxide detectors, and security alarms (Chen, Chen & Chase, 2015). Eads, therefore, must ensure that such systems must be available for emergency response.

On the other hand, the facility must establish systems to link with a national weather station to alert the company or the employees on weather conditions that may lead to emergency issues. Some of the equipment includes smoke detectors that can be automated sound an alarm in case of an emergency in the area.

b) Acquire and Maintain Emergency Materials

The company must provide the required safety equipment for various departments to ensure effective emergency response actions. The necessary equipment includes the protective gear for the workers operating in the warehouse, load and offloading sections, and other departments to address various risks. It is important to consider that the distribution of commodities involves the use of machines, which may pose an accident risk such as injuries. Therefore, the company must provide basic emergency equipment such as first aid kits, fire extinguishers, and defibrillators (Chen, Chen & Chase, 2015). The company must also maintain this equipment to ensure that they are of condition to use at any time of need. Emergencies have no time schedules; therefore, it must maintain safety equipment to provide an effective response.

c) Label Assembly Areas

Designating emergency assembly points is one of the essential steps to consider. Emergencies such as fire and industrial accidents situation, the company may require to evacuate people from business premises (Said et al. 2016). It is essential to label assembly points where all the people involved can assemble for further instructions or a headcount. The assembly point must be labeled clearly, easily accessible to all employees and visitors, and more importantly, it should be safe.

Preparedness

a) Emergency Response Team

The company needs to prepare an emergency response team to handle unexpected events such as illness accidents or fire accidents. It can be achieved by explaining and accident protocols in the Eads workplace. It is not easy to determine how an individual will behave in case of an emergency; however, through education and preparation, it helps to ensure that the employees would be able to respond effectively to an emergency. the following procedures could be considered:

b) Develop A Clear Chain of Command

It is essential to ensure that all departmental leaders aware of safety protocols (Said et al. 2016). In case of an emergency, leaders play an important role; it therefore important to ensure that the chain of command in the workplace takes into consideration the kind of the bush's operations taking place through all the distribution processes. Also, the size of the business premises and the facilities should be considered because these will influence the flow of the information from the seniors to the junior employees.

Chain of command will be created based on office hierarchy; for instance, managers and supervisors should first make initial calls to immediate emergency responders to ensure that all the departments are informed about an emergency. Also, identify if there is a need to evacuate or make conduct, headcount is carried out effectively.

The company should appoint and organize for training some employees, especially those who are work in the office at standard occupational hours, to be in charge of fire emergencies. Their primary responsibility is to ensure effective compliance with fire brigades and assist in the evacuation process.

c) Develop Process

Establishing a proper procedure to follow in case of an emergency is essential; some people may panic as a result of an emergency because they are simply aware of what to do. A good process ensures that all the employees understand the situation and protect them for the unthinkable crisis (Xiong et al. 2015). The best way to establish a successful operation is to start engaging the management and the first response team in the nearby area to engage fire drills, shelter-in-place, evacuation plans, or helping the injured to get immediate fists aid or medication.

d) Educate Employees

Information concerning emergency is one of the critical components to consider; this should considerably take part in the onboarding process. Regular update is necessary because as the business continues, there might be changes such as extension, increase in several employees, change I machinery operation or infrastructure, or the emergence of new infectious diseases. All these changes may influence the emergency response process (Xiong et al. 2015); therefore, it essential to keep updating the emergency response process by introducing further instructions and strategies. Education must include the first emergency responders and other employees.

As an employee here are the collective actions one should take facilitate effective emergency response process:

• Identify possible emergencies
• Respond immediately if you encounter emergency using the right protocol and communication medium
• Respond and inform the rest when an emergency alarm has been activated

Type of Training That Employees Need

First is essential to educate employees about the possible emergencies that are most likely to occur; the training should, therefore, be appropriately conducted. It may be in the form of a department or selection of specific people to serve distinct roles in case of an emergency. The size of the workforce, workplace materials, and the process used to determine the training programs and requirements (Marciano, Musolino & Vitetta, 2015). All the employees should be made aware of the equipment and train on how to use them in a particular emergency. training should include; potential emergencies, evacuation plan, shutdown process, alarm systems and reporting procedures

Learning Materials Developed to Reduce Impact of An Em...