By Sherry L. Payne

Is your workplace prepared for an emergency? The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) defines a workplace emergency as "an unforeseen situation that threatens your employees, customers or the public; disrupts or shuts down your operations; or causes physical or environmental damage."

A workplace emergency can be man-made, such as a fire or accidental injury, or caused by natural phenomena, such as a flood or tornado. An emergency can involve one individual or threaten the safety and well-being of everyone in the workplace. It can also cause damage to property and equipment.

No one ever feels quite prepared to deal with an emergency situation. By putting just a few key components in place, however, you can mount an effective response to an emergency. Here are five simple steps to promote workplace safety.

Have a Written Safety Plan
Create an emergency action plan that makes sense for emergencies that are likely to happen in your workplace. This plan should include who to report an emergency to, what paperwork or reports should be filled out, if any, who should make the 911 call, etc.

Information Dissemination
Have a systematic plan for sharing that plan with your employees. This includes having a venue for reinforcing the plan through periodic review. A plan that sits on a shelf and that employees aren't aware of isn't much better than no plan at all.

First Aid Kit
Get (or create) a good first aid kit and keep it well stocked. Make sure everyone knows where it is kept and assign someone to restock it.

Training
Have either all employees or designated employees trained in first aid. A good first aid course covers what you should do for injury emergencies and medical emergencies. Also train for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), the Heimlich maneuver and the proper use of any emergency equipment that your company has, such as a defibrillator (a machine used to shock the heart) or fire extinguisher. Make sure every shift and every physical location is covered with someone who knows how to respond to emergencies.

Practice, Practice
Make sure employees know where the exits are. Practice evacuating the premises--yes, just as you did in elementary school. Practice periodic surprise timed evacuations. Have a place where everyone will meet so you can get a head count and make sure that everyone is out of the building.

With so much to think about in running a small business, it's easy to overlook emergency planning and preparation. However, the best time to think about an emergency is before one occurs. A good safety plan is also good business.

Employees and clients expect that a business has taken reasonable steps to ensure the safety of anyone on the premises and will respond with appropriate action during an emergency.

Check with your legal counsel. Having a plan (and the ability to carry it out) can save you from legal trouble and save you money.

A Good Investment
Investing in safety can pay off in preventing employee injury. On-the-job injuries mean higher medical costs and lost work time.

A basic first-aid course can train employees to recognize a medical or injury emergency when one occurs and know how to stabilize it until help arrives. For instance, knowing how to recognize the signs of a heart attack can result in faster access to medical care, which can limit damage, shorten recovery and save a life. Knowing how to use a fire extinguisher and using it quickly and effectively can limit the damage and destruction done by a fire.

In an emergency, time is of the essence. If someone needs CPR or the Heimlich maneuver, quick action is needed. Yes, you can call 911, but what you do before help arrives can mean the difference between life and death, between quick recovery and long term disability and between a small amount of damage or irreparable destruction.

Do you need more help? Contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association to find out more about setting up a workplace emergency plan. You won't get a second chance to respond quickly and effectively to an emergency situation.

Sherry L. Payne, BSN RN owns and operates The CPR Lady, a safety training company located in downtown Overland Park. The CPR Lady provides CPR, first aid and defibrillator training for the workplace. For more information call (913) 341-4CPR or visit www.thecprlady.com.

Workplace First Aid Kit Basics

A good workplace first-aid kit should be contained in a portable, organized and easily carried container, such as a tackle box. Remember, if you have to evacuate, grab your first-aid kit and take it with you. Someone may be injured during the evacuation.

Components of a first-aid kit might include:

• A first-aid instruction booklet
• Disposable gloves
• Assorted adhesive bandages
• Gauze pads
• Gauze rolls
• First-aid tape
• First-aid scissors
• Tweezers
• Elastic bandage
• Triangle bandage
• Chemical cold packs
• Thermometer
• First-aid blanket
• Alcohol wipes
• Antibiotic ointment
• Antibiotic hand gel
• Eye wash
• CPR mask
• Flashlight