The Emergency Action Plan

Does your company have an Emergency Action Plan? An Emergency Action Plan is a written document that describes in detail the plans your company has in place for certain types of emergencies such as medical emergencies, natural disasters, biohazard, radiation, and chemical spills, releases, and exposures.

An Emergency Action Plan (EAP) can be written to meet the requirements set forth in OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38 and 157. The EAP may also be written to satisfy EPA requirements or the requirements of your local Fire Department, Local Emergency Planning Commission (LEPC), and the Department of Environmental Services. Some LEPCs may require you to submit a copy of your EAP to those that will assist in an emergency, such as the local emergency room.

The EAP is tailored to address the type of emergencies specific to your facility; additional sections should be added for industry-specific hazards. For many life science companies, the topics covered in an EAP can include:

• A list of responsible employees and their roles in emergency response
• Emergency evacuation procedures
• Medical emergency response procedures
• Spill and release response procedures for each type of biological, radioactive, and chemical emergency
• Exposure response procedures for biological, radioactive, and chemical emergencies
• Floor plans annotated with emergency exits and evacuation routes, and emergency equipment inventory
• Procedures for how to handle power failures, natural disasters, and violent threats

When applicable a section of the EAP should be drafted by your human resource department to address the needs of people with disabilities during an evacuation or emergency.

Safety Partners, Inc. has drafted and implemented Emergency Action Plans at several companies in the area.

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Safety Partners efficiently and cost-effectively implements hands-on environmental, health, and safety (EHS) programs at emerging life sciences companies. Safety Partners tailors its programs to each client's unique science, processes, procedures, and facilities, while reducing program implementation burdens. Its expertise is unmatched, clocking over 85,000 hours at over 120 New England life sciences firms.