Emcare Health and Safety Training: What to Do in a Workplace Emergency

Workplace emergencies come in a variety of forms and can quickly put your employees and company at risk. Adequate understanding of the possible workplace emergencies you face alongside an effective emergency plan is critical for your business. Emcare health and safety training provides you and your employees with the knowledge and skills to be able to handle any emergency safely and effectively.

Emcare:

Emcare specialises in health and safety training. We are situated in these major South African cities, Johannesburg, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Hoedspruit, and Cape Town. Our far-reaching availability is to ensure that individuals and companies have access to our health and safety training on a national level.

 

The high-quality health and safety courses at Emcare are provided to you by professional teachers. All courses are offered in group settings where you and your employees will receive interactive training by teachers who are highly experienced in your course material. Emcare is the best training provider in South Africa and will provide you and your company with excellent health and safety training.

Health and Safety Training:

Emcare has been offering health and safety training since 1997. Our extensive experience enables us to offer you and your company the best training. You will walk away from our courses with health and safety knowledge and skills relevant to your workplace.

We offer a variety of health and safety courses that will be applicable in any workplace. The affordability of these courses ensures that every company can enrol their employees in health and safety courses. Companies that put health and safety training first are companies that make the safety of their business and employees of top importance.

Workplace Emergencies:

Workplace emergencies are events that occur on your business property that can endanger your employees, clients, or the public, or cause damage to your property. These all will ultimately affect your workplace operations which can have dire effects on the future of your business.

Workplace emergencies vary according to the different industries. Your workplace may be a bustling corporate office on the top floor of a high-rise building or a few employees working from your home office. No matter the location or scale of your business, in every workplace there is a risk of an emergency.

Accidents occur in any situation. Emergencies should be expected and planned for appropriately to avoid risking being caught unawares in a workplace emergency. Having a great understanding of the possible risks your workplace may face will allow you to plan correctly.

Types of Workplace Emergencies:

Every business and its employees should be fully aware of the risks they face in the workplace. We have created a general overview of the workplace emergencies which can affect most workplaces.

 

1) Work-related Emergencies:

Each industry will have its specific workplace threats. Companies that work with combustible dust, work in exceptionally hot environments or deal with flammable liquids and gasses face explosions in the workplace. Major chemical spills will have devastating effects on companies and employees who work with toxic or corrosive chemicals. Other dire work-related emergencies can be a result of machinery malfunctions or dangerous gas releases.

Other work-related emergencies pertaining to employees are situations where their health and safety are put at risk. Employees who work with heavy machinery, work from great heights, or work in hot conditions face various types of medical emergencies.

 

2) Civil Emergencies:

Many countries, like South Africa, face the threat of civil emergencies. These types of emergencies relate to protests or strikes which can halt business operations, put your employees in danger, or cause damage to your business property. Protests and strikes which occur within your business are often a result of poor working conditions, insufficient pay, or excessive working hours.

Civil emergencies can also occur in-house. Workplace violence or harassment can occur in your workspace between your employees or between your employees and your customers. This can become an emergency especially if the situation is not dealt with quickly and is allowed to escalate.

 

 

3) Natural Emergencies:

While South Africa is not typically affected by hurricanes or tsunamis, flooding and forest fires can be a concern. These two types of natural emergencies can cause damage to your business property and put your employee’s lives at risk.

These types of emergencies are the most unpredictable and can be difficult to plan for. An important thing to remember when devising an emergency plan for a natural event is that your business alone will not be the only place affected. Surrounding areas will also likely be facing these natural emergencies. The best way to handle this emergency is to get to a safe location as quickly as possible.

Emcare Health and Safety Training for Workplace Emergencies:

Health and safety training is a great way to provide your business and employees with the skills and knowledge to handle a workplace emergency. Even for the calmest and most calculated individual, making rational decisions in a stressful situation is difficult. Adequate training will ensure that your company is fully prepared for workplace emergencies.

Emcare offers a wide variety of workplace-related health and safety training courses, but these are our top three for adequate training for a workplace emergency.

 

1. Emcare Accident Incident Investigation Course: This one-day course is designed to provide your employees with the knowledge and skills to implement control measures in the workplace to avoid emergencies. The course will also provide your employees with the relevant skills to implement an emergency response after investigating an accident or incident.
2. Emcare Risk Assessment Course: This one-day course will allow your employees to be able to assess the risk of your workplace and therefore implement all control and safety measures. This course is important in the prevention of workplace employees. It also provides your employees with knowledge of the risks they face and skills with how to handle these risks.
3. Emcare Emergency Evacuation Training Course: Being able to evacuate your employees and entire building quickly and efficiently in an emergency is important. All employees should have a great understanding of the planned evacuation procedure. This one-day course will provide your company with a detailed evacuation plan specific to your workplace.

 

Equip Your Workplace for an Emergency:

Alongside health and safety training for your employees, there are additional steps you can take in your workplace which will make an emergency easier to handle.

1. Signs: Visual signs help immensely in workplace emergencies. Signs which direct employees to exits, demonstrate which areas to avoid, and are a quick visual explanation of the evacuation procedure are important to have in the workplace. These should also be able to stay lit in the event of a power cut in your workplace during an emergency.
2. Alarms: Installing alarms in your workplace is a great way to inform your employees quickly and efficiently of an emergency. Have different alarms to dictate different emergency types. Teach your employees the expected actions associated with each alarm, such as evacuate at a fire alarm.
3. First-Aid Kit: Every workplace needs a basic first-aid kit that is fully stocked and easily accessed. These should be accessible at most workplace exits so that they can be easily grabbed whilst evacuating the space. It is also suggested to have more than one first-aid kit available depending on the number of employees in your workplace.
4. Emergency Equipment: All workplaces should include easily accessible fire extinguishers and your employees should know the location of the water mains access point. Other emergency equipment you need for your company will be specific to your industry. This includes your employees knowing machinery controls and chemical containment equipment. All emergency equipment needs to be easily accessed and functional.
5. Safe Location: Getting everyone safely out of the workplace emergency is one thing, but you need an assembly point for everyone to move towards and congregate. This assembly point should be in a nearby location that is easy to get to and safe from most workplace emergencies. Having a safe assembly point keeps the evacuation calm and orderly as your employees know where to go.

 

Equip Your Employees for an Emergency:

As an employer, it is your responsibility to ensure that the workplace is fully equipped for an emergency and that your employees have the knowledge and skills to handle an emergency. These are a few of the ways you can help your employees be prepared for an emergency.

1. Health and Safety Training: Enrol your employees into any of the health and safety courses available at Emcare which are relevant to handling emergencies in your specific workplace. On top of the emergency-related courses, there are many other relevant courses for helping your company deal with the aftermath of an emergency.
2. First-Aid Training: It is important to have at least one employee have a basic first-aid understanding. This can help get any injured employees’ immediate attention whilst you wait for first aid responders. Emcare offers multiple first-aid training courses which range from the Basic First Aid / First Aid Refresher Course to the CPR and AED Course.
3. Emergency Action Plan: Your workplace needs an all-encompassing emergency action plan which covers every possible emergency which can affect your workplace. Your employees need to be regularly informed on this emergency action plan to ensure that everyone knows exactly how to act in an emergency. Emcare courses will help your business and employees devise an efficient and successful emergency action plan.
4. Practice Procedures: Emcare advises that at least two times a year your workplace evacuation plan should be practiced by your employees. Understanding the evacuation plan is one thing but knowing how to implement the evacuation plan in a real-life setting comes from practice.

Workplace Emergency Tips:

In an emergency, it is important to keep these three emergency tips in mind.

1. Remain Calm: Remaining calm is often easier said than done but it is critical in an emergency. Staying calm will allow you to think more clearly and take educated actions rather than reacting to the situation in an aggravated way. Remaining calm can also allow you to follow instructions better and help those around you who are struggling.
2. Communicate: Emergencies often come with panic and confusion. The best way to effectively handle an emergency is to communicate the situation clearly and concisely. Ensure that all employees can understand the situation by using a language that is widely understood by everyone. It is also important to communicate the emergency to relevant authorities immediately so that adequate responses to the emergency can occur.
3. Control: Amongst your employees, there should be at least one employee who is adequately trained to handle an emergency. This person should be placed in control of the situation and all instructions adhered to. Emergencies do not need heroes, they need clear information, calculated actions, and one or a few people in control to ensure the safety of the employees and business property.

Be well-prepared for any workplace emergency with Emcare health and safety training.