Document zz2Oaag4q4yrY1waVwg4y5Zgz

18--Planning for Emergencies a safeguard fails? What if the container cracks and substances leak out? In addition to normal hazards, are there potential chemical reactions with other sub stances that cause still further dangers to peo ple and property? Chemical hazards are discussed in Chap ters, 37, 38, and 39 Weather extremes Throughout a year there may be some un usually severe and unexpected weather events that may require some changes in normal operations Some examples follow In North Dakota, the temperature mav occasionaDy drop to 35 degrees below zero, yet most activities and travel are not normally affected But, if the wind increases in strength or the temperature drops suddenly, there may be a need to assist people m travel or other outside activity A special alert might be made to employees prior to leaving from work And often when or how they are to be notified about the company opening in the morning On the other hand, in the event of extremely heavy snowfall, what changes might be made in operations? What should employees be told prior to leaving for home? Or suppose an unusually heavy ram strands hundreds of customers in a store just a few minutes before closing Are supervisors and clerks prepared to handle the situation? May they allow telephone calls in and out? How do they control the crowd? Had or wind may start breaking glass win dows while customers are shopping What is the immediate action? Suppose that adverse weather caused a power failure or someone suddenly shut off all power and lights while crowds were shop ping? The emergency lighting system may operate as intended but employees, particu larly key supervisors, must understand emer gency plans and be prepared to act respon sibly Plan-of-Action Considerations Following the assessment of potential emer gencies, the next step is to translate these needs mto a plan of acbon. Management should be in charge of drafting a policy and 448 getting the plan underway It will usually be necessary that the union leaders (if any) be involved m the planning process Generally, someone should be appointed emergency plan ning director or coordinator, perhaps with help from an advisory committee Usually be cause of their experience and training, the safety, medical, fire, and security departments will be involved Of course, because produc tion and maintenance will be affected, they must be consulted Also, the legal staff needs to be aware of the plan And finally, contacts with local law-enforce ment agencies, fire, and civil defense are neces sary Program considerations The cost and effort involved m giving im mediate attention to emergency planning can be justified by weighing the cost of prepared ness against the possibility of contributing to the yearly losses from accidents, fires, floods and other catastrophes The preliminary aspects of emergency plan ning have now been discussed--the need for advance planning and an evaluation of the type of emergencies and their potential harm to people and property The next step, then, is to translate this need mto a working plan within the organizational structure In some cases, this requires working with other local agencies to most fully protect your operations. Advance planning is the key It is neces sary to develop a written set of plans for ac bon The plans should be developed locally withm the company (and corporate structure) and be in cooperabon with other neighboring or similar organizations and with governmental agencies It may not always be possible for them to fully cooperate or participate, but through planned action each organizabon should be aware of certain available assist ances And as a result, the company may need to plan to be largely dependent upon its own resources to provide the internal safety Often an emergency manual or handbook will be developed for the plant or organiza tion The following outline covers many of the items that might be included, but other items may be needed as dictated by the ex pected emergencies and the available re sources 1 Company policy, purposes, authority, pnn-