Occupational Safety & Health Act
Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)
29 CFR § 1910.38

Emergency Action Plan - Description

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires all employers to have a written Emergency Action Plan if they have 10 or more employees. A successfully developed and properly implemented plan will reflect general safety concerns and emergency procedures as well as any special onsite consideration. These plans should be reviewed with employees initially and whenever the plan itself, or employees responsibilities under it, change.

OSHA requirements are designed to work in conjunction with EPA standards requiring businesses to notify their community of the emergency plan under the requirements of the Emergency & Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). The primary function of the emergency action plan is to protect the employees while the EPCRA statutes are designed to protect the community from life-threatening emergencies. A thoroughly prepared emergency action plan not only ensures that the workplace is as safe as possible but reduces the danger for the surrounding community.

Although the Emergency Action Plan will include detailed procedures for all types of significant emergencies including, but not limited to:

  • Fires & Explosions
  • Earthquakes
  • Chemical Spills & Releases
  • Civil Disorder & Violence in Workplace
  • Bomb Threats
  • Heavy Weather (e.g., tornadoes, hurricanes, floods)
Emergency Action Plan – Applicability, Frequency, & Maintenance
 Applicability

Any business with more than 10 employees is required to have a written Emergency Action Plan.

Those businesses with 10 or fewer employees are not required to have a written emergency action plan but they must communicate their plan to all of their employees orally.

Frequency

OSHA requires that the emergency action plan be reviewed annually to ensure maximum workplace safety. Drills should be held at random intervals, at least annually, and include, if possible, outside police and fire authorities.

Maintenance

Following the annual test, the plan must be reviewed and updated to reflect any changes at the facility (e.g., facility additions, new equipment, or employee relocation). The employee must be notified of any changed responsibilities or actions under any new plan.

Every employee needs to know details of the emergency action plan, including evacuation plans, alarm systems, reporting procedures for personnel, shutdown procedures, and types of potential emergencies.

Emergency Action Plan – Required Elements

 An emergency action plan must include the following information:

  • Purpose
  • Location of the Plan
  • Emergency Procedures
  • Alarms Systems & Emergency Notifications
  • Escape Procedures & Exit Routes
  • Reporting Emergencies
  • Accounting for Employees
  • Rescue & Medical Duties
  • Critical Operations
  • Additional Information

Any emergency action plan must also meet the following requirements:

  • This plan must be reviewed with each employee to protect the employee in the event of an emergency.
  • The written plan shall be kept at the workplace and made available for employee review.
  • An alternate area for a communications center, other than management offices, should be established in the plans and the emergency response coordinator should operate from this center.
  • Management should provide emergency alarms and ensure that employees know how to report emergencies.
  • An updated list of key personnel and off-duty telephone numbers should be maintained. A system should be established for accounting for personnel once workers have been evacuated with a person in the control center responsible fro notifying police or emergency response team members of persons believed missing.
  • Effective security procedures, such as cordoned off areas, to prevent unauthorized access and protect vital records and equipment.