Emergency Evacuation Procedures  – Preparing your organisation for an emergency

An emergency is a serious, unexpected, often dangerous situation that requires immediate action. An emergency evacuation procedure is a plan of actions to be conducted in a certain order or manner, in response to an emergency situation.  A prepared and educated workforce, who know how to evacuate a building quickly and safely, in the case of a fire or on hearing an emergency alarm, could mean the difference between life and death.

Data submitted by the Home Office reveals that the Fire Rescue Services (FRSs) attended 288,000 fire-related incidents between April – September 2016.  During this period, there were 88 fire related fatalities and 1,570 non-fatal casualties reported.

Employers, owners and landlords of business buildings or other non-domestic premises are responsible for emergency evacuation procedures and general fire safety. These responsibilities include regular risk assessments, implementation and maintenance of fire safety measures, the creation and communication of an emergency evacuation plan and the provision of staff training.

An evacuation plan should:

1. Identify clearly marked, short, direct and well lit escape routes,
2. Ensure all emergency doors can be opened easily by all employees
3. Include special arrangements should be made for individuals with mobility issues.  
4. Additionally, a safe meeting point should be clearly marked.

Communication is crucial and regular drills should be performed alongside safety awareness training.

Are you as employers, aware of your responsibilities and do your staff know what to do in an emergency situation?

VinciWorks Evacuation Procedures eLearning course outlines the key steps your employees need to take should an emergency strike. The course explains the importance of being aware of evacuation plans, the location of maps on doors and stairwells and which staff hold roles of safety responsibility.  

The online course explains what to do if a fire is discovered, how to raise the alarm and who to contact.  It also provides clear instructions on evacuating the building by the quickest and safest route and proceeding directly to the assembly point.  Additionally, information is given on what to do if you are unable to leave the building, how to help others and what to do if you are trapped in a smoked filled room.

VinciWorks Evacuation Procedures eLearning course emphasises that all emergency evacuation alarms should be treated seriously and acted upon even if it is thought to be a false alarm. After evacuation, employees are told not to return to the building unless instructed to do so by an authorised person.  

Like all VinciWorks courses, this Emergency Evacuation Procedures eLearning course is SCORM compliant and can be customised to meet your needs, enabling your workforce to understand the specific policies and procedures you have developed for your organisation and any particular types of emergency your organisation might face. A designated course administrator can use our integrated authoring tool to edit the text and images within the course, and link to organisation-specific documentation, all at no extra cost.