EAP: What Is It?
You never know when a disaster might strike at your business. Whether it is 2:00 AM or 8:00 PM, Guarantee Restoration Services certainly understand that most often, emergency damage does not occur within an eight-hour, weekday window. That is why it is extremely important to implement an emergency action plan (EAP). These discuss determined actions employers and employees must take to ensure employee safety from fire, water and other property emergencies. An EAP is an excellent way to protect yourself, your employees, and your business if an emergency occurs.
Fortunately, formulating a complete emergency action plan that deals with issues specific to your worksite is not difficult. In fact, there are many templates available out there that you can customize to fit your industry or needs. You just need to do a little bit of research! Here are some ideas to get you started.
Also, you may find it helpful to include your management team and other employees in the creation process. First, you should explain your goal of protecting lives and property in the event of an emergency. Their participation and input will help you understand what they deem important. They could also make suggestions that you had not previously considered. All these things are crucial to the plan’s success.
As you are developing your EAP, it is a great idea to look at a wide variety of potential emergencies that could happen in your workplace. It should be customized to your worksite and include information about all possible emergency sources.
When creating your businesses’ emergency action plan, you should also complete a hazard assessment. This test determines what, if any, physical or chemical hazards in your workplaces could cause an emergency. If you have more than one worksite, each site should have an emergency action plan specific to its location. For instance, each of Guarantee Restoration’s four branches would have its own EAP.
At the very least, your emergency action plan should include the following items:
- A chosen method for reporting fire, water damage or other emergencies.
- A standardized evacuation policy and procedure.
- Emergency escape procedures and route assignments (for departments or office areas), such as floor plans, workplace maps, and clearly identified safe areas.
- Names, titles, departments and telephone numbers of individuals both within and outside your company to contact for additional information or explanation of duties and responsibilities under the emergency plan. These may include insurance representatives or first responder personnel.
- Procedures for employees who must remain present to perform or shut down critical plant operations, operate fire extinguishers, or perform other essential services that cannot be shut down for every emergency alarm prior to evacuating.
- Rescue and medical duties for any workers designated to perform them.
In addition to these suggestions, you may want to consider designating an assembly location and procedures to account for all employees following an evacuation. Your plan must include a way to alert employees, including disabled workers, to evacuate or take other action, and how to report emergencies. It is chiefly important to have an EAP created ahead of time. Oftentimes, a disorganized evacuation can result in confusion, injury and further property damage.
While having an emergency action plan in place is imperative, you may also think about having some pre-loss planning services done at your business. GRS utilizes Matterport technology to take scans of your property that can be used in the insurance process once a loss does occur. You can read more about these services on our website or blog.
At the end of the day, we recognize that most emergencies do not occur during business hours. Even with a plan in place, you may still need to call upon the experts. Our team of dedicated professionals is available 24/7, for any water, fire or wind property damage that needs immediate attention. If your business has experienced property damage, contact us at 1-800-349-HELP (4357) or email info@guaranteerestoration.net.
