Keep it simple. Your plan should show that you’ve thought about how to eliminate and control hazards and that workers know how to respond promptly if something goes wrong.

Get others involved in planning. When other workers participate, they’ll contribute valuable information, take the plan seriously, and be more likely to respond effectively during an emergency. Key planning objectives:

• Identify the emergencies that could affect your site.

• Establish a chain of command.

• Establish procedures for responding to the emergencies.

• Identify critical resources and rescue equipment.

• Train on-site responders.

Identify emergencies that could affect your workplace. Identify any event that could threaten worker safety or health.
Two examples:

• A worker suspended in a full-body harness after a fall

• A worker on a scaffold who contacts an overhead power line

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Identify critical resources and rescue equipment. Prompt rescue won’t happen without trained responders, appropriate medical supplies, and the right equipment for the emergency.

• First-aid supplies. Every work site needs medical supplies for common injuries. Does your site have a first-aid kit for injuries that are likely to occur? Store the supplies in clearly marked, protective containers and make them available to all shifts.

• Rescue equipment. Identify on-site equipment that responders can use to rescue a suspended worker. Extension ladders and mobile lifts are useful and available at most sites. Determine where and how each type of equipment would be most effective during a rescue. Make sure the equipment will permit rescuers to reach a fall victim, that it’s available when rescuers need it, and that rescuers know how to use it.

Will your longest ladder reach a suspended worker? If not, what equipment will reach the worker? When equipment is needed for a rescue, will workers know where it is and how to use it? Think about seasonal and environmental conditions and how they may affect rescue equipment and those who use it. Equipment that works for summer rescues may not work for winter rescues.

Train on-site responders. An effective emergency-response plan ensures that on-site responders know emergency procedures, how to use available rescue equipment, and — if necessary — how to contact off-site responders. Workers who use personal fall-arrest systems and who work alone must know how to rescue themselves. Those who work at a remote site may need a higher level of emergency training than those who work near a trauma center or a fire department.

Establish a chain of command. All workers must know their roles and responsibilities during an emergency. A chain of command links one person with overall responsibility for managing an emergency to those responsible for carrying out specific emergency-response tasks. Make sure that back-up personnel can take over when primary responders aren’t available.

Establish procedures for responding to emergencies. Procedures are instructions for accomplishing specific tasks. Emergency procedures are important because they tell workers exactly what to do to ensure their safety during an emergency. Your emergency-response plan should include the following procedures — preferably in writing — that describe what people must know and do to ensure that a fallen worker receives prompt attention:

• How to report an emergency

• How to rescue a suspended worker

• How to provide first aid

After an emergency, review the procedures; determine if they should be changed to prevent similar events and revise them accordingly.

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