Developing Safety Procedures for School and the Workplace
One of the best ways to protect a building is to develop effective safety procedures. How does developing safety procedures protect individuals, and what situations require safety procedures? Let’s take a closer look.
Why Are Safety Procedures Important?
By definition, a procedure is a pre-established way of handling a situation. In any workplace safety or school environment, safety procedures prevent confusion in emergency situations. Generally speaking, emergency situations are high-stress. Unless strict procedures are in place, people are likely to panic and make the situation worse.
Hundreds of unique students fill the rooms of schools. Consequently, schools are particularly likely to experience a wide variety of actions and reactions in an emergency. This is why it is so important for schools to develop proper safety procedures and notify the necessary people.
Who Needs to be Aware of Safety Procedures?
Once safety and health procedures have been developed by the proper authority, they must be shared with others to be effective. Who needs to be made aware of safety procedures?
1. Security Officials
In a school or office building, security officials need to know what their job is, as well as the role others play.
2. Authority Figures
Authorities look different depending on the building. In a school setting, administrators and teachers need to know their responsibilities toward students. In a church or work environment, someone needs to be designated as the “boss” during emergencies.
3. Individuals Following Procedures
In a nutshell, everyone who is involved in the emergency needs to understand the role they place. This includes students, employees, or members of a congregation. While the authority figures may take control of the situation, the people under them must know how to respond.
4. Emergency Contacts
Especially in school settings, parents need to know how the school will respond to certain emergencies.
Situations that Require Safety Procedures
Authority figures must evaluate procedures for the following areas.
1. Natural Disasters
Your state may have a standard protocol for earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, and other natural disasters. Make sure you follow state procedures as well as hold regular drills. You will have to choose a “safe place” for everyone to meet during a disaster (e.g. away from windows during a tornado).
2. Medical Emergencies
In the event of a medical emergency (heart attack, stroke, asthma attack, etc.), nearby individuals need to know how to respond. Basic first aid training for staff is always important, as well as a notification system for contacting 911.
3. Emergency Evacuations
An emergency evacuation generally takes place during a fire or in the event of an armed intruder. Especially when working with large groups, it is important to develop a good procedure for evacuating buildings.
4. Lockdowns
Lockdowns are scary, but they are also necessary to prepare for. As mass shootings become more common, schools, churches, and businesses must step up to the place and maximize security.
5. Notifying Law Enforcement
A designated authority figure should contact law enforcement upon emergency. If everyone starts making phone calls, first responders will likely receive conflicting and confusing information.
