As your company prepares for 2024, it is critical to take time to review your Safety and Security Plan. It can be easy to assume that your employees know what to do in the event of an emergency. What would happen to your business if it had been hit by a flood, fire, or security breach yesterday? Would your employees have been prepared?

Here we provide you with seven simple, actionable steps that you can take now to ensure your employees have the training they need in the event of an emergency.

7 Actionable Safety Training Steps:

  1. Teach employees where to go in the event of a tornado, earthquake or other natural disaster. Do you have building maps posted and exits clearly marked so that employees and clients know where to go in the event of each situation? 
  2. Train employees on how to handle a fire in the building. Provide them with information regarding the location of all fire extinguishers as well as a location to meet to ensure all employees are accounted for. 
  3. Reach out to the local fire department and provide them with an updated building plan. This document should mark the location of electrical panels, chemical storage, gas lines, and tornado safety rooms.
  4. Prepare for an active shooter situation. Most police departments have someone who can provide training for your team. Do you keep all exterior doors locked? What other security systems are in place to protect your business from vandalism or theft? Are security cameras backed up and monitored? 
  5. Provide training to your employees as to how to best handle the press in the event of an emergency. If there is a serious accident, provide them with instructions on who will be the point person to handle any questions. 
  6. Conduct a digital security analysis. Are all computer systems backed up externally? How often are these systems updated? Do you have a well tested security system in place to protect your company from hackers? 
  7. Review how to contact emergency personnel. Take the time to write down the emergency numbers by each employee’s phone. If you have an emergency alert button or alarm, review the codes with each employee. While it can be easy to assume everyone knows this information, in moments of high stress it can be easy to forget what to do.

This training should be conducted each year for your employees. As Mark Szyperski, our founder and CEO stated recently, “I’ve been involved in Employee Emergency Training, and I’m always surprised at what employees don’t know in case of an emergency!” 

In addition, we encourage you to set up a task force that will review all Safety and Security plans to ensure that your company meets all federal and state requirements. While this can seem like a time consuming task, it is a critical step to take to ensure that your business is prepared.

Our team can help you conduct this review if your team doesn’t have the bandwidth to effectively review each aspect. Our goal with our Safety and Security Analysis is to ensure that your business meets the requirements for Federal Grant Programs as well as any OSHA requirements for your industry. As a company, we recommend that you conduct this analysis at a minimum yearly. If you need assistance with this review, reach out to our team today.