Does Your Workplace Have An Emergency Plan? |

First of all, what kind of emergency plans do you need in the workplace?
In the 21^st century, there are many such as:

Weather (hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards, fires,
Evacuations from every facility
Terrorism or Workplace Violence
Contagious Diseases (pandemic flu or viral outbreaks)
Medical Emergencies
Chemical or Radiation Incidents
Explosions
Extended Business Shutdowns (cyberattacks or long-term utility failures)

Each of the plans highlighted above should include the following:

Who is responsible for ensuring everyone is safe? Who is in charge? Each plan should detail the chain of command and who will take responsibility to assess the situation and advise what actions to take.
Who is responsible for maintaining critical operations during an evacuation? Who will shut down machinery?
What are the medical and other emergency response duties of individual employees or departments?
How should employees respond? How can employers warn others? Should employees stay home if not already at eh workplace? Should they evacuate if already at the workplace? When should employees not evacuate?
Who is responsible for accounting for each employee should an emergency occur? What is the procedure to account for everyone and where is the list of employees?
Who will communicate with all employees during the event and how will that communication occur? Who can employees contact with questions?
How will the organization stay in contact with emergency personnel?
What type of personal protective equipment is available and where is it stored (i.e. gloves, hard hats, masks, etc.)
Where are the emergency equipment located (i.e. fire extinguishers, fire hoses, defibrillators, etc.)
Who will help those that need assistance such as individuals with disabilities?
Where are copies of building maps, insurance policies, vendor information and financial information?
What is the pay policy for employees during the emergency? Are alternate means of working off-site available? Is access to computer files possible? Are alternate worksites available? Can employees work from home? Is there a policy?
Who will ensure that business data is secure and shut down properly?
Under what conditions will the business keep running? Under what conditions will the business be temporarily closed? Who will ensure customer care during the emergency?