Emergency drills are crucial in any type of workplace, regardless of the risks present. Many states have a legal requirement for businesses to practice drills at least once per year for events like fires. Aside from the legal obligations, there are many reasons to practice evacuation drills. Learn the importance of practicing emergency drills in the workplace.
Ensure All Employees Know Your Emergency Protocols
Your business should have some type of training in place that details what to do in a variety of emergency situations in the workplace. Having regular training in the form of emergency drills and evacuations helps keep everyone on the same page and ensures they know what to do in an emergency event. Repetition is key here; in the event of a real emergency, there is little time to think and act, so you must rely on what you’ve learned in training. Make sure you regularly schedule drills so employees can retain this crucial information.
Test Emergency Equipment
Conducting emergency drills also allows your management team to test response equipment to understand how it should work during a real emergency. It’s crucial to test everything from fire alarms to emergency communication devices—testing items like two-way radios helps employees understand how to effectively use them in an emergency. Additionally, many people have never used a fire extinguisher before, so testing your building’s fire extinguishers and including practice use in your training is essential for fire safety protocols.
Improve Emergency Protocols
Finally, testing your emergency evacuation plan, whether for a fire, tornado, or other type of emergency, will help you identify any weak spots in your plan. An emergency plan might look fine on paper, but weaknesses can become glaringly obvious once you’re actively guiding employees through a drill. For example, employees might crowd a certain path along your exit route, causing evacuation times to be slower. Or, you might find that an unloaded delivery is blocking your evacuation route. With sufficient drills and practice, you can address these issues in advance.
Now that you know the reasons behind the importance of emergency drills in the workplace, you can better utilize tests and practice drills to improve your business’s safety. Implement emergency drills to give your employees the comfort of knowing your workplace is safe and prepared for emergencies.
