Earthquake Safety

7/11/2022 (Permalink)

those risks.

Prepare Your Workforce to

• React Safely
  Every employee, from top managers to part-time and temporary workers, needs to learn What to Do During an Earthquake. Safety orientations should emphasize safe places to "drop, cover, and hold on" during earthquake shaking and safe locations where people can rendezvous when the shaking has stopped and it is safe and advisable to evacuate your facilities.
  
  Hold periodic, mandatory earthquake drills to give employees opportunities to practice what they have learned and condition themselves to react spontaneously and safely when the first jolt or shaking is felt. To help protect workers in the immediate aftermath of earthquakes or other disasters, arrange for employees to be trained now in first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the use of fire extinguishers. Earthquakes should be thoroughly integrated into the organization’s emergency preparedness, response, and recovery planning.
   
• Help the Organization Survive a Damaging Earthquake
  Elements that are critical to ongoing business viability vary from one organization to another. They may include, for example, locations, equipment, telecommunications, supply chains, stored data, or employee knowledge or skills. A prepared workforce is one that has identified the elements that are important to its operations; made plans for protecting, reconstructing, duplicating, or surviving without these elements; and been adequately trained to carry out these plans in the event of an earthquake or other contingency. Visit Ready Businessfor more information on business-continuity and contingency planning.
  
  In the days following an earthquake, employees are more likely to be able to come to work and perform effectively if they are less worried about or preoccupied with their families and homes. They should be encouraged to prepare their homes and families in advance for earthquakes and other emergencies (see Earthquake Safety at Home).

Prepare Your Community

It makes good business sense for employers to contribute to the well-being of the communities from which they recruit employees, clients, and customers. There are many ways that businesses, acting either individually or collectively through organizations such as local chambers of commerce, can help strengthen the disaster resilience of their communities. Some of these ways include serving as local exemplars of organizational preparedness; promoting preparedness among suppliers, clients, and other business contacts; and sponsoring or participating in local earthquake drills, preparedness events, or awareness and education campaigns. Visit Quake Smart for more ideas.

Source: https://www.fema.gov/earthquake-safety-work