Being prepared in the event of an emergency can help ensure the safety of yourself and those around you.
The Wayne State College Crisis Prevention Team has set forth guidelines for faculty and staff in the event of an emergency on campus.
These guidelines provide simple, concise instructions for reacting to a number of potential campus emergency situations. Please review the information on these pages to prepare yourself in the unfortunate event you experience an emergency situation.
Developing workplace emergency procedures
To increase the level of preparedness of the Wayne State College Campus, we recommend that all departments of each institution, and each office or floor of all buildings on campus, create a location-specific workplace emergency procedures guide.
The information contained in this document provides instructions and templates for creating office-specific emergency procedures, identifying important risks to consider when developing a site-specific guide.
- Designate a leader
- Conduct a site assessment
- Create your site-specific emergency procedures document
- Provide updates, training, and documentation
Step 1: Designate a leader
Designate a workplace emergency preparedness leader. This person will be responsible for creating your emergency procedures, keeping them updated, and coordinating training and drills with your buildings emergency preparedness contact.
Creating workplace emergency procedures should be collaborative. The leader of the process should organize a team of office representatives to participate in developing and updating your workplace emergency procedures.
Step 2: Conduct a site assessment
The emergency preparedness office team should tour your location to identify the best and most efficient emergency procedure applications according to your area’s resources and potential hazards.
Building/office area tour
While touring the area, consider the following items and make notes for reference:
- Exits (including windows on the first-level area)
- Doors/areas that can be secured
- Available means (furniture, door stops, etc.) to secure an area that does not have a locking door
- Location of fire extinguishers, AEDs, emergency phones, and fire alarm pull stations
- Evacuation routes (identify more than one)
- Gathering areas after evacuation
Shelters within the building
Identify the best area within your building to take shelter in the event of a tornado, earthquake, or other severe weather. Consider the following:
- The lowest floor (or basement) of the building
- A location that is not near windows
- If the lowest floor contains windows, look for ground-floor restrooms or stairwells
- Alternatively, gather in an interior room or hallway and create a protective barrier with furniture (do not take shelter under furniture)
Building evacuation
Identify an outdoor meeting location (rally point) 500 feet from the building in the event of an evacuation, keeping in mind the following factors:
- Ensure there is at least one building between the evacuees and the building being evacuated
- Identify a primary and secondary location — the secondary may be inside another building if the evacuation happens during inclement weather
- Assign a person from the office to account for staff, students, and visitors to ensure that everyone has vacated the building
Evacuation considerations
When conducting the site assessment, consider which actions or procedures need to be addressed for persons with disabilities or special needs. Also take into consideration that you may have visitors who will need assistance if an emergency occurs.
Step 3: Create your site-specific emergency procedures document
After conducting the site assessment, the emergency procedures team leader should organize a meeting with the rest of the planning team. At this meeting, the team should review WSC's emergency information and create a set of specific procedures for each of the hazards listed.
When creating site-specific procedures, use the information gathered from the site assessment to customize your emergency procedures. Discuss the challenges you would face for each hazard and come up with a simple solution using the resources in your office. This interaction promotes understanding of a workplace’s unique emergency procedures.
Use diagrams and maps
Determine a main point of contact and a back-up contact for your office who can account for each employee’s safety. Ensure that all employees have these individuals’ cellphone numbers so they can check in following an event.
Emergency communication code word
You will also need to establish an emergency communications code word. This word serves as a discreet prompt to notify authorities of a problem. For example, use this word in the event of a hostile visitor whom you would like to discreetly report to the police.
Step 4: Provide updates, training, and documentation
Changes frequently occur to the physical layout of office spaces and buildings on campus. Changes to doors, exits, and walls, or the addition of security locks, could all influence the procedures. Emergency procedures are “living documents” that should be reviewed and updated regularly.
Perform drills in conjunction with office meetings or after major changes in the procedures occur. To inform new hires about workplace emergency procedures, share your guide in orientation materials and request sign-off by new employees.
Documentation
It is essential that emergency procedure drills are documented with the results. This information should be forwarded to your respective building emergency preparedness contact.