EMERGENCY PLANNING
Prepared to respond to a major accident situation

Whilst the aim of safety management is to prevent accidents and incidents, there are a few occasions when the safeguards in place are overwhelmed by the scale or speed of development of a major accident.

An effective emergency plan is the last line of defence during a major accident. The evidence from many sources is that most organisations without a well-structured emergency response plan may never recover from a major accident. Emergency response plans are now required by regulators in many cases.

What is Emergency Planning?
Emergency planning is carried out by two bodies, the operating company whose site may suffer an incident, and the local or state authorities who may have to deal with offsite impacts and provision of emergency services.

The on-site emergency plan typically establishes procedures for dealing with emergency situations involving loss of containment of hazardous material. The offsite emergency plan gives detail of personnel responsible for particular activities in support of emergency action.
The emergency plans should be simple and straightforward, to a defined layout to prevent confusion, and they need to be flexible and achieve necessary compliance with legislative requirements.
Effective emergency response plans are based on the identified risks, they are understood by all, and they are rehearsed and improved by feedback from drills.

Your benefits
An emergency plan is required by most regulators, and has to be put in place by the operator prior to permission to start-up a unit.

A well thought out and tested emergency response plan means that you are fully prepared for the most serious hazard situations. While some disruption is inevitable, a tested plan means that the consequences can be minimized and you maximize the opportunity for rapid recovery.