Emergency Procedures
45 min · Suggested lesson, discussion and practice time
PPE video pending instructor pronunciation approval. Written lessons and practice remain available.
Objectives
- Report emergencies with precise location and hazard information.
- Evacuate or shelter as directed and account for the crew.
- Recognize the limits of first aid, fire response and rescue duties.
Key points
- Before work, review the employer's actual emergency plan: alarm signals, reporting method, routes, alternate exits, assembly areas, shelter locations and the person in charge. This lesson gives general preparation, not an approved site emergency plan.
- Know the street address or verified site coordinates, access gate and best responder route. For a life-threatening emergency, call 911 from a safe location and report what happened, hazards, injured people and your callback number. Follow dispatcher instructions and do not delay urgent help for paperwork.
- Raise the alarm and notify the designated site contact using the approved reporting method. If safe and assigned, have someone meet responders at the entrance. Do not place yourself in traffic, smoke or another hazard to guide them.
- When evacuation is directed, stop work and use the designated safe route. Do not collect tools or return for belongings. Use an alternate route if the primary exit is blocked; do not pass through smoke or a chemical release.
- Report to the designated assembly area and check in. Supervisors must account for workers and coordinate visitor/contractor accountability. Report a missing person's last known location to responders; do not re-enter to look for them. Do not leave without notifying the person coordinating accountability.
- Some emergencies call for sheltering rather than evacuation, such as severe weather or an outside release. Follow the approved plan and emergency officials. Move away from an immediate hazard first; do not choose a shelter or assembly area simply because it is closest.
- Only designated, trained employees may perform critical shutdowns before evacuation. Everyone else leaves as directed. Re-entry requires clearance from the responsible emergency authority, not a coworker's opinion or the alarm stopping.
- Know where first-aid supplies and an AED are located and who is trained. Assess scene safety first. Call emergency services for serious injury or illness and follow dispatcher instructions; provide care only within your training and avoid unprotected contact with blood.
- Chemical eye or skin exposure requires immediate action consistent with the SDS and available emergency washing facilities; alert others and get medical help. Do not improvise neutralizing chemicals. This review does not replace first-aid/CPR certification or exposure-specific training.
- On discovering fire, raise the alarm and evacuate according to policy. Only attempt extinguisher use when the employer permits it, you are trained, the fire is small and an unobstructed escape route remains. Leave immediately if conditions worsen; evacuation-only policies take priority.
- A trench collapse, confined-space casualty or electrical contact can kill would-be rescuers. Never enter an unstable trench or hazardous space for an improvised rescue. Keep others clear, call 911 and request trained responders. Do not touch a person in contact with electricity until the source is made safe by authorized personnel.
- Practice a drill: state the location, identify both escape routes, explain the alarm and check-in process, and point out supplies without entering hazards. Employer approval of contacts, assembly points and duties is required before a worker's site-specific orientation is complete.
Field scenario
Smoke blocks the normal exit and one worker is missing at roll call. Describe how to use the alternate safe route, report the missing worker's last known location and keep the crew together without re-entering or attempting an untrained rescue.
Review questions
Practice review only — not a final exam, recorded completion or certificate.