Last week’s tornado in Oklahoma reminds us that effective
emergency communication systems are necessary in any organization. Residents of
Moore, Oklahoma had only 16 minutes to prepare for the tragedy, and the average
amount of time people have to move to safety before a tornado is only 10
minutes. In other disastrous situations, including school shootings, people
often have even less time to prepare.
To help your organization develop an effective emergency communication
plan, Occupational Health & Safety offers these 5 strategies:
1.
Prerecorded
Voice Alerts. Record voice alerts giving detailed instructions about how to
react in an emergency so that people don’t have to take time out to decipher
the meaning of a siren. For multilingual workplaces, provide alerts in all
needed languages.
2.
Remote
Location Targeting. Advanced network-based communications allow workplaces
to broadcast alerts using many different devices from any location. This makes
it possible for alerts to be communicated to all parts of a workplace and even
to remote locations, such as the other end of a large campus.
3.
Automatic
Emergency Alert Activation. Technology can be used to automate emergency
communications using sensors and other monitoring devices, including gas
monitors and National Weather Service data streams. This technology may be
crucial in the event that workers designated to activate emergency alerts are
absent at the onset of an emergency.
4.
Emergency
Call Tools with Built-in Location Identification. Since cell phone networks
can fail during widespread emergencies, emergency call tools may be needed for
reporting problems. Advanced call systems transmit the call location
automatically, so responders can send help immediately.
5.
Independent
Backup Networks with Automatic Switchover. Backup communication networks
are necessary for ensuring that your organization’s emergency system will work.
Modern emergency systems rely on communications networks operating on a site’s
Local Area Network using Ethernet or wi-fi. If the local network fails in a
crisis, a backup emergency network is needed for transmitting calls and alerts.
One common backup option is use of wireless mesh networks that are independent
of other communications channels.
Find more information at Occupational Health & Safety.