OSHA Updates Guidelines for Safety Program Management
For the first time in nearly thirty years, the Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines have been updated. David Michaels, the OSHA administrator, accomplished the update during the final two weeks of his tenure at George Washington University. In October 2016 at the National Safety Council Congress and Expo, Michaels unveiled the program revision, which is intended to provide workers and employers with a flexible and sound framework to address health and safety issues within diverse workplaces. (more…)
Maintaining Safe Emergency Exit Routes
If you are a university safety official, you need to make sure that you have an exit route planned for any emergency. It can be incredibly distressing to be in the midst of a life-threatening emergency. Students and faculty members need to be trained on how, when, and where to perform an evacuation. It’s essential to be properly prepared for procedures involving emergency exits. (more…)
Preparing Students for Emergency Situations
Emergencies can strike at any moment, and if one happens while you are on campus, the faculty and student body need to be informed of the procedures to follow to ensure their safety. An emergency may come in any form, such as natural disasters, chemical spills, or terror threats. FEMA has created a website that provides guidelines for lockdowns, sheltering, and evacuation procedures in case of an emergency. (more…)
Confronting the Challenges of Evacuating People with Disabilities
One of the unfortunate realities of emergency evacuation in today’s world is that a disproportionately high number of people with disabilities are injured and killed during disasters. People with disabilities or special needs can’t get around as quickly, and failure to plan for their evacuation can lead to the unnecessary loss of life during an emergency. It has been estimated that up to half of the people with disabilities in the United Kingdom are interested in participating to help plan special evacuation procedures. Some of them have already participated in such efforts, yet most are unaware of any cohesive plans for disaster management. (more…)
Planning for Campus Evacuations Takes Careful Consideration
When an emergency strikes on campus, the need for security to call for an evacuation could occur at any time. Incident command needs to be implemented to assess the size of any emergency situation with accuracy and efficiency to determine whether an evacuation is necessary. (more…)
