www.wsps.ca 33
Emergency plan
An emergency fire plan is a legal requirement
— you'll need to consult the Fire Code for
your jurisdiction for specific requirements.
Consider contacting your local fire
department for support in developing an
emergency fire plan for your location.
You'll also want to consider other types of
emergencies:
Natural disasters
Gas leaks
Acts of violence
Power failures
Pandemic planning
An effective emergency plan will include:
Up-to-date contact numbers (make sure
you also have up-to-date emergency contact
information for each employee on file)
Fire wardens/chain of command
Evacuation procedures (you may want
to make a reciprocal arrangement with
a nearby business where you and your
employees can gather in the event of a fire
or other emergency)
Business continuity plans
Training
Practices and review (you'll want to
schedule periodic evacuation drills to
make sure employees will know how to
react in the event of an emergency)
Orientation: New Employees
New employees are an investment you make
in the success of your business. Take the time
to help them understand how important a
safe and healthy workplace is to you, and
their role:
Understanding their rights, duties and
responsibilities according to the law
Understanding the hazards in your
workplace and the work that they will be
performing
Training in safe work practices and
procedures, use of personal protective
equipment
Reviewing the emergency plan and
procedures
Understanding your expectations for
conduct in workplace
Document your orientation process. Stay in
touch with your new workers. Observe how
they apply safe work practices. Encourage
them to ask questions.
Step 4: Health & Safety in Action
