Another blog that incorporates my recent short ski trip to Austria; however its brilliant how taking a step back can make you think. On the day in question we were coming off of a ski lift when we were stopped to allow a helicopter to land; unfortunately it was there to evacuate an injured person from the slopes.

Whilst waiting it made me think about how well prepared these ski resorts are to quickly and efficiently respond to emergencies that occur on the slopes. I realise the bill for such a service is not cheap but if it helps to minimise the pain, stress and get a seriously injured person to the right medical care then it’s got to be invaluable hasn`t it?

So you might be thinking but what has this got to do with my workplace?  The key question is are you prepared for “whatever” emergency might arise on your site; not just the statutory fire drill?  If you are, then great, but ask yourself the question: “how often do we test our emergency plans and find out if the response we expect is what we actually get?”

The truth is that we see too many businesses that fail to firstly understand the risks in their business, let alone have a plan ready to respond; and as the saying goes “failure to plan is planning to fail”.

So for instance if you work with chemicals ask yourself:

• How would you prevent a spillage becoming an environmental disaster?
• What would the plan be if two chemicals mixed together and created a reaction?
• What would you do if there was a serious accident in your workplace?
• Are your first aid trained persons suitably trained to deal with the chemical risks you have (most generally are not)?

Understanding your risks and having an emergency response plan that is routinely reviewed and tested will go a long way to prevent an incident escalating into something much more serious. Think about it: what would it do to your reputation if it was identified that you failed to plan properly; if the HSE are prosecuting you then this will be cited as part of the prosecution.

If you need assistance with risk assessment or emergency response planning why not contact us to see how we can help protect your business.