New Approach to Emergency Preparedness
With the introduction of hybrid work, not everyone is coming into the office on a daily basis; therefore, it is the responsibility for each employee to know what to do in an emergency situation.
- Safety Captains or Emergency Team Leaders may not be in the office, so the Commonwealth can no longer rely on this role during an emergency.
- Each employee must be prepared and know what to do in case of an emergency.
⚠️This information is intended for employees who work in an office building setting and many times are working a hybrid work schedule. This information is not for employees who work in a location which has its own set of facility-specific emergency procedures, such as a care-giving or direct-care facility.
What Employees Should Know
- Evacuating the floor or the building as directed is not optional. When the building alarm is activated, follow the directions provided over the public address system, or follow the directions provided by building security and first responders.
- There are no Safety Captains. You are responsible for evacuating and responding to keep yourself safe.
- Know two separate evacuation routes to get out of the building.
- Know where the Agency Assembly Location is outside of the building.
- For employees with mobility limitations, know the location of the Evacuation Assistance Area. This is the location on the floor where employees with mobility issues can wait for assistance from Emergency Responders.
Managers and Supervisors
Managers and supervisors should walk through evacuation procedures with their staff when everyone is in the office.
- Review the building floor plans.
- Identify two evacuation routes.
- Instruct staff not to use the elevators (unless assisted by Emergency Responders).
- Identify where the Evacuation Assistance Area is on the floor. This is the location on the floor where employees with mobility issues can wait for assistance from Emergency Responders.
- Walk to the Agency Assembly Location outside of the building.
- Instruct staff that in an emergency, they would remain at the Agency Assembly Location until the “all clear” is given by Emergency Responders or building management.
- Encourage your staff to take the Emergency Preparedness Training in MassAchieve (see the course description below)
- Evacuating the floor or the building as directed is not optional. When the building alarm is activated, follow the directions provided over the public address system, or follow the directions provided by building security and first responders.
- There are no Safety Captains. You are responsible for evacuating and responding to keep yourself safe.
- Review emergency procedures with all new hires. As you onboard your new hire, this is a good opportunity to walk through evacuation procedures with your staff when everyone is in the office.
Emergency Preparedness Training Course
There is an e-learning entitled “Emergency Preparedness Training” in MassAchieve. The goal of the Emergency Preparedness Training is to help managers, supervisors and employees understand the responsibilities of emergency preparedness which includes knowing the following:
- Two separate evacuation routes to get out of the building.
- Location of the Agency Assembly Location and the Evacuation Assistance Area (the location on the floor where employees with mobility issues can wait for assistance from Emergency Responders).
- Appropriate responses for different kinds of emergencies including building evacuation, smoke or fire in the building, medical emergencies, suspicious activities, disruptive person, workplace violence, suspicious package/mail, bomb threat, shelter in place and active shooter/armed intruder.
It will take approximately 25 minutes to complete this training.
The content of the Emergency Preparedness Training was developed in collaboration with the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance and the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.
The Emergency Preparedness Training is intended for employees who work in an office building setting and many times are working a hybrid work schedule. This information is not for employees who work in a location which has its own set of facility-specific emergency procedures, such as a care-giving or direct-care facility.
Additional Resources
The Guidance Language for Agency Emergency Preparedness document outlines what agencies, managers, supervisors and employees should do before, during and after an emergency in the workplace.
For more information or questions, please contact your local Human Resources Office, the Facility Liaison or building security.