Being mentally prepared for emergencies: At home, at work, take time to practise your reaction to potential dangers

In the light of the tragic George building collapse being fresh in our minds, would you know what to do if an emergency occurred while you were on the job or at home?

Do you know what actions to take if a co-worker was seriously injured, a fire ignited, a vehicle accident or a structure collapsed? Are you prepared to react?

Emergencies and disasters are a reality of everyday life. Local and international news programmes document such occurrences every day throughout the world. Too many lives are lost, and property is damaged because no one was prepared to properly react when immediate decisions and actions counted.

A good start in learning how to respond to an emergency is through training course certification in Basic First Aid and CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation). These courses teach important skills. But even more important than the first aid skills gained, they teach how to respond to an emergency. Programmes offered by organizations such as the Red Cross, St John’s Ambulance and others teach people about the kind of situations or conditions that might precipitate an emergency. Knowing what to look for and how to react could save the life of a co-worker or a family member.

Your company should have an emergency action plan. Review the plan periodically, to be aware of what steps to follow when calling for emergency help. Know the course of action to take in likely emergencies at your workplace or specific facility. This will improve your safety awareness in everything you do.

Safety awareness may be gained through the company's regular safety meetings, safety training or your own personal interest in safety and health. This awareness will increase your ability to respond if, some day in the future, you are a bystander in an emergency. This is particularly important if you work in a hazardous industry. You should be able to answer the following:

• How and who do you notify in an emergency?
• Are you prepared to react responsibly?
• Should you stay with the injured person or run for help?
• If you are not First Aid trained, do you know who in your team or the company is?
• Does the emergency scene need to be secured?
• Do you know the chain of command? Who's in charge during an emergency?
• You come to work every day prepared for the job task at hand and knowledgeable on how to handle production problems in the workplace.
• Being mentally aware is also your best preparation for a potential emergency.
• Analyse beforehand what to do if one of your co-workers is injured, and if that injury is life threatening.
• Know how to protect yourself, your co-workers, and the company in case of a serious chemical spill.
• Chances are, during a crisis, you won't have much time to plan the best possible action - so make those decisions ahead of time. (e.g. How to get out of your security guarded home during a fire?)
• When an emergency does occur, it is your responsibility to be mentally ready to assist where possible.

Also at home ...

• Who at home knows what to do during emergencies?
• Where is the electrical supply to the house located and how is it isolated?
• Is there some basic first aid equipment at home or in the car?
• Are the emergency numbers displayed at home?
• Should you have a smoke detector and/or a fire extinguisher at home?
• Do you and the others know how to use a fire extinguisher? (i.e. The “PASS” rule. Pull the pin, Aim at the fire base, Squeeze the discharge handle and Sweep from side to side to cover the fire area)

Are you prepared to react? 

This series, by Leighton Bennett of Benrisk Consulting, is written with occupational health and safety officers in mind. He can be contacted at +27 (0)83 325 4182, benrisk@mweb.co.za.