III.  EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

SUPPLIES

Be prepared for emergencies. Keep an emergency kit in your work area that is easy to carry out of the office to the Emergency Assembly Area (EAA) when evacuating the building.

The following supplies are recommended for your personal kit:

• Drinking water (1 gallon a day; 3 days' supply recommended) replace quarterly
• Food (kept airtight in pest-proof packaging and replaced annually
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Utility knife
• Personal first aid kit with any special personal needs included
• Sturdy, comfortable shoes and clean socks
• Space blanket (a standard blanket is okay if space and weight permit)
• Light sticks
• Heavy duty work gloves
• Cash (some in quarters)
• Sanitation needs (such as tissue paper, small bottle of bleach, plastic bags, plastic bucket)
• Customized items such as prescription glasses or contacts, medicine, etc.
• Duct tape and/or barrier tape
• Large sheets of paper, markers, pens and pencils
• Whistle
• Campus and area maps
• A copy of the building roster

TRAINING AND DOCUMENTATION

Training is an integral part of the safety program for your building and it is the responsibility of each department to ensure all their employees are trained on the Building Emergency Plan for the building(s) they occupy. It is the responsibility of the occupant to become familiar with the Building Emergency Plan, to know evacuation routes and assembly areas, and to attend training(s) given by their department. As a supplement to the training, the Building Coordinator posts information in the building to ensure all occupants and guests can safely exit during an emergency.

The Department Safety Coordinator (DSC) and Department Safety Committee make the Building Emergency Plan and other safety information (as necessary) available to department employees. Training is initially required upon work assignment in the building. Annually, all department employees should get a documented refresher training on the contents of the Building Emergency Plan for the buildings they work in.

Other trainings recommended for building occupants are CPR, first aid, and fire extinguisher training. For information on CPR and first aid training, call OEP (642-9036). The department can request fire extinguisher training from EH&S. Annual refresher training is recommended.

SECURING BUILDING CONTENTS

Experts claim that more than 90 % of earthquake-related injuries do not come from collapsing buildings but from objects inside the building which fall on people (or from windows shattering and causing lacerations). Also, these objects will be damaged themselves, leading to expensive replacement costs after the quake. Therefore, it is in your best interest to spend a little effort now to prevent this from happening. You will need to physically secure shelves, computers, wall hangings, equipment, etc. In most cases, as a part of your department's General Safety Inspections (required by their written Injury and Illness Prevention Program), the following items are checked. However, you may conduct your own inspection of your work area.

The main things to look for are:

• Shelves or cabinets that are not bolted to the wall.
• Computers or typewriters on desks.
• Objects on shelves which may fall (even a 3-ring binder, if thrown with force, can cause significant injury).
• Free-standing objects which do not have a high enough base:height ratio to be "fallproof" (e.g., a tall filing cabinet).
• Desks or seating areas directly under plate glass windows.
• Heavy hanging pictures, mirrors, or plants.
• Cupboards or cabinets without secure "automatic" latches.
• Objects on wheels which are not locked in one position (e.g., an audiovisual cart).
• Heavy, breakable items not on the lowest possible shelves.
• Water heaters which are not strapped to the wall.
• Doorways which might be blocked by falling objects.

For more information about any concerns specific to your area (e.g., animal cages, chemicals, valuable documents under water sprinklers, etc.), please contact EH&S (642-3073).

For more information about securing falling hazards, please contact your Department Safety Coordinator, Building Coordinator, or Physical Plant-Campus Services (642-1032).