Canadian Retailer - Fall 2014 - 50

pARtNER mESSAgE retail quicK tipS

DiD you know that as an employer
you are legally oBligateD to
Develop an emergency response
plan for your employees?
BROUGHT TO YOU BY OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY GROUP INC.
ImAgINE an electrical fire was to break out in your store. Do your staff members know what to do? Have they
been given instructions to help them understand what to do in different circumstances? Here are some tips to
help you create your workplace emergency response plan to better prepare your store and staff.
pLAN FoR thE uNEXpEctED

In Canada, every employer must develop an emergency response plan; it's
their legal responsibility. Due diligence
is the cornerstone of Occupational
Health and Safety law and is what an
employer is always striving to achieve.
Therefore, a duly diligent employer
must have an emergency response plan
that can reasonably foresee scenarios
that might occur in a workplace and outline the actions an employer expects the
employees to follow. This plan should
be developed before an incident occurs
and should culminate in having trained
employees capable of actions that would
be described as: purposeful, effective,
consistent with company policy and appropriate to the given situation.
typES oF EmERgENcIES to pLAN FoR

It is important to understand that
emergencies are not limited to fires. The
basic concepts developed to deal with
one type of crisis may be co-opted and
adapted to fit the requirements of many
other scenarios. Actions required to deal
with robbery, extreme weather events,
medical emergencies and lost children
might all be considered to be derivative
of a basic emergency response plan. The
key is to have a plan.

Why ShouLD you hAvE A pLAN?

In the event of an emergency, a lack of forethought
and planning could result in sub-standard actions,
which may result in injury. This would be interpreted
as a lack of due diligence on the part of management,
and in turn, might result in a fine or even, in more
serious cases in certain jurisdictions, limited jail time
for breach of provincial health and safety law. Should
a lack of emergency preparedness result in the death
of an employee, it is even possible that enforcement
officials might consider this to be a matter of criminal
negligence. Planning for unlikely scenarios is one of
the most difficult tasks facing any employer. however,
failing to address this issue could leave an employer
and workers exposed to significant risk.
RESouRcES to hELp BuILD A pLAN

As an employer, you may come up with a plan on
your own, but you should also understand that
assistance with this kind of planning is available.
Trustworthy websites run by CCOHS, NIOSH and
OSHA all have documents that are designed to help
businesses develop and implement such strategies.
The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standard Z731-95 represents a recognized Canadian standard that many hold out to be the pinnacle of best
practice in the land. You might also want to contact
your insurance broker for assistance in this regard.
Finally, an independent, third party consultant can
also provide the professional expertise required to
translate general ideas and concepts into realistic,
actionable policies.

For more information about Occupational Safety Group Inc. and the training and consulting that it
provides, call 1-800-815-9980 or visit www.osg.ca.
50 |

cANADIAN REtAILER | fall 2014

http://www.osg.ca

Canadian Retailer - Fall 2014

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