| We have all been doing fire drills since we were in | | | | unworkable as they interfered with the primary |
| grammar school. But in a modern industrial | | | | action of evacuating the building.When executing a |
| environment there is a lot more to consider than | | | | one at a time fire drill training plan, be sure to |
| just marching the students down the hall.In a | | | | include every one. Even those whose only duty is |
| manufacturing situation, there are specific actions | | | | to get themselves out of the building. Walk with |
| that need to be taken by machine operators to | | | | them to the exit so you know they know which |
| shut down the machines safely and to minimize | | | | one to use.Also consider lines of progression as an |
| the restart expense. And if you are not actually | | | | employee may be temporarily promoted to a |
| shutting down your machines for a drill, then you | | | | different job task from time to time. Make sure |
| don't know if your procedures actually | | | | you arrange to train them on the emergency |
| work.OSHA and other regulating bodies have | | | | duties of the temporary advancement position as |
| various rules about how often evacuation drills are | | | | well as the regular duties.Another aspect to |
| to be practiced. This article in no way supersedes | | | | consider in evacuations and evacuation drills is the |
| those requirements. This article is designed to give | | | | event of inclement weather. It does not help to |
| you advice on how to make your actual fire drill | | | | have employees evacuate a burning building only |
| practice a more valuable experience.When I | | | | to die from hypothermia on the outside.Make sure |
| worked in a printing facility handling flammable | | | | you have considered the possibility of an |
| liquids, each employee had specific duties that he | | | | evacuation during cold or wet weather. Make |
| was expected to perform on his way out the | | | | arrangements for alternate shelter or protective |
| door in the event of a fire. These duties included | | | | clothing and practice the use and distribution of |
| things like pressing an emergency stop button, | | | | such during your actual evacuation drills.Another |
| releasing a safety latch to cover flammable liquids | | | | very important aspect of evacuations is the |
| or closing a door to a room where flammable | | | | accounting of personnel. You must have a quick |
| liquids were stored.In a standard evacuation drill, | | | | and accurate method of accounting for all |
| there was no way to observe if every one did | | | | personnel including visitors, vendors and |
| their jobs correctly or if they even knew what | | | | contractors that are on the site during the |
| these jobs were. Practicing these jobs only once | | | | evacuation. Many modern electronic attendance |
| or twice a year was ineffective in making sure | | | | monitoring systems have made this task even |
| the workers were trained in the tasks.Because it | | | | more challenging as you don't always have a |
| was very expensive to restart the printing | | | | computer print out of who is at work with you |
| presses after any shutdown, we had to minimize | | | | during an evacuation.You must prepare in advance |
| the actual machine stoppages as well.The most | | | | a system that is accessible to supervisors so that |
| effective method we found for training personnel | | | | they can accurately account for their personnel in |
| in their evacuation duties was what we called the | | | | the event of an emergency. Overlooking a single |
| one at a time fire drill.About once a month, our | | | | person in unacceptable in such an instance. So is |
| fire and emergency procedures team would take | | | | the needless endangerment of emergency |
| a list of employees and arrange with their | | | | responders looking for a person who is not really |
| supervisor to have them lead the trainer through | | | | trapped.Assigning small group supervisors or team |
| their evacuation duties. The trainer would observe | | | | leaders the responsibility of tracking their |
| their actions and compare what they did to the | | | | employees and keeping a written record of their |
| written procedure. If necessary, the trainer could | | | | presence or absence in the facility is one simple |
| take corrective action immediately and give | | | | method of handling the accountability issue. Make |
| feedback on how they followed the written | | | | sure you practice this accountability during your |
| procedure.If there was a deviation in the actions | | | | full evacuation drills as well as one on one with he |
| of the employee from the procedure, the team | | | | supervisor or team leader.Evacuation drills are not |
| member determined if training was required or if | | | | just a required nuisance. They serve a very |
| the procedure need to be modified to match | | | | important role in responding to an emergency and |
| current work practices. Therefore, the one at a | | | | minimizing your business loss. Through proper |
| time fire drill accomplished two valuable purposes - | | | | planning and training you can minimize the business |
| Procedure review and training.Since the machine | | | | interruption and restart costs.Injured workers will |
| was not actually shut down and the work crews | | | | significantly delay your restart and impact your |
| not fully evacuated, the cost of this training | | | | future productivity and profitability. Money spent |
| exercise was minimal. Usually the only cost | | | | on training and planning for an emergency will |
| involved was that of having an extra staff | | | | save your many times the cost in the event of |
| member on hand to fill in for the one being | | | | an actual emergency. The one at a time fire drill |
| trained.We found this method of training to be | | | | training procedure can also be used to build |
| very effective. Many operators who had been in | | | | familiarity with equipment making your employees |
| their jobs for several years had never been given | | | | even more productive. And, if they feel safe at |
| the opportunity to actually walk through their fire | | | | work, they will be work more effectively as |
| control duties before we instituted this program. | | | | well.Mike Strawbridge is the owner of Straw |
| We found several procedures that were | | | | Solutions Performance Improvement Consulting. |