The ultimate guide to creating an emergency action plan (EAP)

An emergency action plan (EAP) explains what every employee needs to do in an emergency situation. It also helps all workers, visitors, and contractors safely leave your facilities if they need to.

If you don’t have an EAP in place, you’re likely required by law to have one. While there are some exceptions, if you have a fire extinguisher in your office and might need to evacuate in an emergency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that you create an EAP. (Still not sure? Take this test.)

An EAP condenses a lot of information into one document — some of it required by the OSHA or your state, and some specific to your organization’s own requirements. Here’s everything you need to know to get started.

Get your team in place

Having a team to work on your EAP can help you capture all the key points, but it also gives you a pool of people who can serve as fire marshals or emergency coordinators — points of contact in an emergency. OSHA says, “An employer must designate and train employees to assist in a safe and orderly evacuation of other employees.”

You’ll want people who can take the lead in an emergency, sound the alarm, give direction, ensure their areas are vacated, or receive training (e.g., first aid) that may be helpful.

The structure of this group should suit your workplace. If you’re all in one building, for example, one person per floor may be enough. But you’ll also need to ensure there’s additional coverage for different shifts and vacation time. Use this fire marshall requirements calculator to get an estimate.

Don’t miss anything as you write your EAP

There are a few resources to help you start with the basics, including:

• An EAP template from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• OSHA has an e-tool to help you create a basic EAP

But wait — don’t call it a day yet!

Ask the right questions for your organization

There are other details you may need to include in your EAP, such as escape routes, floor plans, and other procedures tailored to meet your organization’s specific needs. For example:

• Are there state regulations you need to consider? State-run safety and health programs may have more specific requirements you’ll need to meet. See if your state is covered by an OSHA-approved plan >>
• Are there children on site? If so, you may need to make special accommodations, including a plan to notify parents and guardians. Check out this guide from the General Services Administration >>
• Should you designate a contact person for the public? In some situations, it may be appropriate to have someone available to reach out to the public or respond to the media, investors, or other stakeholder groups.

Don’t forget different types of emergencies could impact your organization. You could encounter:

• Situations inside the building, such as a fire, power outage, chemical spill, or workplace violence.
• External situations, such as floods, hurricanes, the release of toxic materials, or civil disturbance.
• Other medical emergencies, such as heart attack, drowning, severe illness, or other workplace injury.

Make sure you cover the basics

The following section outlines the information you’re required to include by the OSHA.

How to report a fire or emergency

Emergency situations can escalate quickly, so if outside emergency personnel is needed, a call to 9–1–1 will likely be your first move.

The second step is notifying employees. Facilities are required to have an alarm system in place. It doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive: A bell, air horn, or whistle may be fine. If there are 10 or fewer employees in the office, yelling at each other also works.

However, any alarm system needs to be:

• Easily recognizable as an alarm
• Heard above any ambient noise and/or visible regardless of other lights

Ideally, it should also grab the attention of anyone who may have sight or hearing issues; if not, your fire wardens will need to make sure all employees are alerted.

An evacuation plan

The evacuation plan is a cornerstone of your EAP. Everyone in your facility will need a safe way out. An evacuation plan explains when to leave, how to leave the building — with diagrams — and who’s in charge.

In some situations, such as a biological accident or chemical spill, it may be best for employees to shelter in place — find a safe spot, secure it as needed, and stay put until someone in authority gives the OK.

Learn how to create an effective emergency evacuation plan >>

Critical operations

If you close unexpectedly or can’t get onto the premises for a long period, your business can’t just grind to a halt. It’s important to identify your critical operations and have a plan to protect them in an emergency.

However, that is not what goes into your EAP. The only operations that should be in your EAP are ones that may require action. For example:

• You may need someone to shut off propane sources and equipment before they leave the premises.
• In specific situations, someone may need permission to remain on site longer to monitor or disable critical systems.
• You have off-site contacts who need to be notified so they can initiate backups.

For these critical operations, include:

• The specific people assigned, including the area they’ll be in
• The procedures they need to follow
• When they need to abandon their post and get out

Accounting for people onsite

As part of your evacuation plan, you should have designated muster points at a safe distance from the building. As people gather, you’ll need to do roll call to make sure everyone got out OK.

This means you need access to an up-to-date list of employees, but it’s also important to know who else may have been on-site: Visitors, volunteers, interns, contractors. If you use a visitor registration system like Envoy, you can access a real-time list of employees and guests via the cloud from any device.

Rescue and medical duties

Most businesses rely on outside resources for emergency services. However, if you have employees with specific emergency training they should be listed here.

Emergency contacts

Where should employees turn for more information? This list should include your emergency coordinators.

Train your staff

You’re required to review your EAP with every employee. If you have 10 or fewer employees — either in total or in individual locations — you can share it verbally. If you have 11 or more employees, you’ll need to have a printed version readily available.

On an ongoing basis, part of your onboarding process for new employees should be dedicated to reviewing the EAP. It will also need to be reviewed if an employee’s responsibilities under the plan change or if the plan itself is revised.

Finally, run practice drills on a regular basis. This will help keep the information fresh, encourage employees — particularly designated emergency coordinators — to clarify any questions about their roles, and ensure people know how to respond if the unexpected happens.

If you’d like more information, check out:

• How to Plan for Workplace Emergencies and Evacuations (OSHA)
• Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool (OSHA)
• Preparedness Planning for Your Business (ready.gov)