Accepting that emergency situations may still arise despite the best health & safety safeguards and setting up appropriate plans and response teams for such eventualities or occurrences

Once you’ve carried out your risk assessments, you will appreciate that despite the best safeguards, you will not be able to eliminate all risk. You therefore need to make appropriate Emergency Plans for the reasonably foreseeable emergency situations.

For many organisations, the Emergency Plan will extend to "In the Event of fire", and "In the Event of Injury".

You should have a clear Fire Evacuation Procedure, with clearly defined evacuation routes and assembly points. You need to determine how you ensure everyone has been evacuated. This can be undertaken by appointed fire marshalls who carry out a "sweep" of the building to ensure no one is left within the building. You should make it clear that this should only be carried out, to the extent that they do not put their own lives in danger. They will be more use to the emergency services (and the potential casualties) if they can accurately inform the rescue teams of the location of the persons trapped, rather than becoming another casualty.

You should also appoint first aid trained personnel in accordance with the First Aid Regulations. You should prepare a brief plan so that employees instinctively know what to do if they or one of their colleagues needs medical assistance whilst at work.

Certain work activities involving more hazardous work may require more detailed emergency plans to be prepared. For example, if your organisation undertakes work within "Confined spaces" it is likely that an Emergency Plan and appropriate resources are available to affect rescue if or when required.

If you work with electrical equipment or systems where there is a risk of electric shock, you should ensure that your staff know what to do when someone receives electric shock.

You should test your Emergency Plan from time to time to ensure it is effective.