PEP = People, Equipment, Procedures

Put PEP into

Emergency Response Preparation

PEP - People, Equipment, Procedures - all are needed to ensure emergency response is timely and effective. The following principles may assist those required to plan, train for and implement emergency response actions. Though simple in theory, neglect of these principles can lead to disaster.

Training, pre-incident planning, - all are useless without an initial hazard assessment. First we must ask what if? What if there is a power cut? A fire in the Communications Centre? A storm during a confined space entry? There is always the unexpected. Who anticipated an ice storm which would deprive large parts of Canada of power? Yet many had anticipated other disasters and the resources for such eventualities were brought into service to deal with the situation.

All planning begins with a hazard assessment. Identified hazards may then be assessed under potential and probability. This is where planners earn their pay. If potential is high but probability low then resources may be better employed elsewhere; if probability is high and the potential for disaster low then perhaps the hazard may be reduced by training or by engineering a solution. When both potential and probability are high resources are usually expended to address the hazard. When both potential and probability are low the hazards are often ignored. Here is the danger: if the small risks are ignored the chances of a greater risk occurring is increased. One way of decreasing the smaller risks is by applying PEP.

People. "The way we train is the way we will respond." Seems simple, but how often do we see employees perform complicated tasks in responding to simulated scenarios with all the enthusiasm of condemned convicts?

Training scenarios should be

• Relevant -- based on the hazard assessment;
• Brief - no one learns when standing about for several hours. Keep it short.
• Realistic - avoid "disaster syndrome" but foster realism by use of props. Examples include use of casualty simulation kits, live fire training (when possible and appropriate), using equipment as opposed to assuming it is OK and most importantly - a sense of imagination.

Imagination and enthusiasm can be infectious. To instill a sense of urgency into training people must act as though it were real. If they act bored, or move slowly, or fail to wear all their protective clothing because "it's only a drill" that is what they will do when it is real.

Equipment.

A) "The way you leave it is the way you find it" and

B) "Better to be looking at it than looking for it."

A. This may seem obvious, but emergency equipment is often used and not replenished or replaced because "lightning doesn't strike twice." It may. E.g. SCBAs used for operations or training and left with the straps cinched tight render the set initially unusable next time around. Precious time is lost doing what should have been done before the set was stowed.

B. When making a confined space entry, have the rescue equipment rigged first. That way, if needed, it's there. If not needed, at least the workers have practiced rigging it and have the confidence of knowing it is immediately available. This raises their awareness of hazard and perhaps reduces the possibility of mishap.

Another example is having fire equipment ready for use during transfer of flammable liquids or during hot work (welding, grinding or burning.) This leads to the last principle.

Procedures. "The smaller the gap between normal operational procedures and emergency procedures the greater the chance of successful emergency response."

If we look again at the examples above this principle is seen in action. If we make a procedure part of normal operations we are less likely to have an accident and more likely to have the resources at hand to deal with an accident should one happen.

If

• We leave safety goggles hanging beside the grinding machine employees are more likely to remember to use them than if we keep the goggles in a locked store.
• The usual path to the exits is the same as the preferred path in an emergency people are more likely to get out quickly. Ensure responding personnel use a different route to avoid congestion or collision.
• SCBAs are stored in racks rather than in the cases they may be donned quicker.

The foregoing may seem simple; even simplistic. Try it. Apply the PEP Principles to your workplace and see how it goes. With a little effort you'll find you spend less time training and have better results when you do - and less accidents or incidents. And that is the goal.

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