Emergency Response Planning Updated

Develop an emergency response plan to prepare for crisis situations such as fires, chemical spills, bomb threats, floods, severe weather, injuries, illnesses, and climate-related emergencies.

Thumbnail of the publication's cover — Pocket guide cover with “Emergency Response Planning Guide” title

Snapshot of the publication's Table of Contents — Table of contents page for Emergency Response Planning

Objectives

Target Audience

Scope

Summary

Section I

Emergency Response Overview

1. Emergency Situations

Types of Emergencies

Emergencies May Have Severe Consequences

2. Legal Requirement

Occupational Health and Safety Legislation

Fire and Building Codes

Transportation of Dangerous Goods

3. Emergency Response Plan

4. Cornerstones of an Emergency Response Plan

Prevention

Preparedness

Response

Recovery

5. Developing the Plan

Section II

Establishing the Planning Team

1. Creating the Emergency Planning Team

Team Members

Management Commitment

2. Establishing an Emergency Response Policy

Communicate the Policy

Section III

Assessing Risk and Capability

1. Performing Risk Assessments

Identify the Emergency and Associated Hazards

Review Basic Data

Determine the Worst-Case Scenario

Assess the Risk of Each Hazard

Control the Risk of Each Hazard

Evaluate the Effectiveness of Controls

Communicate the Results

2. Assessing Company Capabilities

Resources

Communication Systems

Supplies and Equipment

Facilities and Equipment

Equipment Inspection

Protection of Records

Mutual Aid

Section IV

Developing the Emergency Response Plan

1. Objectives

2. Organizing a Response

Management of an Emergency

Emergency Response Functions

Command Structure

3. Initiating a Response

Internal Alarm

External Alarm

Backup Alarm

Off-site Alarm

4. Communication

Contacting Emergency Services

5. Developing a Media Plan

Preplanned Messages

Rules to Remember

Section V

Plan Implementation, Testing, and Follow-up

1. Implement the Plan

Distributing the Emergency Response Plan

Organizing Resources

Resource Mobilization

Resource Consideration

Training

Basic Training

Advanced Training

Training for Visitors

2. Test the Plan

Drills and Exercises

Full-Scale Exercise

Functional Drills

Tabletop Exercises

Drill Preparation

Scenario Planning

Drill Notification

After the Drill

Evaluating Exercise Effectiveness

Post-exercise Evaluation

Preparing a Report

3. Continuous Improvement

Incident Follow-up

Tips for Continuous Improvement

Section VI

Emergency Response

1. Response Procedures

Developing Response Procedures

Responding to Specific Scenarios

Responding to Spills

Responding to Medical Emergencies

Responding to Severe Weather

Responding to Suspicious Packages

Responding to Bomb Threats

Responding to Workplace Violence

Responding to an Active Threat

Responding to Power Failure

Responding to Sabotage

Responding to Civil Demonstration

2. Crisis Management

Notification

Reporting

Emergency Operations Centre

Safety and Security of Workers

Communication

Communication with the public

Section VII

Recovery

1. Business Recovery Plans

Business Resumption

Business Impact Analysis

Incident Investigations

2. Clean-up and Restoration Plans

Damage Assessments

Claims Procedures

3. Support After an Emergency

Providing Support

Section VIII

Appendices

Appendix A – Canadian Government Departments Responsible for Occupational Health and Safety

1. General Health and Safety Questions

2. Canadian Government Departments Responsible for Occupational Health and Safety

3. Emergency Response Organizations

Appendix B – Standards and Resources

1. Key References for Additional Information

Emergency Response Planning Resources

Business Continuity Planning

2. Fire Code Inspection Requirements

Appendix C – Emergency Management Checklist

1. Sample Emergency Management Checklist

Single book:: $20.00 $20.00 ^*

Format:: PDF

Language:: English | French

Description

Designed and written as a practical workplace reference, this 172-page pocket guide is filled with clear-language text including safety tips, illustrations, sample procedures and checklists.

Objectives

Use this guide to develop a comprehensive emergency response plan. It will help you to:

Conduct a risk assessment
Evaluate potential losses
Identify potential emergencies
Develop a comprehensive emergency preparedness policy and response plan
Develop a business continuity and business recovery plan
Design, conduct and evaluate drills and exercises
Follow-up on and learn from incidents
Continuously improve the response capability

Scope

This guide provides basic information to assist in the development of workplace emergency preparedness and response programs. All organizations should have an emergency response program in place. Customers and stakeholders expect it as an indication of reliable business operations. The content is organized around four key components of emergency preparedness: prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. These components apply to a wide range of business sectors.

Guidelines for establishing a comprehensive emergency preparedness program depend on:

The potential risk of serious incidents and emergencies at your organization
The size of your organization
The legal requirements in your jurisdiction

Target Audience

This guide is recommended for anyone who needs to implement an emergency response plan and manage comprehensive prevention programs within the organization.

It will also assist:

Senior managers making decisions about the need for, or improvement to, emergency response plans
Individuals assigned the responsibility of developing and implementing emergency response plans
Health and safety committees making informed recommendations regarding an organization's existing response plans

Each publication produced by CCOHS undergoes several stages of review. As part of this review, representatives from government, employers, and labour are requested to comment on draft copies of CCOHS documents for technical accuracy and readability.

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information, it is understood that CCOHS makes no warranty as to the accuracy or completeness of such information and assumes no liability for any damages or loss suffered as a result of any inaccuracy or incompleteness therein.

Version: Second edition
Publication date: September, 2025

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The CCOHS Difference

CCOHS publications are unique in that they are developed by subject specialists in the field, and reviewed by representatives from labour, employers and government to ensure the content and approach are unbiased and credible.