Yikes, what a thought! Last week we covered Earthquake Safety at Home. April has been designated “Earthquake Preparedness Month”, during which the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) urges all Californians to empower themselves by learning about the earthquake risk in their communities and taking steps to prepare and protect themselves for when – not if – the next quake strikes says Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna.
What happens when you’re at work? There are several ways to make the office a safer place during an earthquake says Chief DiGiovanna.
· Make sure all shelves are secured to the walls and floors to prevent them from falling on to people in an earthquake.
· Have an earthquake safety kit ready for emergencies. This should include a first aid kits, flashlights, batteries, a portable radio and water. Don’t forget tennis shoes!
· Make sure the building is routinely inspected to be sure it is up to current earthquake safety standards.
· Have an evacuation plan ready and practice it so everyone knows what it is. Find a safe place to meet after the earthquake is over. Take a roll call to make sure everyone is present at the time.
· During the earthquake you should get under your desk to prevent anything from falling on you of you. If there is no desk around find a door way and stand in it until the quake is over.
Earthquake Safety In The office Hazards
Here is a list of potentially hazardous items during an earthquake. The best way to promote earthquake safety in the office is to have a team of employees that are designated safety monitors check for all hazardous items.
§ Bookshelves
§ Wall Mounted Shelves
§ Heavy objects hang on walls such as paintings and fire extinguishers.
§ Hanging light fixtures such as ceiling fans
§ Potted plants hanging from the ceiling
§ Filing cabinets
§ Water coolers
§ Computers, printers, faxes and all other office equipment
All of these items should be reinforced to make sure they are properly secured and will not fall during the earthquake. All Electrical office equipment can be held to the desk safely by placing double sided Velcro stripes on them and the table they are placed on says Chief DiGiovanna. This will help to keep them from flying off the desk and causing injury.
If you work in an area that has high natural disaster potential than it is very important that all employees are properly trained in http://www.fema.gov/earthquake/earthquake-safety-work . Teaching people how to prepare for an earthquake and how to react when one is occurring is the best way to prevent injuries and save lives. Earthquake safety training will help keep everyone calm during an earthquake DiGiovanna adds.
Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna
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