CHECKLIST: Emergency Evacuation Prevention 

Prevention is the first step in protecting workers with disabilities, as well as other workers, from safety hazards. Safety features required by building codes should not only be installed but should be carefully maintained. Good safety practices should be emphasized among all employees without exception. 

Heed the concerns of workers with disabilities 

Persons with disabilities have three basic concerns about their safety:

• That employers not use the risk of disaster as an excuse for excluding them from working;
• That the level of safety provided handicapped persons be equal to that traditionally provided able-bodied persons; and
• That the unique difficulties that they may have in a life-threatening situation be anticipated and dealt with before the fact.

Coordinated planning. Consult with, and coordinate with, local agencies such as the fire department or other emergency services. Workers with disabilities should participate in the planning. After all, who is more likely to better know their needs?

Evacuation assistance. When fire or disaster strikes a multi-story building, elevators cannot generally be used by fleeing occupants. Special care must be taken to help those persons whose disabilities create an obstacle to the use of the stairs.

Buddy system. Co-workers should be assigned and trained to help disabled individuals flee the building when an emergency occurs. These pre-selected persons are frequently referred to as "buddies" or "monitors." Alternates, or back-up helpers, should also be named to assume the responsibility during the absence of the normally designated buddy.

Lifting and carrying techniques. If several strong persons are available to control the large wheels and the bulk of the chair, workers using a wheelchair may be transported down stairs, wheelchair and all. However, there will be instances when non-ambulatory persons will have to forsake their wheelchairs during an emergency evacuation. Consult with safety officials to determine the best method for transporting each employee if necessary without his or her wheelchair. Techniques that are safe vary depending upon the size, weight, degree of mobility, etc., of the worker with a disability.

Communications limitations

• Deafness or other hearing limitations are other disabilities must be taken into consideration during an emergency.
• Assigned buddies should have a pre-determined hand gestures, facial expressions and/or body language to get the message across.
• Use a backup system of some form of prop, such as a card with the symbol of fire imprinted on it.
• Audio warning signal systems can be supplemented with visual or other sensory information.
• Supervisors and coworkers can be encouraged in taking sign language instructions.

Visual limitations

• Workers with a visual disability may be independent in an emergency situation or they may be totally dependent on a buddy to lead them to safety. Remember that even if a worker uses a guide dog, the dog may become disoriented in smoke or other emergency situations. Prior consultation and practice with each employee will determine what assistance may be needed under specific circumstances.
• Evacuation instructions can be furnished in Braille, in large type, on tape, orally or by a combination of methods. Oral instructions should only be used, however, if all workers are treated similarly (i.e., if sighted workers receive written instructions, blind employees should also receive their instructions through a more permanent medium than oral communication).
• In some instances, acoustical and tactile cues along the route of egress may be valuable. For example, tape or other tactile material such as a border placed along the corridor walls can serve as a series of directional feelers for sighted as well as visually impaired employees. In a smoke-filled, multi-storied building without interior lighting, all employees will be visually impaired.
• Alarms placed intermittently along the escape route can also provide a succession of sounds leading to safety. 

Reprinted with permission. © CCH