Disaster and Emergency Preparedness


                       A SAFETY TALK FOR

                      DISCUSSION LEADERS



This safety talk is designed for discussion leaders to use in

preparing safety meetings.



Set a specific time and date for your safety meeting.  Publicize

your meeting so everyone involved will be sure to attend.



Review this safety talk before the meeting and become familiar with

its content.  Make notes about the points made in this talk that

pertain to your workplace.  You should be able to present the

material in your own words and lead the discussion without reading

it.



Seating space is not absolutely necessary, but arrangements should

be made so that those attending can easily see and hear the

presentation.



Collect whatever materials and props you will need ahead of time. 

Try to use equipment in your workplace to demonstrate your points.





                      DURING THE MEETING



Give the safety talk in your own words.  Use the printed talk

merely as a guide.



The purpose of a safety meeting is to initiate discussion of safety

problems and provide solutions to those problems.  Encourage

employees to discuss hazards or potential hazards the encounter on

the job. Ask them to suggest ways to improve safety in their area.



Don't let the meeting turn into a gripe session about unrelated

topics.  As discussion leader, its your job to make sure the topic

is safety.  Discussing other topics wastes time and can ruin the

effectiveness of your safety meeting.



At the end of the meeting, ask employees to sign a sheet on the

back of this talk as a record that they attended the safety

meeting.  Keep this talk on file for your records.















Disaster and Emergency Preparedness



NOTE TO DISCUSSION LEADER:



Bring a copy of your institution's disaster plan so employees can

recognize it and review a copy later.



No one likes to think about disasters. We tend to think they won't

happen to us. But the truth is, disasters do happen, often when we

least expect them. It takes a little time to become familiar with

what you should do in response to a disaster. Your response in a

disaster situation could mean the difference between life and

death, not just for you, but for many others as well.



Disasters are of two basic types: internal and external. Do you

know the difference between the two? Can you give examples of each?

Fire, radiological mishaps and severe weather conditions are

examples of internal disasters. Civil disturbances and airplane

crashes are examples of external disasters; they result in a large

influx of patients to hospitals in areas where they occur.



Fire, electrical power loss, severe weather conditions and bomb

threats are some of the more frequent types of disasters we must

cope with in hospitals. How many of you are familiar with the

hospital's written procedures for these disasters?



What should you be doing to plan for disasters?



ù Familiarize yourself with the disaster plan and review it

frequently. Know what actions you and others working in your

immediate environment should take in response to the various types

of disasters in the plan.



ù Participate in emergency/disaster drills; they are a very

important part of planning for disasters. In fact, the very best

plans may not be helpful at all if they are not rehearsed.



ù In the event that a disaster does occur, carry out your responsi-

bilities as indicated by the disaster plan without delay; be alert

for additional instructions.



NOTE TO DISCUSSION LEADER:



At this time, you should show employees a copy of the disaster plan

and tell them where copies are kept so they can review the plan.

You should list the types of disasters discussed and describe the

signal used on the public address system to identify the type of

disaster.



We won't have time today to discuss the proper responses to each

type of disaster; however, we will mention briefly two types of

disaster situations: tornadoes, because they occur infrequently and

we tend not to think much about them, and bomb threats, because

they are not announced on the public address system by means of a

signal, as the other types of disasters are.



TORNADOES



Who knows the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado

warning? Tornado watches are announced by weather stations when

conditions in the area are right for the development of a tornado.

This announcement does not mean that a tornado is on the way. If a

tornado watch is announced, you should close drapes in your work

area--this is to prevent flying glass and objects from hitting

people if a tornado develops; be alert for further instructions.

If a tornado warning is issued, you should move patients to

interior corridors and close doors to rooms that have windows. You

should remain in the interior corridors and w~it for further

instructions. Should conditions require it, you may be requested to

move patients to lower levels of the building.



BOMB THREATS



Ninety-nine percent of all bomb threats are just that--threats. But

because there is no way of knowingwhether an actual bomb exists, we

must take precautions when any bomb threat is received. If you

receive a bomb threat on the telephone, here is what you should do:



- Keep the caller on the phone as long as possible and signal to

someone else to notify the hospital operator on another line that

a bomb threat is being made.



ù Try to get information about the bomb from the caller, such as

the type of bomb -and where it is located, but don't be "pushy."



ù Avoid excitement in your voice.



ù Write down a detailed account of the call and deliver it to

security immediately. The account should include: time of call,

voice quality, an accent (if noted), and slurred speech, (suggest-

ing influence of alcohol or drugs).



ù Keep the call confidential, unless you are directed by security

officers to do otherwise. Bomb threats, understandably, tend to

make people panic.



ù Report any suspicious-looking devices to security. Explosive

devices can have a variety of appearances, depending upon whether

they are military (rare), commercial or homemade. Do not touch

suspicious-looking devices.



We can never predict with certainty when disasters will occur. All

we can do is attempt to minimize damage to life and property. The

hospital administration is responsible for formulating a well-

developed plan for each type of disaster that may be encountered,

and your responsibility is to be thoroughly familiar with each plan

so you can carry out the plan immediately. Remember, your life and

the lives of others depend on it..
.

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