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Emergency planning for workers with disabilities
On October 20, many workplaces will be participating in the province-wide earthquake preparedness drill, the Great BC Shakeout. How many of those organizations have an emergency plan that considers the needs of workers with disabilities?
Researchers Karen Martin and Margaret Birrell, with the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (BCCPD), asked that question in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
With funding from WorkSafeBC’s Research Secretariat, the pair set out to review workplace emergency planning practices in B.C. to gauge their ability to serve people with disabilities. They found that general workplace emergency plans did not address the needs of people with disabilities, and put workers at risk.
Based on the findings, Martin developed a practical handbook to help employers create and implement inclusive emergency plans. To date, they have distributed more than 1,800 copies of the handbook.
Examples of how disabilities affect emergency planning:
- The deaf and hard of hearing — may not have the ability to hear or react to emergency warning systems or aural instructions.
- Visual disabilities — will affect a person’s ability to identify escape routes, directional information, instructions, objects or hazards. This will increase their evacuation time.
- Mobility disabilities — may affect a person’s ability to independently leave the worksite, use stairs or open doors.
- Respiratory disabilities — may affect a person’s ability to walk long distances, and perform tasks that require excessive physical activity, such as evacuating a building. These limitations may be exacerbated by smoke, dust, fumes, and chemicals.
- Speech disabilities (such as difficulties with articulation, voice strength, language expression or total loss of speech) — will affect a person’s ability to communicate during an emergency.
- Cognitive disabilities — may affect a person’s ability to respond to emergencies in the following ways: memory loss, problems with orientation, distractibility, perception, and difficulty thinking logically.
- Mental illness or mental disorders (health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood or behaviour) — may be exacerbated in an emergency situation.
Links:
- Research: Workplace Emergency Planning Inclusive of People with Disabilities
- Employer handbook: Workplace Emergency Planning for Workers with Disabilities Handbook
- WorkSafeBC Regulation: Employers’ Emergency Preparedness and response
For more information on this or other topics, please contact:
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Megan Johnston |
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