TOOLBOX TALK

Emergencies are a part of life and they can happen anytime whether at work, home, on the road or in your community. So preparing for them ahead of time is the only sure way to take the sting out of what impact or effect they may be packing wherever, wherever. For an office block for example your Emergency Response Plan (ERP) should include the following: * Begin by drawing up emergency evacuation plans for each floor and make sure that they are conspicuously displayed for all to see * Ensure they are simple and easy to read and understand * Boldly mark the location of exits and fire/emergency appliances clearly * Appoint designated Fire/Emergency Wardens or Superintendents for each floor and assign specific emergency roles/duties * Train all occupants on orderly evacuation of the building in an emergency and post directional signs to designated safe muster zones for head count * Train occupants to avoid the temptation of trying to retrieve or save their valuables ...

  Once there has been some major occurrence with serious impact on people, assets and the environment, the next best thing from onlookers is to ask what caused it. Well truth is try as you will, there's never been just that single cause of any accident, be it at home, work, play or in the community. What usually happens is that a chain of seemingly small and inconsequential and unrelated events gang up over a space of time to explode in that single forceful reckoning commonly referred to as an accident. What caused it? The real failing is us not recognizing what is ahead after the series of inconsequential, unrelated events or subtle warning signs that intrude on our set daily routine. Take a simple case of a vehicle, dripping brake fluid from a pinhole leak in the hose connecting the reservoir to the chamber. Most drivers will be aware of it happening but will fail to grasp its ultimate importance to their own safety. Or better still, some will be willing to take a chance ...