Regardless of what industry you’re in - education, healthcare, manufacturing, government, corporate enterprise, or hospitality - communicating effectively with busy staff and employees can always be a challenge. The stakes increase when an unexpected emergency situation occurs. In today’s society, people expect to be notified and to be provided guidance on what they should and shouldn’t do when these emergency situations transpire. In any business, of course, exceeding your people’s expectations is paramount.
However, it’s not just about exceeding employee and visitor expectations; any place of work, play, or leisure is required to meet the legal requirements to warn employees, staff, and visitors to the recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. If there are minors on the property - like in healthcare centers, daycare at a business, youth programs at a venue - there is an increased organizational responsibility. These legal obligations, with the goal of reducing the severity of accidents and injuries, require organizations to ensure systems and procedures are in place to notify everyone to emergencies.
For instance, under the OSHA General Duty Clause, organizations must now address the recognized hazard of an aggressive intruder or active shooter who means to do harm to people in a work setting. This type of scenario can no longer be viewed as something “that won’t happen at my place of work - and I need not plan, notify, and respond.” Other recognized crises, hazards, and exposures that organizations, should or are required to alert their people to are chemical spills, fires, general security notices, severe weather, closures, terrain issues, utility outages, and the presence of dangerous animals.
Although notifying your people is required and is expected, there are many operational efficiencies that to be gained by implementing systems and procedures that set the tone for safety and mitigation of hazards risk across the organization. It can reduce actual losses, remain operational while protecting the brand, and, ultimately, ensure the survival of the organization - if the worst were to happen.
Whether you’re an office building, university, or laboratory, you should be equipped with an emergency notification solution that ensures every critical communication reaches every person, no matter where they are and what they are doing - whether that be via text, email, voice calls, digital signage, social media, mobile apps, or sirens.
Regardless of the compliance requirements and the operational benefits - reinforcing your staff and visitor trust and appreciation by ensuring the organization has their best interest in mind can have positive implications for the health of the organization. Bringing those emergency plans to life can do just that.
Download the white paper Alerting is Not Enough to learn about new technological advancements in emergency notifications as well as methods necessary for a successful emergency response plan.
