Emergency Response Plan: Suspicious Substances and Packages

The Emergency Response Plans are designed to protect all employees during emergencies. It is important to thoroughly understand proper precautions and procedures to avoid conflict and any additional hazards. 

For your reference, the Genera safety team and their extensions are listed on the right-hand side of this blog.

If you come in contact with a suspicious substance and or package, please engage in the follow procedures:

1.) Notify police, fire warden/supervisor, and building services.
2.) Clear individuals and items from the immediate area around the package(s)
3.) Cordon the area uising a barrier, tape, or signs
4.) Keep people a minimum of 15 feet away from the package(s) at all times.
5.) Make surrounding areas easily and readily accessibly to proper authorities.
6.) Contact the addressee and obtain the following information:
                      -Do you know the sender? (Is name, company, address familiar?)
                      -If so, are you expecting a letter/package from them?
                      -If expected, do you know the physical contents included?
7.) If the sender is unknown, ask:
              -Are you expecting any business correspondence from the sender?
                       -Would you be expecting any personal mail from (city/country)
                       -Have you returned anything for repair?
                       -Think of any other reason you might be expecting mail from this sender/city/country
8.) If the package is suspect, immediately call the police and Building Services
9.) Be prepared to report all information obtained to local authorities when they arrive.

Important to remember:
DO NOT open or move the package
DO NOT touch or handle the package
DO NOT soak in water or anything else
DO NOT put into confidence space (filing cabinet, desk drawer, etc.) 

Emergency Response Plan: Threats and Threatening Phone Calls

The Emergency Response Plans are designed to protect all employees during emergencies. It is important to thoroughly understand proper precautions and procedures to avoid conflict and any additional hazards. 

For your reference, the Genera safety team and their extensions are listed on the right-hand side of this blog.

How to handle threatening phone calls, bomb threats, and/or any other type of harmful threat:

1.) Ensure that employees who answer the phone keep a Bomb Threat Checklist near their phone.

2.) Record what the call said as quickly as possible using the Bomb Threat Checklist.

3.) Dial 9-1-1 or signal someone near you to call if you specifically are unable to do so.

4.) Make an effort to hear the entire message and remember exact wording used.

5.) Be alert for any background noises or sounds and attempt to identify caller. 

6.) Communicate all pertinent details and circumstances to Liz (Office Manager), the police and Building Services. 

7.) Be prepared to evacuate the building upon direction from proper authorities. 

For more safety and crime information, please visit the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department website here. 

Emergency Response Plan: Severe and Dangerous Weather

The Emergency Response Plans are designed to protect all employees during emergencies. It is important to thoroughly understand proper precautions and procedures to avoid conflict and any additional hazards. 

For your reference, the Genera safety team and their extensions are listed on the right-hand side of this blog.

What to do during severe and dangerous weather:

• When notified of a hurricane, tornado, high winds, severe storms, or lightning, the Fire Warden should:
• Notify all individuals of the warning via email. (Liz will do this as well)
• Circulate through the office/floor to verify everyone has been notified
• Advise individuals to move away from windows to places of maximum protection (e.g. interior room, break room, centrally located conference room, or stairwell). 
• Lower and close all blinds.
• Have assigned assistants help special needs personnel in moving to protected locations and move to stairwell landing if necessary. 
• During snow, ice, or any other hazardous weather that can be dangerous for driving on the roads, please use extra caution and never put yourself at risk for an accident. During chances of this type of weather happening, please call the Genera weather hotline before coming to work. 

Emergency Response Plan: Medical Emergency

The Emergency Response Plans are designed to protect all employees during emergencies. It is important to thoroughly understand proper precautions and procedures to avoid conflict and any additional hazards. 

For your reference, the Genera safety team and their extensions are listed on the right-hand side of this blog.

What to do during a medical emergency:

• Call 9-1-1 for medical assistance.
• Do only what is necessary to stabilize the individual.
• Contact Building Services to report the incident.
• Appoint someone to stand outside and direct the ambulance, fire, and/or other emergency responders to the correct location. 
• Keep area clear of unnecessary bystanders and observers. 

It is important to remember safety and preventing hazards within our Genera office as well. All of our office doors remain locked with authorized personnel having an assigned fob for entrance. If you are approached by someone requesting entrance who is not an employee of Genera, contact Liz so she can ensure it is a scheduled guest and assist.

Emergency Response Plan: Hazardous Conditions

The Emergency Response Plans are designed to protect all employees during emergencies. It is important to thoroughly understand proper precautions and procedures to avoid conflict and any additional hazards. 

For your reference, the Genera safety team and their extensions are listed on the right-hand side of this blog.

What to do during hazardous conditions:

• Report the following conditions to Building Services immediately:
• Unusual odors or sounds
• Suspicious persons
• Acts of indications of vandalism
• Evidence of damaged property, especially fire safety equipment such as extinguishers.
• Any other safety hazards

It is important to remember safety and preventing hazards within our Genera office as well. All of our office doors remain locked with authorized personnel having an assigned fob for entrance. If you are approached by someone requesting entrance who is not an employee of Genera, contact Liz so she can ensure it is a scheduled guest and assist.

Emergency Response Plan: Fire

The Emergency Response Plans are designed to protect all employees during emergencies. It is important to thoroughly understand proper precautions and procedures to avoid conflict and any additional hazards. 

For your reference, the Genera safety team and their extensions are listed on the right-hand side of this blog.

What do during during a fire:

1. Activate the fire alarm pull station located near each stairwell door.
2. Direct employees and visitors to evacuate the building.
3. Call 911 to report the fire.
4. Contact Building Services to report the fire.
5. Once everyone has gathered at the designated Assembly Point, account for all individuals. 
6. Do not allow anyone to re-enter the building until a local authority has given the order to return. 

Emergency Response Plan: Evacuation

The Emergency Response Plans are designed to protect all employees during emergencies. It is important to thoroughly understand proper precautions and procedures to avoid conflict and any additional hazards. 

For your reference, the Genera safety team and their extensions are listed on the right-hand side of this blog.

How to properly evacuate: 

1.  As soon as you hear the fire alarm or order to evacuate, immediately evacuate the building via the stairwells. Never use the elevators during an emergency.
2. Fire Warden's should aid in the evacuation of the building by directing others to the stairwells and out of the building. Fire Warden's should also check each office and close the door once the office is clear. Please leave the office doors unlocked, and quickly check the restrooms (if applicable). 
3. Fire Warden's should station persons unable to exit via the stairs (i.e. handicapped person) in the stairwell landing and notify the fire department and Building Services of their location. 
4. During an evacuation drill or actual emergency evacuation, please gather all employees at your designated Assembly Point, which must be one hundred feet from the building. 
5. Do not allow anyone to re-enter the building until a local authority has given the order to return. 

Emergency Response Plan: Any Emergency

Over the course of the next few of months, the Genera Solutions blog will be emphasizing handling emergency office situations and dedicating a blog post specifically to each of the issues. 

These plans are designed to protect all employees during emergencies. To begin this series, below are basic guidelines to follow during any emergency that may happen during office hours.

For your reference, the Genera safety team and their extensions are listed on the right-hand side of this blog.

• Remain calm. Panic can cause more damage than the emergency itself.
• Call 9-1-1 and relate all pertinent information (address, office number, name, etc.)
• Do not become a spectator. Go away from-- not towards, the problem area. Avoid getting in the way of emergency personnel.
• Follow directions of those in charge of the situation.
• If necessary, evacuate your office area and the building. Evacuation route plans indicating exits are located in each elevator lobby.
• Report any special assistance requests to Building Services. 
• If possible, confirm that the floor is clear of personnel by walking the floor after evacuation. Close all doors, but do not lock them. 

Next week we will explain how to properly evacuate.