5.2 Emergency Management and Evacuation
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Last Modified:
20-Jul-2023
Review Date:
01-Jun-2019
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| Purpose |
To prepare for and reduce or eliminate the risk of emergencies and critical incidents by:
- carrying out risk assessment activities and prevention and planning measures on a regular basis
- maintaining accurate records
- in case of an emergency, following clearly documented and understood procedures to make sure that all children and residential care workers are safe and are accounted for, and
- that normal activities are returned to as soon as practicable.
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| Practice Requirements |
- In an emergency the main priority is to keep children and residential care workers safe.
- All residential care workers are responsible for managing emergencies and critical incidents.
- Regular risk assessments and prevention and planning measures must be carried out. Accurate records of these tasks must be maintained.
- Managers must:
- oversee the completion of all emergency prevention and planning strategies, and
- make sure that residential care workers:
- are familiar with, and able to follow emergency procedures, and
- are able to maintain accurate records.
- All residential care workers must maintain the safety of the home and grounds to minimise the risk of critical incidents and other emergencies.
- Safety and health representatives must be appointed in each residential group home.
- Workplace inspections must be conducted once a month by a safety and health representative, manager, or a designated staff member.
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Procedures- Evacuation bag
- Procedures - prevention and planning
- Emergency Records File
- Evacuation Management Plan
- Evacuation Checklist
- Workplace Inspections and Checklist
- Evacuation Drills to the assembly area
- Procedures in the event of an emergency
- 1. Responses
- 2. Recovery
- 3. Review
Evacuation bag - Resident Summary for each child
- List of emergency contacts, for example, manager (on call) and Assistant Director and Director Residential Care
- Four sleeping bags
- First Aid kit
- Five torches complete with batteries
- Four towels
- One pack D batteries
- One pack AA batteries
- Emergency provisions (food)
- Emergency clothing
- Board games
- Toiletries
- Stationery goods
Procedures - prevention and planningRegular risk assessments and prevention and planning measures must be carried out and accurate records maintained. Emergency Records FileAn Emergency Records File must be located in the staff office. It must be readily accessible to all residential care workers and maintained with up-to-date records including the following: - Evacuation Management Plan
- Evacuation Checklist
- completed Evacuation Drill records
- Workplace Inspection Checklist
- Fire Management Plan
- completed Summer Fire Prevention Strategies Checklist
- completed Mid-summer Review Checklist.
Evacuation Management PlanAn Evacuation Management Plan must be displayed clearly in the Emergency Records File and around the residential home. Evacuation ChecklistAn Evacuation Checklist must be displayed clearly in the Emergency Records File. It must clearly describe the actions children, residential care workers and visitors must follow in an emergency that requires the premises to be vacated. The Evacuation Checklist must include a site plan that identifies: - emergency exits
- the locations of emergency equipment
- locations of main power and water controls, and
- the location of the safe assembly area.
Workplace Inspections and ChecklistWorkplace inspections must be conducted once a month by a health and safety representative (HSR), manager or a designated staff member. The House Manager is responsible for ensuring the checks are completed.
The Workplace Inspection Checklist must be completed and signed by all relevant parties, emailed to the WHS Team WHSTeam@communities.wa.gov.au for recording and audit purposes, and placed in the House Emergency Records File. The HSR, manager and staff must carry out any 'actions required' identified in the workplace inspection as soon as possible. This may include contacting the Asset Maintenance team or others in order to complete actions. The date that actions are completed must be recorded on the Workplace Inspection Checklist.
Evacuation Drills to the assembly areaEvacuation drills for residential care workers, children and visitors must be conducted on a monthly basis. Drills should take place at different times of the day. The Evacuation Drill Record must be completed and signed by relevant parties, and placed in the Emergency Records File. Procedures in the event of an emergencyThe manager is responsible for managing emergencies and critical incidents. These procedures are intended to minimise injury, trauma and distress to children and residential care workers, damage to property, and to facilitate the return to normal living and care arrangements as soon as possible. If the manager is not on site the senior residential care worker is responsible. 1. ResponsesResponses may include: - Evacuation or the movement of people from a threatened area to a place of safety.
- Closure of the home, in which case the manager or delegate must notify the Director Residential Care (or nominated delegate) before the order is made to temporarily close the premises.
- Completion of a Critical Incident and Solvsafety Report, as soon as practical.
2. RecoveryRecovery consists of implementation of measures that support children and their care communities after the emergency or critical incident, and during the reconstruction of the physical infrastructure and restoration of emotional, environmental and physical wellbeing. For example, following an emergency or critical incident, the manager or nominated site manager: - takes appropriate actions to return the home or property to normal
- identifies and manages the ongoing social and psychological needs of those affected
- develops and implements medium to long-term strategies with specialist support staff, and
- modifies specific procedures of the plan as determined by the operational debriefing
3. Review Review of emergencies and critical incidents The manager organises a debriefing, where appropriate, to: - evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the Evacuation Management Plan
- openly communicate any identified issues/ faults in procedures and any suggested improvements with residential care workers and children, and
- complete and maintain all documentation associated with the management of the emergency or critical incident.
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