Every company needs to be ready to safely evacuate their employees in the event of an emergency - are you ready? While it might not be a pleasant thing to think about now, it could save a life, and there are legal obligations from a workplace safety perspective that need to be fulfilled.
Keep reading to learn more about the important role evacuation chairs can play in your emergency plan for an emergency procedure.
What Evacuation Chairs Do
When people need to evacuate a building, taking the elevator is dangerous, but people with mobility issues may struggle with stairs in multi-storey buildings unless they have the proper assistance. Thankfully Evacuscape is here to help by providing the equipment required to help get everyone out to safety quickly and comfortably.
Evacuation chairs help people with disabilities or mobility issues escape to safety. They are advanced pieces of equipment with wheels rugged enough to handle stairs comfortably, rubber material that prevents slipping, and sophisticated brake systems to ensure every step taken is controlled.
Who Uses an Evacuation Chair?
There are many reasons a person may not be able to get down the stairs safely and quickly enough in an emergency. People who may need an evacuation chair may include the following:
- People with disabilities
- Seniors
- People with injuries
- Pregnant people
Together, this makes up a larger percentage of your workforce than you may think. Any employee may potentially need this level of assistance if they were to get injured at work or outside the workplace.
The UK, Canada, and the US have laws about workplace safety, so check the local bylaws in your area to make sure you are complying.
Make a Route
Owning an evacuation chair isn't enough: you need to anticipate what the emergency exit route will be and make sure that there's a clear path to the ground level exit. Also, employees should be familiar with this route to ensure they can exit safely.
Uncertainty can slow down your exit, and you can't waste any time when there's a real emergency taking place. Your employees need to have their training to kick in instinctively, so people can calmly and safely exit the building. Make sure that the equipment is in good condition periodically, staff know what to do in the event of an emergency, and that the exit route is clear.
Safety is the Law
In Canada, for example, section 125 of the Canadian Labour Code mandates that your building or company needs to be appropriately equipped with safety gear in the event of an emergency. Besides, evacuation chairs are all about universal design, and the principle that guarantees a workplace is safe means ensuring it's accessible and safe for everybody.
Every work environment needs to be prepared for emergencies in a way that takes everybody's safety into account. Having an evacuation chair and a plan for a safe exit during an emergency is something every business needs, because it could just save a life one day.
