Emergency Planning in Food Processing and Handling Environments

This course provides a comprehensive overview of workplace emergency preparedness, covering how to develop, implement, and practice an effective emergency action plan. Employees will gain a thorough understanding of the types of emergencies that can occur in an industrial setting, how to respond to them, and how individual participation contributes to overall facility safety.

Course Highlights

• Emergency Action Plans: Learn what an emergency action plan is, what it must contain, and how a crisis management team — drawing from multiple departments and outside agencies — develops and maintains it.
• Types of Emergencies: Explore the wide range of emergencies a facility may face, including fires, gas leaks, chemical spills, equipment failures, natural disasters, medical incidents, terrorist attacks, and active shooter situations.
• Terrorist Threat Assessment: Understand OSHA’s Evacuation Planning Matrix and how it helps facilities assess their risk level — green, yellow, or red zone — based on vulnerability, target preference, and potential impact to the facility and surrounding community.
• Active Shooter Response: Review the Run, Hide, Fight framework, including how to practice situational awareness, safely interact with responding law enforcement, and take immediate protective action.
• Stopping the Domino Effect: Discover strategies for containing emergencies — such as fires, chemical releases, and equipment failures — before they escalate and spread from one area of a facility to another.
• Preventive Maintenance and Hazard Identification: Learn how thinking like an emergency planner — asking “what if” questions and identifying warning signs such as leaky valves, flammable material buildup, or compromised security doors — can prevent incidents before they occur.
• Hazardous Materials Procedures: Understand when and how to secure hazardous materials into safety containers, initiate chemical spill cleanup procedures, and shut down production lines or cut power to prevent escalation.
• Drills and Exercises: Understand the value of both tabletop drills and live facility-wide exercises, including how they are conducted, who participates, and how post-exercise reviews drive plan improvements.
• Evacuation Procedures: Review the importance of knowing alarm meanings, exit locations, alternate escape routes, marshalling points, and head count procedures.
• Reporting and Communication: Learn how to properly report facility changes, communicate during an emergency, and handle interactions with news media.

By the end of the course, you will have learned:

• The key components of a comprehensive emergency action plan and how it is developed and kept current
• How to assess your facility’s risk for terrorist activity using OSHA’s Evacuation Planning Matrix
• How to respond to an active shooter situation using the Run, Hide, Fight approach and how to safely interact with law enforcement upon their arrival
• How to recognize warning signs of potential emergencies and apply “what if” thinking to identify hazards before they escalate
• The importance of preventive maintenance, accurate repair recordkeeping, and timely reporting of physical changes to your facility
• When to secure hazardous materials, initiate spill cleanup procedures, shut down equipment, and cut power to prevent an emergency from worsening
• How tabletop and live emergency drills are conducted and how to use post-exercise critiques to strengthen your facility’s preparedness
• Your individual responsibilities during an emergency, including evacuation procedures, head counts, and proper handling of media inquiries