What actions should employers take to help ensure safe evacuations of high-rise buildings?
• Don’t lock fire exits or block doorways, halls, or stairways. • Test regularly all back-up systems and safety systems, such as emergency lighting and communication systems , and repair them as needed. • Develop a workplace evacuation plan, post it prominently on each floor, and review it periodically to ensure its effectiveness. • Identify and train floor wardens, including back-up personnel, who will be responsible for sounding alarms and helping to evacuate employees. • Conduct emergency evacuation drills periodically. • Establish designated meeting locations outside the building for workers to gather following an evacuation. The locations should be safe distance from the building and in an area where people can assemble safely without interfering with emergency response teams. • Identify personnel with special needs or disabilities who may need help evacuating and assign one or more people, including back-up personnel, to help them. • Ensure that during off-hour periods, systems a
