Tag: Severe Weather

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Severe Weather Emergency Preparedness:

Is Your Workplace Ready?

Severe weather has a funny way of making everyone an expert.

“Looks like it’s moving this way.” Apple App – Android

“Radar says we’re fine.”

“Just give it another ten minutes.”

And then suddenly everybody is looking for the weather app, the emergency contact list, and somewhere safe to go.

The problem is that severe weather is not the time to figure out your emergency plan.

Tornadoes, lightning, flooding, high winds, severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, and winter weather can create very different hazards. Your workplace emergency plan should account for the types of severe weather that could realistically affect your employees, facilities, equipment, and jobsites.

OSHA identifies natural disasters and weather events, including tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, lightning, and winter weather, as hazards that should be considered as part of emergency preparedness.

Weather Alert Technology
One of the most important preparedness efforts is being on alert to changing weather conditions. Here are a few resources we suggest:

Severe Weather Planning Starts Before the Storm

A good severe weather plan answers a few basic questions:

  • How will we know severe weather is approaching?
  • Who monitors weather conditions?
  • How will employees receive warnings?
  • Where should employees go?
  • When should outdoor work stop?
  • Who has authority to stop work?
  • How will we account for employees?
  • What happens to employees working away from the main facility?
  • What happens if employees cannot safely leave?
  • How will we communicate after the immediate threat?
  • What emergency supplies do we need?

These questions may seem simple.

They are also much easier to answer on a sunny Tuesday than during a tornado warning.

OSHA recommends planning ahead, identifying appropriate shelter or refuge areas, establishing warning systems, accounting for workers, training employees, and practicing emergency procedures.

Know Which Weather Hazards Affect Your Workplace

Not every business needs the same severe weather plan.

Your location, industry, building, employees, and work activities all matter.

Consider the severe weather hazards most likely to affect your operation.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes can develop quickly and may leave little time to react.

Your workplace should have predetermined shelter locations and a way to receive warnings.

OSHA recommends identifying a place to take shelter, monitoring community warning systems, establishing procedures to account for employees, and keeping emergency supply kits in shelter locations.

For tornado sheltering, OSHA recommends moving to an appropriate interior location, away from windows and outside walls, with underground areas providing the best protection when available.

Your plan should answer:

  • Where do employees shelter?
  • How will the warning be communicated?
  • Who initiates shelter procedures?
  • How will employees be accounted for?
  • Where do visitors and contractors go?
  • What happens if employees are working outside?
  • What happens if the normal shelter area is inaccessible?

And don’t wait until the sirens start to figure out where everybody is supposed to go.

Lightning and Severe Thunderstorms

Lightning deserves its own place in your severe weather plan, especially for outdoor workers.

Construction crews, utility workers, landscapers, event staff, road crews, and other outdoor employees can be exposed to thunderstorms while working far from a traditional office or shelter.

The National Weather Service recommends moving indoors when thunder is heard because lightning can strike well outside the immediate area of rainfall.

For outdoor operations, establish:

  • A reliable way to monitor weather
  • A designated safe shelter
  • A process for stopping outdoor work
  • A communication method for field employees
  • A procedure for determining when work can safely resume

A tent, open-sided shelter, or picnic pavilion is not the same thing as an enclosed substantial building when it comes to lightning protection.

That is an important distinction for jobsites and outdoor events.

Flooding and Flash Flooding

Flooding can create hazards both inside and outside the workplace.

Depending on the location, employees may face:

  • Rising water
  • Road closures
  • Electrical hazards
  • Contaminated floodwater
  • Structural damage
  • Equipment damage
  • Difficult emergency access
  • Employees becoming stranded at work

Your emergency plan should consider whether employees need to evacuate, shelter, or stop work before flooding becomes dangerous.

And if employees are traveling between jobsites, don’t forget about the route between the workplace and home.

A perfectly safe building doesn’t help much if the road out is already flooded.

High Winds and Severe Thunderstorms

High winds can turn ordinary workplace materials into hazards.

Outdoor equipment, temporary structures, signs, materials, ladders, debris, and unsecured objects can become dangerous when winds increase.

Before severe weather arrives, consider:

  • Securing loose materials
  • Moving equipment when appropriate
  • Protecting or relocating outdoor supplies
  • Closing doors and windows
  • Protecting critical equipment
  • Identifying areas where employees should shelter
  • Suspending outdoor work when conditions become unsafe

For construction sites, this can be especially important because conditions can change rapidly as the project progresses.

Winter Weather

Winter weather creates a different set of challenges.

Snow, ice, freezing temperatures, reduced visibility, and changing road conditions can affect both indoor and outdoor operations.

OSHA notes that employers should monitor weather conditions during winter storms, maintain reliable communication with workers, and be prepared to stop work or evacuate when necessary. OSHA also recommends training workers on cold-weather hazards and considering protective clothing and other safe work practices.

Your winter weather plan may need to address:

  • Cold stress
  • Ice and snow
  • Slippery walking surfaces
  • Travel conditions
  • Vehicle operations
  • Power outages
  • Heating failures
  • Outdoor work
  • Remote workers
  • Emergency communication

Sometimes the safest decision is simply to stop work.

Your plan should make it clear who has the authority to make that call.

Severe Weather and Construction Sites

This is where things can get complicated. Here’s a Download

A construction site may have employees spread across several areas, changing access points, temporary structures, heavy equipment, excavations, scaffolding, and materials that are not normally found in a completed building.

The safest shelter location today may not be the safest location next month.

OSHA’s construction emergency action plan requirements under 29 CFR 1926.35 include emergency escape procedures, accountability, rescue and medical duties, emergency reporting, alarm systems, evacuation procedures, and employee training.

For construction companies, severe weather planning should consider:

  • Current jobsite layout
  • Current shelter locations
  • Access roads
  • Evacuation routes
  • Temporary structures
  • Excavations and trenches
  • Cranes and equipment
  • Building materials
  • Electrical hazards
  • Weather-sensitive work
  • Subcontractors
  • Visitors
  • Remote workers
  • Emergency responder access

And remember that the plan needs to change when the jobsite changes.

What About Employees Working Outside?

This is one of the biggest gaps in many severe weather plans.

It is easy to make a plan for the people sitting inside the main building.

It’s harder when your employees are:

  • On a construction site
  • Working on utility lines
  • Driving between locations
  • Working in a warehouse yard
  • Performing road work
  • Working on rooftops
  • Inspecting outdoor equipment
  • Working in remote areas

Your severe weather plan should address how those employees will receive warnings and where they should go.

A weather alert on the office manager’s computer doesn’t help much if nobody outside knows it was issued.

Establish a Reliable Warning System

Don’t depend on one person watching the weather.

Use multiple ways to receive and communicate warnings when appropriate.

These may include:

  • Weather radios
  • Local emergency alerts
  • Wireless Emergency Alerts
  • Weather apps
  • Local television or radio
  • Outdoor warning sirens
  • Facility alarms
  • Text messages
  • Two-way radios
  • Company communication systems

OSHA recommends establishing alarm systems, testing them, and making sure warnings can reach workers, including workers with disabilities or workers who may not speak English.

The National Weather Service also recommends having multiple ways to receive weather information and being able to quickly activate your severe weather plan.

Decide Who Makes the Call

This is a big one.

Who decides when outdoor work stops?

Who tells employees to shelter?

Who contacts employees working remotely or at another jobsite?

Who communicates with emergency responders?

Who determines when employees can return to work?

If the answer is “we’ll figure it out when something happens,” that’s a gap in the plan.

Assign responsibilities ahead of time.

Also designate backups.

The person responsible for activating the emergency plan might be on vacation when the tornado warning comes through.

OSHA recommends assigning specific emergency responsibilities and training alternate personnel in case the primary person is unavailable.

Don’t Forget Accountability

Getting employees into a shelter is only part of the job.

You also need to know who is there.

Your severe weather plan should address how you will account for:

  • Employees
  • Contractors
  • Temporary workers
  • Visitors
  • Customers
  • Delivery personnel

Maintain appropriate rosters or other methods of accounting for people during an emergency.

OSHA specifically recommends procedures for accounting for workers and others during emergencies.

This becomes especially important for businesses with multiple buildings, large facilities, outdoor crews, or changing jobsites.

What Should Be in a Severe Weather Emergency Kit?

Your supplies should match the emergency.

A workplace severe weather kit may include:

  • Flashlights
  • Spare batteries
  • Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
  • First aid supplies
  • Emergency blankets
  • Drinking water
  • Basic sanitation supplies
  • Emergency contact information
  • Phone chargers or backup power
  • Weather radio
  • Protective gloves
  • Basic tools
  • High-visibility equipment for appropriate situations
  • Emergency response supplies

For tornado shelter areas, OSHA specifically recommends keeping emergency supply kits available in shelter locations.

You don’t necessarily need to turn your shelter area into a survival warehouse.

You do need enough basic supplies to support your employees if severe weather disrupts normal operations or prevents immediate access to outside assistance.

Think About What Happens After the Storm

Preparedness doesn’t stop when the weather passes.

The aftermath may create new hazards.

Employees may encounter:

  • Downed power lines
  • Broken glass
  • Structural damage
  • Floodwater
  • Debris
  • Damaged equipment
  • Unstable trees
  • Chemical releases
  • Blocked roads
  • Loss of power
  • Communication problems

Employees should not automatically assume that because the storm has passed, it is safe to go back outside and start cleaning up.

Your plan should identify who is responsible for assessing the workplace and when employees can safely return.

If the cleanup involves hazards beyond your employees’ training or capabilities, outside assistance may be necessary.

Severe Weather Drills Should Not Be a Surprise

You don’t need to create a Hollywood production every time you test your emergency plan.

But employees should know what they are supposed to do.

Practice:

  • Receiving a warning
  • Moving to the correct shelter
  • Communicating with employees
  • Accounting for personnel
  • Handling visitors and contractors
  • Contacting emergency services
  • Responding when the normal route is unavailable

OSHA recommends practicing emergency procedures and updating plans based on lessons learned from exercises.

After the drill, ask the uncomfortable questions.

Did everybody know where to go?

Could everyone hear the warning?

Did anybody have to guess what to do?

Did the accountability process work?

Did employees in the field receive the warning?

Did the plan work when the person normally responsible wasn’t available?

Those answers are valuable.

Severe Weather Emergency Preparedness Checklist

Download Link

Use this checklist as a quick starting point for your workplace:

  • Have we identified the severe weather hazards most likely to affect our workplace?
  • Do we have designated shelter locations?
  • Do employees know where those locations are?
  • Do outdoor workers know where to seek shelter?
  • Do we have multiple ways to receive weather warnings?
  • Do we have a reliable way to communicate warnings to employees?
  • Do we have procedures for visitors and contractors?
  • Do we know who is responsible for activating the emergency plan?
  • Do we have backup personnel assigned?
  • Can we account for employees during an emergency?
  • Do we have emergency supplies available?
  • Are flashlights and batteries checked regularly?
  • Do we have first aid supplies readily available?
  • Have we addressed severe weather at each active jobsite?
  • Do we have procedures for stopping outdoor work?
  • Do employees know when they are expected to evacuate or shelter?
  • Have we practiced our severe weather procedures?
  • Do we review and update the plan when conditions change?

The Bottom Line

Severe weather preparedness is not about predicting exactly when the next storm will arrive.

It is about being ready when it does.

Your workplace may face tornadoes, lightning, flooding, high winds, winter weather, or several of these hazards throughout the year.

The specific weather may change.

The need for a plan does not.

Know the hazards. Know the warning system. Know where to go. Know who is responsible. Know how you will account for your people.

And most importantly, make sure your employees know the plan before they need it.

Because “Everybody just do what feels right” is not an emergency procedure.

Need Help Getting Prepared?

Southern Safety Supply carries first aid, emergency response, spill response, PPE, emergency lighting, weather-related safety supplies, and other equipment that can help support your workplace emergency plan.

We can help you look at your workplace, jobsite, or operation and identify the supplies that make sense for your specific needs.

And once you have the supplies, don’t forget to maintain them.

That’s one reason we created NEVER OUT™ Inventory Management. Regular inventory checks help keep essential safety supplies stocked, organized, and ready instead of discovering they’re missing when you need them.

Keep Building Your Emergency Preparedness Plan

This article is part of our National Preparedness Month workplace safety series.

Continue reading:

Don’t forget to download our Workplace Emergency Preparedness Checklist to help identify gaps in your current emergency plan.