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How
should I prepare if my company has a credible
risk of anthrax exposure?
The following information
will help you prepare for potential emergencies
if you determine that your facility fits into the
Yellow or Red Zones on the Anthrax
Risk Reduction Matrix (such as if your facility
has a credible risk of anthrax exposure):
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| Emergency Action Plan |
| An emergency
action plan (EAP) describes the actions
employees should take to ensure their safety
if a fire or other emergency situation
occurs. Well-developed emergency plans
and proper employee training (such that
employees understand their roles and responsibilities
within the plan) will result in fewer and
less severe employee injuries and less
structural damage to the facility during
emergencies. A poorly prepared plan is
likely to lead to a disorganized evacuation
or emergency response, resulting in confusion,
injury, and property damage. If your facility
fits into the Yellow Zone on the Anthrax
Risk Reduction Matrix (such as if your
facility has |
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a credible risk of anthrax
exposure), you should add anthrax-specific information
to your EAP. This may include:
- Emergency identification: Provide
guidance on how to recognize a potential emergency
situation (such as an anthrax threat or release,
suspicious mail, etc.).
- Initial actions: Upon
identification of a potential anthrax threat
or release:
- Do not panic.
- Isolate contaminated areas.
- Minimize exposure to others.
- Turn off local fans or ventilation units
and shut down the air handling system in
the building, if possible.
- Keep track of people who may have come
into contact with the anthrax. Give this
list to both the local public health authorities
and law enforcement officials.
- Notify the proper authorities once
the area has been isolated.
- Call 9-1-1 for
local fire and law enforcement assistance.
Call the Federal Protective Service if
your building is managed by GSA.
- Notify the National
Response Center at (800)424-8802.
The NRC will notify the appropriate parties
responsible for aiding in mitigation
of these events.
- Contact the owner or operator of the
facility.
- Notification: A
description of the alarm system to be used
to notify employees (including disabled employees)
to evacuate and/or take other actions.
- Evacuation policy: An
evacuation policy, procedures, and escape route
assignments so employees understand who is
authorized to order an evacuation, under what
conditions an evacuation would be necessary,
how to evacuate, and what routes to take.
- Account for employees: Procedures
to account for employees after the evacuation
to ensure that everyone got out.
- Organizational structure: Define
an organizational structure that defines the
roles and responsibilities of employees in
the event of an emergency.
- Employee training: A
description of how employees will be informed
of the contents of the plan and trained in
their roles and responsibilities.
- Contact information: The
names, titles, departments, and phone numbers
of employees who can be contacted for additional
information or clarification of some aspect
of the plan.
- Off-hour contacts: A
list of key personnel who should be contacted
during off-hours emergencies.
- Emergency drills: Conduct
emergency drills to help ensure that the actions
outlined in the EAP are carried out properly
and safely.
The following eTool link
provides information on how to write and implement
an EAP (including OSHA's Expert System, which will
help you write your own EAP):
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| Mail-handling
Procedures |
In
light of the terrorist attacks involving anthrax
being transported through mail and packages,
mail handling has become a concern for many employees
and facilities. If your facility fits into
the Yellow Zone of the Anthrax
Risk Reduction Matrix (your facility has
a credible risk of anthrax exposure), the following
mail-handling information may be useful:
- Updated
Information About How To Recognize and
Handle a Suspicious Package or Envelope,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) Health Advisory,Distributed via
the Health Alert Network October 31,
2001, 96 KB PDF,2
pages. This information supplements CDC’s
recommendations for recognizing and handling
suspicious
packages or envelopes that were published
as a CDC Health Advisory on October 27,
2001, and
replaces information about identifying
suspicious packages that was published
as a Health
Advisory on October 12, 2001.
- If
you receive a suspicious letter or package,
what should you do?, Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Advisory
Poster,General Information Bulletin 2000-3,
288 KB PDF,
1 page. Informative brochure on what
to do if you recieve a suspicous package,
and the contact information of the appropriate
authorities once a threat is identified.
- United States Postal Service, Mail
Center Security Website.
- Public Health Foundation, Bioterrorism/Emergency
Preparedness, Video: Protecting
Your Health for People Who Process, Sort,
and Deliver the Mail
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Upon discovery of a suspicious
package, the facility's Emergency
Action Plan should be implemented.
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