Shelter in Place

In some emergency situations, the safest thing to do is to remain indoors in a protected area. While we often hear of building evacuations, sometimes leaving the building could be more dangerous than staying inside. In many such situations, local officials may even mandate shelter in place as a course of action. Regardless of why the decision to shelter in place is made, it's important to have a plan for this action. This week's articles can help you develop your own shelter-in-place plan or perhaps beef yours up if necessary.

OSHA offers specific procedures for shelter-in-place at a worksite. (Item #1)   Here's a sample shelter-in-place plan that you can use as a model for yours. (Item #2)   Here's what landlords need to know in order to comply with a shelter-in-place order. (Item #3)  

Shelter-in-place situations occur more often than you might think... check this list. (Item #4)   Breaking down a BCP into 10 key steps can help facility professionals develop a plan that will best prepare their organizations to resume normal operations as quickly as possible after disaster strikes. (Item #5)   Emergency Evacuation Planning is something quite specific and should not be mistaken for the more general subject of emergency planning. (Item #6)  

As always, we look forward to hearing your comments & insights regarding business continuity. If you have a topic you'd like us to cover, email me at [email protected].

Bob Mellinger, President
Attainium Corp

1. Shelter-in-place procedures

If you intend to include a shelter-in-place option in your emergency plan, be sure to keep the following in mind: implement a means of alerting your employees to shelter-in-place that is easily distinguishable from that used to signal an evacuation, and train employees in the OSHA shelter-in-place procedures (in this article) and their roles in implementing them.
https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/evacuation/shelterinplace.html#procedures

2. Shelter in place at your office

This guide provides an example of a plan that a business could develop for shelter in place actions. You should develop your own plan with an employee planning team. This plan can be used to assist in developing your own plan.
http://www.emd.wa.gov/about/documents/Business_ShelterInPlaceAtYourOffice.pdf

3. Shelter-in-Place Orders: What Must a Landlord Do?

Property owners, including landlords, must cooperate with shelter-in-place orders by letting people take shelter at their property. For example, if a plane carrying hazardous materials crashes or a chemical plant catches fire, authorities may instruct nearby property and business owners to allow the public to shelter-in-place on their property. It's important for landlords to be familiar with their shelter-in-place obligations because providing shelter at a residential property requires the cooperation of employees, tenants, and any visitors who happen to be on the property at the time of the emergency.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/shelter-in-place-landlord-duties-29877.html

4. Shelter-in-Place Orders Aren't That Uncommon

It's not always shooters. Chemical leaks, refinery problems, and fires have all prompted authorities to ask citizens not leave their homes. Last year's shutdown of Boston and surrounding towns is exceptional in scope - but the request itself isn't that uncommon. A quick survey of Google News reports over the past two decades presented a number of instances in which municipalities or colleges called for the same sort of safety precaution that's took place in Boston..
http://www.thewire.com/national/2013/04/small-scale-shelter-place-orders-arent-uncommon/64402/

5. An Easy Way to Remember Shelter in Place

There's often confusion regarding shelter in place vs lockdown. Safe Schools publishes this information sheet with an easy way to tell the difference between Lockdown and Shelter-in-Place: determine the threat! Lockdown is designed to respond to the threat of a human perpetrator, Shelter-in-Place responds to the threat of an airborne cloud of toxic agent.
http://www.dodea.edu/Offices/Safety/upload/200910_SSN_LockdownVSshelter.pdf

6. Shelter-in-Place, Five Critical Actions for your Business

Through proper shelter-in-place planning, a business can improve its response to these dangers, offer additional protection for its employees and reduce the business recovery time from an incident. The five following items should be considered when developing a shelter-in-place plan.
http://safetymax.com/blog/shelter-in-place-plan/