Emergency Response Management Plan

Student’s Name

Institution

Introduction
An emergency management plan can be said to be a kind of action that is developedto mitigate any damage that may result to malfunction of an organization (McGreevey & Alkenbrack, 2010). The management plan should provide safety of the personnel and the property of the industry or organization. In addition, the plan should come up with a procedure on how to eliminate the problematic issue. When an emergency occurs, the very first to focus on is life safety. After making sure that everyone is secure, the issue that follows is stabilization of the incident that has occurred. In this management plan, I choose to peg my attention on theconstruction industry. Construction is a global industry where one can be called anywhere in the world to deliver services.
Overview of a construction industry
Construction sector comprises many activities that involve construction, alteration and repair. It is a high hazard industry. It includes roadway paving, residential construction, demolitions, bridge erection, excavation and much more.The workers who involve themselves in constructionusually expose themselves to hazards. For example, some workers may be struck by heavy construction equipment, electrocutions, asbestos may affect themand failing rooftops may strike them and many other hazards.In this kind of industry, one can be called upon to do the job anywhere. The workers are therefore subjected to insecurity. Therefore, during the moment of any emergency issue, there should be a way on how to deal with it to rescue the workers. The emergency response plan is coming up with will give us a clear way on how to handle such situations which may affect the well-being of the workers negatively.

Pandemic Risks
In road construction, pandemic risks are inevitable and inherent in turn causing death threats and reduction of the effectiveness of the employees, managers and the community around the construction site. A pandemic risk is a disease that is rapidly spreading and mostly poses a global threat, economic and social chaos (Fagel, 2013). It is worth to mention that construction sites are prone to dangers such as diseases, collapse, vibration, water, storm and fire. These pandemics usually bring a severe upset to the operations of a business-disrupting supply chain and increasing absenteeism of the workers (O’Hair & Heath, 2010). To manage threats that are caused by a pandemic is very critical for the survival of business. A continuity plan for the business will help one to achieve any impact of a pandemic. By doing so, it will help to ensure the safety of the staff and meeting the legal obligations of your staff (Kisilev & Neville, 2010).In this emergency response plan, the industry will describe measures on how to respond in case of a pandemic risk. The industry will set out recovery plans and in turn define some procedures and policies to manage staff and communication.

A pandemic like an outbreak of a disease can affect the business greatly. During construction of roads, the workers can go to any place where the road has to pass through (Haight, 2013). Most of the areas where they go they may be affected by various diseases. For instance, if there is an outbreak of a disease like Flu (Human Influenza) this can disrupt the way the work will be done. Human Influenza of type A is the one that causes a pandemic. When there is an outbreak of this pandemic, it can result in an emergency so as the workers can get the required medication. Every business should come up with a plan for pandemic risk management. The plan should start as early as possible. It should be geared by the four phases of pandemic planning. The four phases include prevention, preparedness, response and finally recovery. The proposed actions at all cost should comply with the existing relations for the workplace and the safety frameworks.

Influenza normally called flu is a respiratory illness that is very much contagious. A virus called influenza causes it. It mainly affects throat, nose, and lungs (Staniland, Hoffman, & Dingwall, 2013). This disease is a killer disease. Those who have the infection usually have a fever, stuffy nose, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea, headaches and coughing among others. If anyone in the workplace is suspected to have such an infection, he/she should be treated immediately. Failure to do so, he may infect all the other workers resulting to the pandemic (Kahn, 2012). The flu can be passed from one person to another through sneezing, touching a surface that has that virus or even being exposed to a person with such an infection. In a workplace, the workers should be treated well against this kind of infection. In the construction industry, an outbreak of such an infection may cause deaths of many people.

How Pandemic results to Emergency
Due to the change in the environments, we have experienced severe diseases out breaking and clearing these people before the cure for the disease is known. The outbreak of a disease the swine flu (H1N1) virus for instance, has detrimental impacts on the workers and managers in the construction site (Eidson & Reese, 2010). In this context, the pandemic impairs the functionability of the workers, social disruption and deathwhen in extremes. The outbreak of the flu spread very fast to the rest of the members including the community around the site. In such a situation, the pandemic leads to an emergency because of the vulnerability of the immune system. When there is such a kind of an outbreak, the organization should have means on how to deal with the flu before it clears all the workers in the industry. Therefore, this calls for an emergency response management plan.
Impacts of Pandemic Flu in Workplace
A pandemic is a disease that when it outbreaks may have a global effect. Mostly, a pandemic flu virus may occur and this affects people has they have less immunity or not immunity at all for the virus (Oldstone & Compans, 2014). The influenza virus when it emerges in an organization, it has an effect which can affect the whole organization and all its activities. This kind of disease spreads from one person to another, and it causes serious illness. It can sweep all the people in the organization,for there is no vaccine that can cure influenza. People who are involved in the constructionindustry are more prone to such pandemics as they keep on moving from various regions in the world to deliver their services (Dainty & Murray, 2013). Changing environment all the time has some effects which are undesirable. As we see, workers in a construction industry can work anyplace provided there is a job that requires them. As a result, most places they go the have knowledge about them.

Influenza flu is a killer disease. The number of sick people increases more often. As a result, this influenza pandemic will cause an emergency response to the industry (Webb, 2016). Failure for an emergency response, all the workers, and the nearby community may be cleared away by the pandemic. Road worker or the house builders may get this kind of a disease and suffer a lot. It is recommended that the company safeguard the well-being of its staff to avoid frequent deaths due to an outbreak of an infection (Maiden, Herlihy, & Attridge, 2013). The pandemic usually weakens the immune systems of the people. This posesa great challenge globally. The influenza flu is a very contagious infection. Once when has acquired the disease he/she can pass it very fast to the other person that makes it a lethal disease.

Once these people have acquired such an infection, they may fear to return to that same place again for their construction work (Cook, 2013). It brings a lot of fear among them, as everyone is concerned about his /her life. Mostly, the place may be vacated completely hence affecting the company greatly. It, therefore, requires holding such a situation with a lot of care and attention before the situation worsens. In reality, very few people will be willing to go back to a place where they escaped from jaws of death and work there again. It, therefore, means that the industry will be productive in some areas whereas in other areas it is unproductive. Influenza flu is viruses that can make people have a negative attitude towards a given area (Ferrett & Hughes, 2015). They may think that that particular place has that virus all through and hence few will be willing to work there once again. Construction in this field where the pandemic has occurred can be neglected by the builders and hence no work at all can continue. People may have some fear for another re-infection.

The influenza pandemic may influence the construction industry negatively. Once the pandemic has occurred, it may claim lives of the most experienced people in the industry (Barry, 2010). This leaves a gap regarding experience. Again, if we have some staff members dying, those left behind may be incompetent. As a result, the productivity of the firm goes down. Recruiting new members to the industry may take quite a while hence; the activities of the industry may go down with time. The construction engineers are few, and if we have some being killed by an infection, it can result to a lot of snag in the industry (Ridley, 2014). Maybe the industry may have trouble in providing services that satisfy the needs of their clients. During any construction activity, we have the workers assembling to one area for convenience purposes. They build temporary residential area where they relax after the job. It, therefore, brings them together to discuss their issues. An outbreak of a disease or virus may affect all of them at once. After they have been affected, an emergency response to the disease should come out to save their lives.
Legislative Responsibilities
The needs for the legal authority to control the situations of emergency in the construction workplace are paramount. Legal provisions allow for the promulgation of orders and regulations necessary for the protection of life and properties (Gostin, 2014). The provisions are in favor for the partnership with the government, insurance companies and local health institutions for the proper emergency management. The legislative order provides for proactive personnel to ensure ample emergency response. In addition, the implementation the legislative duties allow for the provision of the legal procedures for the compensation of the workers and rostering emergency workers. However, in the extremes of the emergency, the construction site is prone for shutdown.

The legislative measures taken should reduce or prevent the pandemic. Every company should be prepared for any emergency (Charney, 2010). There should be a rapid and an effective way to respond to a pandemic like the influenza flu. After the infected have recovered from the infection, there should be rehabilitation and post-disaster recovery. In a disaster or rather pandemic management, many legislative measures need to be taken into consideration. Some legal responsibilities need to be considered. The disaster may cause widespread affection to many individuals. Death and injuries are rampant. Coming up with a way on how to cope with this pandemic is vital. Resources of the company should be the one to cater to the affected individuals. The company should make sure that the workers are not vulnerable or prone to these diverseepidemics. In addition, the company must establish a joint standard of practice to cope with the pandemics. Those areas which are pandemic vulnerable should be avoided as much as possible for the safety of the employees.

Workers and Workplace Protection
There are essential procedures and programs for the protection of the workers and the workplace thereby avoiding the closure, termination and delay for completion of the contract (McGreevey & Alkenbrack, 2010). The preparedness of the emergency medical care and the efficacy as well as the right responsiveness assists in securing the workplace and the workers. In addition, available rescue team to ensure the isolation of affected workers to prevent the spread of the conditions and proper channels of communication are essential for safer working conditions. People in a construction industry usually work from various locations. Afterward, they assemble at a certain place to relax to continue with their construction work. As a result, the influenza flu can affect them and curtail their work.

The installation of the sirens and rescue team in the place of work are essential to ensure the safety of the workers (Ryan, 2010). The plans include the locations that are useful for the offering of the first aid during the emergencies. The props essential in the work place for the prevention of the spread of the pandemic diseases to the health workers and the expertise offering help to the affected are provided in the construction sites. The plan include working in liaison with the other partners such as environmental department help in ensuring that the area of operation is tranquil for the operations.
Evacuation Process
The degree of the medical attention demands for the stiff measures to be taken to restore the situation and safe the workers from the workplace (Center, 2011). The evacuation of the workers from construction site is enhanced by proper channels of communication in the site. There are factors to be considered during the evacuation process including the layout of the each area in the workplace. In addition, evacuation demands for alert from sirens and the position of the emergency evacuation points. The availability of the first aiders to assist the affected workers to make it form the construction yard into a safer point is essentially required. Once they are taken to thehospital, the healthcare community also is at a risk of being infected. This may stall the operations of the organization. Working in an open environment can subject one to many risks that are lethal. When there is such an outbreak, workers should be rushed to hospital with immediate effect.

If it means evacuating the workplace, then that becomes the final decision for the industry (Fagel, 2013). During an emergency, the employer should have set some resources aside to cater for such issues. The employer should provide some antiviral medicines to treat employees during the outbreak. Because we know that a virus can come repeatedly, the place where there is an outbreak should be evacuatedfor a period of time and the appropriate treatment to be done in that particular area of infection. There are some factors to consider when one wants to evacuate from a workplace. The construction industry has to make some decision that requires a lot of thinking to prevent the closure of their work. All the sick employees should stay at home. Staying back at home will prevent further infection to those who are not infected.

The cost of the material used in construction should be put into consideration. Relocating is not something easy. It requires one to calculate the costs of establishing new premises. We see in the constructionindustry; thereis thevehicle that isvery heavy and expensive (McGreevey & Alkenbrack, 2010). Relocating them will need many funds that may not be available at that particular time. The company should consider the kind of environment where it wants to relocate to. The availability of resources in the new place should also be put into consideration. If the site becomes more perilous, it is better for the company to reposition or withdraws its employees from such a place.The company will be safeguarding the rights of its employees. Make sure that routine cleaning is always done where the business is relocating.

Training
In the emergency response program, competency and certification of the staffs in the various fields is essential for success in the emergency care provision (See & Abrahart, 2014). Review of the emergency action program for the development of skills, responsibilities shift and the emergency response alterations are useful. In this context, the employees should be trained to acquire skills in protective actions for the safety of life, evacuation and loss prevention programs. In addition, the emergency response team requires training in areas such as first aid providers and valid license for health evacuating drivers. In the same point, the project leaders requires specialized training on the crisis management in times of emergency in the construction sites. After the incidence of health hazard the expertise are requires to provide the care and information for future prevention.

Employees should be educated about emergencies that are likely to occur and then get proper training in the case of occurrence of the emergency (Wamsley, 2010). When coming up with the contingency plan, all the employees should have a clear understanding of it. If the place is isolated where the pandemic risk had occurred, the business can be affected negatively. In the case of evacuation of the epidemic-stricken place, the industry should come up with a clear solution to relocate. Where to relocate the business should guarantee the continuity of the business. In case the business may fail in the new location, it is better for the industry to find a reliable pace. The closure of where the employees were staying can bring many complications to the construction industry. House builders may get it hard for them to adopt to the new surrounding that may have a negative implication to the business. Necessary measures need to establish in the case of shutdown of the corporate workplace. Mostly, when the company relocates to a new place, it faces some challenges for it to pick well. Before evacuating the place of work, one should know the safety of the business continuity.

Business Continuity
The disruption of the business demands for proper methods to ensure that the business maintain normalcy in the operations and enhance resilience during disruption of operations (Webb, 2016). The continuity of the business works under the assistance of the ample training, disaster recovery programs and the capitalizing on the self-guided test. The assessment of the situation in the construction site and the procedures to ensure safety enhance the confidence to resume work (Haigh & Amaratunga, 2011). The plans are supposed to ensure that the scene is in the right conditions for the workers to resume work. In addition, the framework for the prevention of the reoccurrence of the same in the future and the mitigation measures are effectively programmed.

To recover from a disaster in a quick way, a business should have policies that it should be running with instead of addressing problems after a strike by the crisis. The construction industry should clearly outline its purpose (Tammineedi, 2010). The policy statement should be clear for any organization that wants to business continuity in case of a pandemic risk. To ensure sustainable business continuity, the emergency response plans I have come up with should provide this policy to the industry; ensure that all the workers and people comprehend the need for business continuity and the plans for the industry. The action plan should frequently be informing the employees on the progress of the industry, evaluating the performance appraisal of the employees, and rewarding them accordingly.
Community Engagement
There is essence for the community engagement in the emergency programs that are designed to address the immediate support issues to the individuals involved in emergency crisis (MacDonald, Gray, Mackie, Paton, Johnston, & Baker, 2012). Community engagement is vital for any business in times of pandemic risk. The involvement of the community plays an integral part in the continuity of the business. For example, in the construction industry, the community should be involved in some activities that require consultation. For any business or industry to thrive well, it should be having good relation with the community. The engagement of the community gives them a platform and chance to participate in the well-being of the workers and community at large. The community as a stakeholder in the construction provides relevant information concerning the historical incidences of hazards.

Community engagement provides safety to the workers of any organization during pandemic risk. In addition, the public should be prepared to face some challenges that may be posed by the industries in the area. Like in construction industry, there can be pollution of the environment and the community should be ready to cope with such incidences. During an outbreak of a disease, also the community should know about the hazards that might affect them. It has to be prepared all the time for any inconvenience that might be brought by the industry in the area. The community is supposed to be hospitable so as the workers of the industry may feel secure when carrying out their daily routines. Any emergency plan for an industry should clearly outline the roles of the community. In that sense, the community can know its role to play in the success of the industry.
Literature Review
Emergency cases are likely to occur in construction sites therefore demanding that the construction company to act responsibly and advocate for the enforcement of the regulations and compliance. For safe working conditions, Nicholson William in the “Emergency Response and Emergency Management Law” proposed for a well-planned emergency response that provides insights on the preparedness and effective responsiveness during emergency (Nicholson, 2013). According to Fagel, influenza pandemic is common in construction sites and therefore provides potential management tips and emergency plans during the crisis (Fagel, 2013). The work is theoretically rich in provision of the procedures and the viable program for safer working conditions by demonstrating useful information on emergency responsiveness. In addition, Knobler and Mack stresses on the impacts of the pandemic of influenza in construction sites making the contract delayed due to vulnerability of the workers (Lemon, Mahmoud, Mack, & Knobler, 2010). In the work ‘Mass Mediated Disease’, Blakely explains the far-reaching effects of the influenza to the entire community due to the high spreading rate of the pandemic (Blakely, 2011). The works are relevant in provision of the insights on how to plan for an effective response during crisis in construction sites.
Mitigation Process
Any business activity involves risk taking, as no one is sure about the future. In the construction industry, as discussed above, whenever there is a project for construction, the employees do not know what type of persons they will meet in the community (Fagel, 2013). Hence, they go with a view of meeting people who are hospitable and welcoming. As such, during an outbreak of a pandemic risk, both the workers and the community maybe affected .We looked at a pandemic risk like influenza flu. When it can, it does not isolate the employees of the company or the community. All who is exposed to the virus is infected. This pandemic risk can cause even the closure of an ongoing project. For instance, if there was a road construction which was taking place and suddenly there is outbreak of influenza flu, all the construction activities stalls and an emergency response is taken to cope with the treatment of the workers.

Conclusions
In conclusion, the flexibility of the emergency rescue team and the preparedness in the response to the emergencies are essential for emergency response plan in workplaces. The plan helps to come up with an immediate solution in case of a pandemic risk. Apart from the outbreak of diseases, the construction industry can be faced some other pandemics or hazards that have detrimental impacts on the functionability of the workers. At any moment, therefore, any workplace or any industry must have an emergency response plan that is applicable in a situation that requires immediate attention. The companies are advised to lay down proper channels for communication during the time of crisis, establish rescue team, train the employees and well developed emergency response points. In addition, the construction companies require community engagement for the successful programs during the emergency.

References
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