• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Legal Templates

Legal Templates
  • Business Forms
    Business & Contracts

    All of our legal contracts and documents are drafted and regularly updated by attorneys licensed in their respective jurisdictions, paralegals, or subject matter experts. Save your hard-earned money and time with Legal Templates.

    Top Business Forms
    Business Formation
    • Business Plan
    • LLC Operating Agreement
    • Articles of Incorporation
    • Corporate Bylaws
    • Buy-Sell Agreement
    Business Operations
    • Business Contract
    • Partnership Agreement
    • Non-Disclosure Agreement
    • Release of Liability
    • Letter of Intent
    Sales and Payments
    • Purchase Agreement
    • Sales Agreement
    • Invoice
    • Purchase Order
    • Business Purchase
    Employment and HR
    • Employment Contract
    • Employment Offer
    • Employment Verification
    • Freelance Contract
    • Non-Compete Agreement
    View All Business Forms
  • Real Estate Forms
    Real Estate

    All of our legal contracts and documents are drafted and regularly updated by attorneys licensed in their respective jurisdictions, paralegals, or subject matter experts. Save your hard-earned money and time with Legal Templates.

    Top Real Estate Forms
    Landlords
    • Lease Agreement
    • Property Management
    • Eviction Notice
    • Late Rent Notice
    • Lease Termination
    Tenants
    • Room Rental
    • Sublease Agreement
    • Roommate Agreement
    • Notice to Vacate
    • Early Lease Termination
    Home Ownership
    • Real Estate Purchase Agreement
    • Mortgage Deed
    • Quitclaim Deed
    • Deed of Trust
    • Moving Checklist
    View all Real Estate Forms
  • Personal & Family Forms
    Personal and Family

    All of our legal contracts and documents are drafted and regularly updated by attorneys licensed in their respective jurisdictions, paralegals, or subject matter experts. Save your hard-earned money and time with Legal Templates.

    Top Personal and Family Forms
    Estate Planning
    • Power of Attorney
    • Last Will & Testament
    • Living Will
    • Advance Directive
    • DNR Form
    Personal Finance
    • Bill of Sale
    • Loan Agreement
    • Purchase Agreement
    • Promissory Note
    • Sales Agreement
    Family Matters
    • Parenting Plan
    • Child Travel Consent
    • Divorce Agreement
    • Separation Agreement
    • Prenuptial Agreement
    Affidavits
    • General Affidavit
    • Gift Affidavit
    • Affidavit of Identity
    • Affidavit of Residence
    • Affidavit of Death
    View All Personal Forms
  • Support
    Resources
    • Business
    • Real Estate
    • Personal and Family
    • Financial
    • Estate Planning
    Support
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
    • All Legal Documents

    Monday - Friday | 9AM - 7PM EDT

    (855) 335-9779

  • Sign In
  • :email

Home Business Emergency Action Plan

Emergency Action Plan Template

Create a standard process that your company can use in the event of an emergency with our emergency action plan template.

Updated September 21, 2022

Emergencies can strike at any time, and confusion throughout your company will only sow more chaos. That’s why emergency action plans (EAP) are often required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The quality of your emergency action plan is crucial. A strong emergency action plan can mean the difference between keeping your head above water and plummeting towards disaster.

Every company’s emergency action plan is different, but you can draft your own with ease. That way whatever disaster strikes, you and your company will be prepared.

Table of Contents
  • What Is an Emergency Action Plan?
  • What Are The Components of an Emergency Action Plan?
  • Do I Need an Emergency Action Plan?
  • What Emergencies Require an Emergency Action Plan?
  • How Does an Emergency Action Plan Benefit Your Workplace?
  • How To Write an Emergency Action Plan
  • Emergency Action Plan Template

What Is an Emergency Action Plan?

An emergency action plan is a standard process that your company can use in the event of an emergency. It outlines the roles of everyone involved, from employers to managers and employees. It is often accompanied by regular training so that everyone on the team knows their part in the emergency action plan. Your EAP may include details such as:

  • How to report an emergency
  • Evacuation and escape procedures
  • Operation procedures before evacuation
  • How to account for all employees
  • Rescue and medical assistance procedures
  • Emergency contact information

An emergency action plan can also be known as:

  • EAP
  • Business emergency plan
  • Emergency operations plan
  • Emergency response plan

What Are The Components of an Emergency Action Plan?

There are a number of components that you need to include in your emergency action plan. Although no two EAPs will be the same, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has specific universal elements that need to be included in every EAP, but only as a minimum, so be sure to be as extensive as necessary. The components required by OSHA include:

  • Means of reporting fires and other emergencies
  • Evacuation procedures and emergency escape route assignments
  • Procedures for employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate
  • Accounting for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed
  • Rescue and medical duties for employees performing them
  • Names or job titles of persons who can be contacted

Do I Need an Emergency Action Plan?

Most businesses are required to have an emergency action plan. You can use OSHA’s Expert System to determine whether you are required to have an EAP. Generally, if fire extinguishers are required or provided in your workplace, and if anyone is required to evacuate during a fire or another emergency, then the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires you to have an EAP.

What Emergencies Require an Emergency Action Plan?

It’s always a good idea to have an EAP, though hopefully, you will rarely need to use it. Emergency action plans are put in place to prepare businesses for disasters requiring sheltering or evacuating as quickly as possible. You may need to use an emergency action plan in the event of:

  • Biological accidents
  • Bomb threats
  • Fires
  • Floods
  • Hazardous material spills
  • Heavy storms such as tornadoes
  • Hostile intruder situations or workplace violence
  • Structural failure

These are all situations in which confusion can lead to mayhem, and the organization of an EAP can save lives.

How Does an Emergency Action Plan Benefit Your Workplace?

An emergency action plan is not only required for most businesses, but it also benefits your workplace in several ways:

Prevents Injuries and Fatalities to Employees

As a business owner or manager, one of your top priorities should be the well-being and safety of your employees. Having an EAP ensures your employees know how to keep themselves and each other safe in any emergency situation in the workplace.

Potentially Minimizes Structural Damage

Well-trained and well-informed employees will know how to react to an emergency situation. In the event of a fire, for example, they will know the protocol set out in the EAP, which will allow them to react quickly by either calling the fire brigade or using provided fire extinguishers, preventing the fire from spreading through your workplace.

Reduces Confusion By Clearly Communicating Emergency Procedures

Clearly communicating emergency procedures means your employees will know what to do in what situation. They will know how to follow an established procedure, communicate with one another and comply with the EAP.

Opens Opportunities For B2B Partnerships

Enterprises will often want their suppliers to have EAPs in place to ensure they have emergency preparations to prevent any disruption to their supply chain. A solid EAP could be why a business chooses to partner with one business over another.

How To Write an Emergency Action Plan

The more thorough your emergency action plan, the safer your company will be:

Step 1 – Emergency Phone Numbers

Set out emergency numbers, including not just the police and paramedics but security and building services as well as any other relevant service.

emergency action plan emergency phone numbers
An example of where to include emergency phone numbers in our emergency action plan template.

Step 2 – Emergency Response Personnel

You should also designate who on your team will make up your emergency response personnel, from officials and coordinators to floor wardens and area monitors. Clearly specify the duties of each person in the event of an emergency. Make sure that team members are designated to help those with physical disabilities. If you have remote workers or hybrid employees, ensure that you have additional designated emergency response personnel.

emergency action plan responsible person
An example of where to include details about floor wardens and area monitors is in our emergency action plan template.

TIP

Create a chain of command with officers such as evacuation leaders.

Step 3 – Training

What kind of training will ensure the emergency procedures are well known? Make sure your team knows their individual responsibilities during an emergency, and what types of emergencies pose threats. You may need to include whether employees will need training on emergency shutdown procedures, for example.

emergency action plan training
An example of what training details you should include in our emergency action plan template.

TIP

Give all employees a copy of the emergency action plan in addition to training.

Step 4 – Critical Operations

Note any critical operations that may require someone to stay on-site to prevent further damage.

emergency action plan critical operations
An example of where to include critical operation details in our emergency action plan template.

Step 5 – Evacuation

Include evacuation route maps alongside your emergency action plan and detail what types of emergencies require evacuations.

emergency action plan evacuation details
An example of evacuation details in our emergency action plan template.

TIP

Include photos of things like key utility shutoff locations to make them easy to find.

Step 6 – Emergency Procedures

Finally, the emergency procedures section will take up the bulk of your emergency action plan. You need to detail emergency instructions for all possible scenarios. Cover situations such as fires and all potential natural emergencies relevant to your location. You should also consider including situations such as bomb threats, civil disturbances, and structure failure.

emergency action plan emergency procedures
An example of where you should detail emergency procedures in our EAP template.

TIP

Let your departments review your EAP and give feedback for practicality.

Emergency Action Plan Template

An emergency action plan should read more like an outline or a form, with the steps set out. Because there are so many details to include, it’s helpful to work from a premade template. A template will go into the details of all kinds of emergencies and include several recommended steps. OSHA regulations check these steps. Rather than spending hours or days creating your EAP, you can adjust a template to suit your needs.

emergency action plan

Download PDF
Download MS Word

Related Business Operations Documents

  • Work From Home Policy: Set rules and guidelines for your employees working from home with a work from home policy.
  • Employment Contract: Use this document to hire an employee for your business, and define details like wages and working hours.
  • Employee Vaccination Policy: Use our employee vaccination policy template if you require your employees to be vaccinated.
  • Employee Evaluation Form Template: Review your employees' performance with our employee evaluation form.
Emergency Action Plan Screenshot

Emergency Action Plan

Create your emergency action plan today!

Legal Documents
  • All Legal Forms
  • Business Forms
  • Real Estate Forms
  • Personal and Family Forms
Popular Forms
  • Lease Agreements
  • Power of Attorney Forms
  • Eviction Notice
  • Living Will
  • Non-Disclosure Agreement
Resources
  • Legal Resources
  • Business
  • Real Estate
  • Personal & Family
  • Estate Planning
  • Financial
Company
  • Pricing
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Partner With Us
Users
  • Account
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
McAfee - Together is power.
Trustpilot
BBB Accredited Business

(855) 335-9779, Monday-Friday, 9AM - 7PM EDT

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn youtube Youtube

Copyright 2023 Legal Templates LLC. Legal Templates LLC is not a lawyer, or a law firm and does not engage in the practice of law. Legal Templates cannot and does not provide legal advice or legal representation. All information, software and services provided on the site are for informational purposes and self-help only and are not intended to be a substitute for a lawyer or professional legal advice. Use of this site is subject to our Terms of Use. Legaltemplates.net is owned and operated by Resume Technologies Limited, London with offices in London United Kingdom.”

Esc

The document above is a sample. Please note that the language you see here may change depending on your answers to the document questionnaire.

Fill in the details

Thank you for downloading one of our free legal templates!

Would you leave us a review?

We hope you've found what you need and can avoid the time, costs, and stress associated with dealing with a lawyer.

A review would mean the world to us (it only takes about 15 seconds).

Please check your download folder for MS Word or open tabs for PDF so you can access your FREE Legal Template Sample

Thanks again, and good luck!

Leave My Review