Emergency planning

• Pages: 37-47

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8. Emergency planning

8.1. General

8.1.1. Emergency planning should be regarded by competent authorities, local

authorities and works managements as an essential element of any major hazard

control system.

8.1.2. Emergency plans for major hazard installations should cover the

handling of emergencies both on site and off site.

8.1.3. Works managements should ensure that the necessary standards

appropriate to the safety legislation in their country are being met. They should not

regard emergency planning as a substitute for maintaining good standards inside the

installation.

8.1.4. When making arrangements for emergency planning, the competent

authorities and works managements should take into account the United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP) handbook, Awareness and Preparedness for

Emergencies at Local Level (APELL): A process for responding to technological

accidents, designed to assist decision-makers and technical personnel in improving

community awareness of major hazard installations and planning for local

emergencies.

8.2. Objectives

8.2.1. The objectives of emergency planning should be:

(a) to localise any emergencies that may arise and if possible eliminate them;

(b) to minimise the harmful effects of an emergency on people, property and the

environment.

8.3. Identification and analysis of hazards

8.3.1. For the initial stage of both on-site and off-site emergency planning,

works management should systematically identify and assess what accidents leading

to an emergency could arise on its installations.

8.3.2. For both on-site and off site emergency planning, this analysis should

be based on those accidents which are more likely to occur, but other less likely

events which would have severe consequences should also be considered.

8.3.3. The analysis of possible accidents by works management should

indicate: