Emergency Response Team
Emergency Response Team
(OP)
I am the Production Manager of a chemical plant. The Operators and Foremen are required by the plant management to attend Emergency Response Training which can be very physically demanding. I had a foreman approach me who said he was in his 60s and felt like he should not be required to attend this training. I know in some plants it is optional but for us it is a requirement. The safety manager has stated that it is required by OSHA that these personnel attend the training and be on the Emergency Response Team at the plant. How can we satisfy OSHA requirements and be considerate of the physical limitations when personnel age to above 60 and are still valuable employees?





RE: Emergency Response Team
RE: Emergency Response Team
RE: Emergency Response Team
Where we have made exception is where employees are not physically fit to do this training. If individuals or management are concernd about someone's suitability then we get them checked out on a medical and base our decision on this. Face it you can't fire them because they can't do it particularly on age grounds but you will probably have to put contingency plans in place. Equally individuals can't duck out just becase they don't want to do it any more. An independant assessment is quite effective.
RE: Emergency Response Team
RE: Emergency Response Team
RE: Emergency Response Team
RE: Emergency Response Team
You are still wrong in that if someone does not complete what you consider training, then they must be fired or released. Consider a 30 year employee who was the founding member of an ERT, knows more about the processes of a plant than anyone else, but recently suffered a heart condition that does not allow him to participate in annual refresher training mandated by the company. Should he be fired or dropped from the responce team, even if he is considered to be the incident commander?
RE: Emergency Response Team
At our hazwopper/psm facilities, we declare the local volenteer fire department as our ERT. Done. We state 911 is our EMT. Done. In Friendswood Texas, if you think your company person is the IC outside you fenced area, think again, the fire Chief will revlieve your person and he will be the IC.