In brief
Earthquakes should be treated differently from fire in the emergency plan, because the right behaviour during shaking is not to run but to protect yourself where you are. The plan should cover securing and preparation before an earthquake, separate instructions for production areas, offices and warehouses during shaking, and who decides on evacuation after the shaking stops, and on what criteria. The earthquake scenario should also be included in the annual drill programme.
Why should the earthquake emergency plan be a separate section?
In most companies, the earthquake emergency plan remains a paragraph in the fire plan: "In the event of an earthquake, the building is evacuated." Yet the logic of an earthquake is different from that of a fire. In a fire, the aim is to leave the building as quickly as possible; in an earthquake, running, heading for the stairs or crowding at the door while the shaking continues are among the main causes of injury. Evacuation is a decision made after the shaking has stopped.
Art. 8 of the Regulation on Emergencies in Workplaces requires the emergencies that may occur in the workplace to be determined taking into account the results of the risk assessment and the likelihood of natural disasters occurring. For companies in Marmara Region provinces such as Bursa, Kocaeli, Sakarya and Yalova, an earthquake should be one of the plan's main scenarios. We explained the general structure of the plan in our emergency plan guide; this article deals only with the earthquake section.
Before an earthquake: securing measures and preparation
A significant share of injuries during an earthquake is caused not by the building collapsing but by toppling cabinets, falling rack loads, sliding machines and breaking glass. That is why the most effective part of preparation is the securing measures taken before the shaking starts.
| Area | Securing and preparation measure |
|---|---|
| Office | Tall cabinets and bookcases are fixed to the wall; heavy files are moved to the lower shelves; desks are not placed directly in front of windows and glass partitions |
| Production area | Heavy parts on workbenches and wall shelves are moved to a lower level; die and fixture racks are anchored; the suspensions of ceiling-hung equipment are checked |
| Warehouse | Industrial racks are anchored to the floor, heavy loads are placed in the lower bays, pallet overhang is prevented; rack damage is checked regularly |
| Chemical area | Drums and cylinders are secured against toppling with chains or edge barriers; substances that may react with each other are stored separately |
| Utilities | Electricity and natural gas shut-off points are marked and written into the plan; who will shut them off is designated |
| Escape routes | Nothing that could topple is left on escape routes; emergency lighting is kept in working order |
Under Annex III of the Work Equipment Regulation, industrial racks and doors are subject to periodic inspection at most once a year; follow up damaged upright and beam findings in the inspection report as part of earthquake preparation. Our guide to forklift and pedestrian traffic plans in warehouses is also useful for warehouse layout.
The other half of preparation is organisation:
- Choose the assembly point with earthquakes in mind. It should be away from building facades, power lines, high walls and structures that could topple. The area you chose for fire may not be suitable for an earthquake.
- Set up the communication chain. Write down who will reach whom when phone lines are congested, and from whom shift supervisors will take instructions.
- Prepare emergency supplies. Torches, spare batteries, a whistle, a first aid kit, blankets, water and a radio handset or battery-powered radio should be kept at the assembly point or at an easily accessible spot.
- File the building information. The building's year of construction, changes of use and any structural survey reports will be useful when deciding whether to return to the building after an earthquake.
What should be done at work during an earthquake?
The basic behaviour during shaking is drop, cover, hold on, which AFAD (the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority) also recommends: drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy table or protect your head and neck with your arms, hold on to where you are and wait until the shaking stops. However, how this is applied varies by area; write the instruction separately for each department.
| Area | During shaking | What not to do |
|---|---|---|
| Production area | If the emergency stop button is one step away, press it; if not, move away from machines, racks and suspended loads and drop, cover, hold on | Running to stop a machine, staying under a crane load |
| Office | Get under a desk or protect your head next to an interior wall; keep away from windows and glass partitions | Running to the stairs or lift, going out onto a balcony |
| Warehouse | Do not run inside a rack aisle; protect your head at the nearest open spot where you can get away from loads that might fall | Hiding between the racks, trying to hold the load |
| Forklifts and vehicles | Stop the vehicle, lower the forks, apply the handbrake; if you are in a rack aisle, do not move forward | Continuing to move with loaded forks |
| Hot work and chemical areas | If possible, turn off the welding torch or burner and move away from points where splashing and spillage are possible | Staying next to an open chemical container |
The belief that doorways are safe was valid advice for older types of building; in today's buildings a door frame offers no extra protection, and a door swinging open and shut can cause injury. Lifts are not used during shaking; if you are in a lift, press the buttons for all floors and get out at the first floor where it stops.
After the shaking: the evacuation decision
When the shaking stops, the first task is to check for injuries and dangerous situations. Write the criteria for the evacuation decision into the plan in advance; they should not be debated at the moment of decision. If any of the following is present, the building is evacuated immediately:
- Visible cracking, bending or separation in columns, beams or load-bearing walls
- Ceilings, suspended ceilings or facade elements falling
- A smell of gas, fire or smoke
- Chemical spillage or cylinder damage
- Sparks, a burning smell or damage in the electrical installation
Many companies choose evacuation by default when shaking is felt, even if no damage is visible. This approach is also safe in terms of aftershocks. Follow this sequence for evacuation:
- The protection team makes the evacuation announcement; workers leave calmly using the stairs.
- Electricity and natural gas are shut off at the shut-off points in the plan by the designated people.
- A headcount is carried out at the assembly point. The Regulation requires the necessary checks, including a headcount after evacuation, to be carried out (Art. 10/2).
- If anyone is missing, the information is given to the rescue team and the official teams. The workplace rescue team does not carry out searches that require entering a damaged building; that is the job of trained official teams.
- The first aid team treats the injured.
- The decision to return to the building is made by the employer after the structure has been technically assessed; a decision of "the shaking is over, let's get back to work" is not made.
People to accompany older, disabled and pregnant workers, and any children in the nursery, during evacuation are designated in advance (Art. 10/4).
The teams' earthquake duties
| Team | Duty after an earthquake |
|---|---|
| Firefighting | Responding to small fires breaking out after the shaking; checking cylinders and gas lines |
| Rescue | Establishing where people missing from the headcount were last seen, light searches in safe areas, informing the official teams |
| Protection | Directing evacuation, headcount, order at the assembly point, preventing entry to the building |
| First aid | Assessing and giving first response to the injured, prioritising the seriously injured |
In an earthquake scenario it is particularly important that the teams are complete on every shift; if there is no team leader on the night shift, write down who will take over the role.
How is an earthquake drill added to the workplace programme?
Apart from mining workplaces, a drill is held at least once a year and a drill form is filled in at the end; one of the drill types on the form is natural disaster. What distinguishes an earthquake drill from a fire drill is that it has two stages: first, with the alarm, everyone drops, covers and holds on where they are; then evacuation begins with a separate announcement. Observers measure two things separately: did anyone run or head for the door during the shaking stage, and how long did it take to complete the headcount after the evacuation announcement?
Add realistic extra events to the scenario: one of the escape stairs being declared "damaged", a worker being "trapped", phones not working. For writing the scenario, observer duties and the form, see our emergency drill guide; you can track drill and plan renewal dates with the OHS calendar tool.
The emergency plan is renewed when there is a change in or near the workplace that could affect emergencies, and at least every 2, 4 or 6 years depending on the hazard class. A change of building, a new warehouse layout or an expanded racking system also requires the earthquake section to be updated. For the plan to be prepared on site, department by department, see our emergency plan service; for warehouses and shops, see our logistics and warehousing and office and retail pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be done at work during an earthquake?
Nobody runs while the shaking continues; workers drop, cover and hold on where they are and protect their heads. Moving away from machines, racks and glass is done only if it takes no more than a step or two. Evacuation starts with an announcement after the shaking has stopped.
When can we return to the building after an earthquake?
The decision to return to the building is made by the employer after the structure has been technically assessed. If there is damage to load-bearing elements, a smell of gas or damage to utilities, the building is not used; the risk of aftershocks is also taken into account in the decision.
Should we prepare a separate emergency plan for earthquakes?
A separate plan is not needed; however, the existing emergency plan should have a separate section for earthquakes. This section should cover securing measures, area-specific instructions for shaking, evacuation criteria and the teams' earthquake duties.
Is securing racks and cabinets mandatory?
The Regulation requires measures to be taken to prevent and limit the adverse effects of emergencies. Securing racks and cabinets that could topple is the most basic preventive measure that can be taken against earthquake risk; industrial racks are also subject to periodic inspection once a year.
An emergency plan that really works on site, with scenarios, support teams, evacuation diagrams and an annual drill.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.