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October 14, 2026 Contractor Supplies

Emergency Preparedness & Safety Training: What a Workplace Plan Needs

What a Workplace Emergency Plan Has to Cover

Emergency preparedness and safety training start with a plan that people can follow: how to report an emergency, how to evacuate and how to account for everyone afterward. The plan works only as well as the training behind it. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists the minimum parts of an emergency action plan in 29 CFR 1910.38.

That standard applies where another OSHA standard requires an emergency action plan, so your safety officer can confirm whether it covers your workplace.

Key takeaways

  • OSHA's emergency action plan standard applies where another OSHA standard requires a plan.
  • The plan covers reporting, evacuation routes, accounting for people and who can answer questions.
  • The employer must designate and train employees to help others evacuate.
  • Check the language, run time and contents of each training item before you order.

OSHA's list has six parts. The plan must include, at a minimum:

  • Describe how to report a fire or other emergency.
  • Set the type of evacuation and the exit route assignments.
  • Say what employees who stay to run critical plant operations do before they evacuate.
  • Explain how to account for all employees after evacuation.
  • Set the procedures for employees who perform rescue or medical duties.
  • Name, or give the job title of, the people employees can contact for more information about the plan or an explanation of their own duties under it.

The standard requires the plan to be in writing, kept in the workplace and available to employees for review. An employer with 10 or fewer employees may communicate it orally. The employer must also maintain an employee alarm system with a distinctive signal for each purpose.

Emergency exit sign above a door

Training and Practice: What to Teach and What to Rehearse

The same standard requires the employer to designate and train employees to help others evacuate safely and in an orderly way. It also requires the plan to be reviewed with each covered employee when the plan is developed or the employee is first assigned to a job, when the employee's responsibilities under the plan change and when the plan changes.

OSHA's booklet How to Plan for Workplace Emergencies and Evacuations adds guidance, not rules. It says one evacuation warden for every 20 employees should generally be adequate, with enough wardens available at all times during working hours, and that wardens should be trained in the complete workplace layout and the alternative escape routes.

Ready.gov says everyone needs training on protective actions for life safety. It recommends safety and evacuation drills as local regulations require, plus regular sheltering and lockdown drills. It also recommends training for emergency response, business continuity and crisis communications team members, a higher level of training for team leaders, including incident command system training, and records of the scope of training, the participants, the instructor and the duration.

The four exercise types Ready.gov describes
Exercise What Ready.gov says it is
Walkthrough, workshop or orientation seminar Basic training for team members
Tabletop A discussion-based session where team members meet in an informal, classroom setting
Functional An exercise where personnel validate plans and readiness by performing their duties
Full-scale An exercise as close to the real thing as possible

On its exercises page, Ready.gov suggests starting with an assessment of needs and a walkthrough or orientation session, then considering a functional exercise as the program matures. It recommends evaluating each exercise and writing an after-action report with suggestions for improvement. OSHA's booklet also says to evaluate each drill with management and employees.

The Materials That Support the Plan

Training and drills need materials. Most items in the Emergency Preparedness & Safety Training collection fall into these groups:

  • Training programs: DVD programs and booklets from MARCOM, and a video training program from J.J. Keller. The MARCOM DVD programs list a leader's guide, scheduling and attendance forms, an employee quiz and a training certificate.
  • Safety data sheet binders: binders from ZING and GHS Safety in 1-1/2 in. and 3 in. sizes, including bilingual English and Spanish versions and one with A-Z dividers.
  • Water and shelter: boxed and pouch drinking water, 50 and 100 gal. water storage sets, insulating blankets and a 30-person evacuation and shelter-in-place kit.
  • Securing equipment: QuakeHold! fasteners and straps for equipment, flat screens and fire extinguishers, plus cables and a refrigerator door lock.
  • Triage and incident training: triage tags, victim cards, treatment area flags, a triage kit and a tabletop multi-casualty incident training kit.
  • Decontamination and signaling: a portable decontamination kit, decon showers and berms, and whistles.

What do you need first?

A training program for the team

The MARCOM DVD program on regulatory compliance runs 18 minutes and is listed in English and Spanish: Introduction to OSHA Regulatory Compliance DVD Program. For forklift safety, J.J. Keller lists a 32-minute program: Safety Training Program, 32 min. Run Time.

A place for safety data sheets

ZING lists a 3 in. binder in English and Spanish: GHS SDS Binder, 3 in., Bilingual. The listing for the binder with A-Z dividers says it does not include the sheets: SDS Binder, With A-Z Dividers.

Water and supplies for sheltering

The listing for the 30-person kit describes ten survival needs, from water and food to light and sanitation: SecurEvac 30-Person Evacuation & Shelter-In-Place Survival Kit. For water alone, one listing states a five-year shelf life: Emergency Drinking Water Pouch, 4.22 oz, Pack of 100.

Securing equipment

QuakeHold! lists an equipment fastener for countertop and desktop equipment weighing less than 200 lbs: Equipment Fastener, 200 Lbs, Gray. It also lists a strap for a 5 in. diameter fire extinguisher: Fire Extinguisher Fastening Strap, Red.

Practicing a multi-casualty scenario

The tabletop kit lists NIMS/ICS under regulations covered, with 32 standard victim cards, four mini treatment tarps and a command board sheet: Tabletop MCI, Multi-Casualty Incident.

Hard hat and tools in a container

How to Choose and What to Check Before You Order

Start from your written plan and work outward. Four steps cover most orders, and the checklist catches the details.

  1. List what the plan calls for. Write down the training, supplies and equipment it names, and how many people or areas each one serves.
  2. Match each need to a group. Use the groups above, and read the listing of each item you consider.
  3. Compare the listing details. Look at what each item includes and what it leaves out, so you can rule out a mismatch before you order.
  4. Set the quantity. Count by people, work areas or training sessions, and check the pack size in the title, so you end with a number for each item.
  • Read the full title and the specifications in each listing.
  • Find the manufacturer part number, listed as "Manufacturer Part Number" or "Mfr #."
  • Confirm the language, run time and contents of any training program.
  • Check what the item does not include, as the SDS binder with A-Z dividers does.
  • Compare the pack size in the title with the number of people or areas you need to cover.
  • Read the shipping page and the return and refund policies before you order.

Warning: This guide gives general information. It does not replace your safety officer, the OSHA standards that apply to your workplace or the manufacturer's instructions.

Questions Buyers Ask About Emergency Preparedness

How often should we train employees?

OSHA's booklet suggests reviewing the plan with all employees and considering annual training in it. It also suggests offering training when you develop the initial plan, hire new employees, introduce new equipment, materials or processes that affect evacuation routes, change the layout or design of the facility, or revise your emergency procedures. This is guidance, so confirm your schedule with your safety officer.

What should an emergency plan say about hazardous substances?

OSHA's booklet says any workplace could face an emergency involving hazardous materials, and that employers who use or store them should address that in the plan. It points to the Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, which requires employers who use hazardous chemicals to inventory them, keep the manufacturer's safety data sheets where workers can reach them, label containers and train employees.

Who stands behind the standards named in a listing?

The manufacturer. A standard named in a listing, such as 29 CFR 1910.178 under the J.J. Keller forklift program's regulations covered, comes from the product information and belongs to the product, not to the store. Confirm with the manufacturer and your safety officer that a program fits your training plan.

The Bottom Line: What You Need to Know About Emergency Preparedness and Training

  • Ask your safety officer first. Whether a plan is required, and what it must hold, depends on the OSHA standards that cover your workplace.
  • Use the six parts as your outline. They give you a first draft of the plan and an agenda for the first training session.
  • Pick the first exercise and a date. A walkthrough or a tabletop session is an easy place to begin, and the evaluation afterward is where the plan improves.
  • Keep records. Note who was trained, who taught, how long it took and what the exercise showed.
  • Build the supply list from the plan. Each item you order should answer a need the plan names.

Shop Emergency Preparedness & Safety Training at Contractor Supplies

The Emergency Preparedness & Safety Training collection at Contractor Supplies lists the materials above. If a listing leaves a question open, contact us with the product name or Mfr #. For power outages, see our checklist of emergency supplies for power outages, and for job sites, our guide to emergency kits. More buying guides are in the News blog.

Here are some of the products in our Emergency Preparedness & Safety Training collection:

Training programs

Safety data sheet binders

Water and shelter

Securing equipment

Triage and incident training

Decontamination and signaling

See the full collection

Compare training programs, binders and supplies in the full collection.

Shop Emergency Preparedness & Safety Training

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