Making preparations at home for an emergency can take a little bit of time, but once the preparations are in place, you're fine. The situation is very different at an office, and if you are the person in charge, you have unique challenges. For one thing, the people who work in the office can change on a regular basis, making routine updates and drills critical.

Account for Everyone

For the home, many experts suggest a supply of food and water capable of lasting five days per person. That same advice goes for the office, but obviously that's a much bigger challenge. The first step is to designate someone to handle this important task, complete with a time table for completion.

An important part of office safety is making sure everyone has been trained on proper exit procedures. Having a floor manager in charge can help, because in an emergency everyone will know who is in charge, and everyone will know their part. Fire drills aren't just for school kids, and your employees' lives can be saved by running drills on a regular basis.

In some emergencies it may be required that you and everyone in the building stay put. The potential for panic can be dealt with if the policy is clear, and if everyone has been educated, so be sure to cover this information in staff meetings. Remember that the thing people fear the most is the unknown, so when you enact a policy of office emergency preparedness, you are helping to eliminate a lot of the unknown.