A Local Authority case study for a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan

							A Local Authority case study for
a Personal Emergency
Evacuation Plan - PEEP


      Ian Sands – Health, Safety and Emergency Planning Officer
                  Newry and Mourne District Council

                              23.11.09
                   Overview
•   Getting started
•   Case study – Main Council Offices
•   Training
•   Employee work activity profile
•   Employee disability profile
•   PEEPS case study
•   Documentation
•   Summary
             Getting started
• Identify the areas which allow access to
  disabled persons.
• NMDC had 2 main sites, one with lifts, the
  *other did not.
• *Still need to do a ‘PEEPS’ assessment
  regardless (Ensure self-evacuation whenever
  practicable).
• With training, Line Managers can coordinate
  PEEPS documentation and evacuation.
Case study – Main Council Offices

• This example excludes assessment of visitors
  (Public building with meetings in Boardroom
  on 1st floor).
• Identified existing disabled employees in
  building = 1.no
• Profile of employee activities (Consulted with
  Employee and Line Manager)
• Profile employee abilities (Consulted with
  Employee and Line Manager)
    Training of evacuation coordinators
• Training included:
  – Fire discovery/action (999, fire fighting, own
    safety)
  – Evacuation coordinator duties (zones, assembly
    point roll call)
  – Fire prevention (Risk assessment, arson,
    combustibles, electricity, maintenance,
    contractors)
  – Evacuation of disabled including PEEPS, practical
    operation of evacuation chairs, disability
    awareness and people handling/chair transfer
  Employee work activity profile

• Primary base in 1st floor typing pool office
• Main activity – DMS/Document management
  (Scanning).
• Employee also provides occasional cover at
  ground floor main reception.
• Works in shared office and Line Manager in
  adjoining Office
     Employee Disability Profile

• Ability to walk unaided but at a slower pace.

• Needs handrails on stairwells but can ascend
  and descend.

• Would use lifts frequently
             PEEPS case study
• One to one discreet informal discussion held with
  employee and Safety Officer.
• Useful open discussion of employee’s abilities,
  concerns and disability.
• Agreed that employee was confident to self-
  evacuate from normal place of work, downstairs 1
  flight and then down final external steps.
• Thereafter, due to 100m distance (fatigue) to fire
  assembly point; employee agreed to be
  transferred into evacuation chair for
  transportation.
• Alternative means of escaped identified – see
  PEEPS (Horizontal evac/Refuge/Intercom)
          PEEP Case study – Paperwork!
• See PEEP form example
• 2 parts – Employee and Line Manager
• ‘Buddy’ system – i.e. for assurance and minor
  assistance during evacuation. Could be one of
  several persons sharing office.
• Evacuation coordinator to assist with chair
  deployment and employee transfer – but can still
  perform other duties. i.e. site clearance and then roll-
  call at fire assembly point.
Transferring to
Evacuation Chair
         Final comments/ Q & A
• Ensure you regularly inspect your evacuation chairs
  (Condition and location) – they can go missing!
• Review you PEEPS at least annually-it will never be
  perfect!
• Train as many as you can – will coordinators be
  there when you need them?
• PEEPS form filling is one of the last tasks – informal
  chat can reveal more about the PERSON.
• Ensure PEEPS form part of you recruitment
  procedures – follow up and record complete.
• Note this completed in you Fire Risk Assessment.