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Promoting Safe Egress and Evacuation for People with Disabilities

Promoting Safe Egress and Evacuation for People with Disabilities. Shane Hogan Senior Standards Officer 7 th May 2008. A practical tool for facilities managers, health and safety personnel and human resources professionals.

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Promoting Safe Egress and Evacuation for People with Disabilities

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  1. Promoting Safe Egress and Evacuation for People with Disabilities Shane Hogan Senior Standards Officer 7th May 2008

  2. A practical tool for facilities managers, health and safety personnel and human resources professionals • To develop an understanding of egress issues that particularly effect people with disabilities • To develop ability to identify egress features that are designed into buildings • To develop ability to prepare risk assessments and emergency evacuation plans; • To give practical guidance on providing safe egress; • To identify good practice in safe egress

  3. Egress Issues for People with disabilities • Mobility impairment, where the range or speed of movement is affected to varying degrees; • Sensory impairment, where the ability to gather information through the senses such as sight or hearing is affected; • Cognitive or mental health impairment, where the capacity to process information and react appropriately is affected; and • Hidden disabilities, where the disability is not physically apparent, but the stress of an emergency situation may trigger the condition, ie asthma or heart problems.

  4. Key Elements of Egress management process… • Initial review of user needs, organisational practice and policies • Developing an Egress Policy for your organisation • Planning for Egress • Implementing your Egress Plan • Measuring performance of Your Egress Plan • Reviewing Performance of Your Egress Plan

  5. Detailed topics include • Alarm systems • Strobe lighting • Directional sound • Vibrating alerts • Wayfinding • Refuge areas • Evacuation lifts • Evacuation chairs • Specific building types • Risk assessment checklist

  6. Case Studies – World Trade Center • John Abruzzo, Accountant • Located on 69th floor • Wheelchair user • 1993 evacuation – 6 hours • 2001 evacuation – 2.5 hours, using evac chair, emergency lighting and improved ventilation

  7. Case Studies – World Trade Center • Micheal Hingson, Sales Manager • Located on 78th floor • Blind, accompanied by guide dog, Roselle • Brought up in earthquake zone in California • Had learnt locations of all three stairwells and how to direct Roselle to these • Was heading back towards car park of Tower 2 with colleague after evacuation when Tower 2 collapsed

  8. Key lessons • Effective planning for egress requires a structured process with continuous improvement • Consultation and individual engagement with employees with disabilities are essential • Use a PEEP (Personal Emergency Egress Plan) to agree and document individual plans • The building operator is responsible for complete evacuation of the building (not just to the refuge areas) • For new build or major renovation projects, an evacuation lift provides an ideal solution to vertical movement • Some powered evacuation chairs eliminate the need to transfer wheelchair user out of own wheelchair

  9. For more informationwww.nda.ie/egresswww.nda.ie/libraryhttp://www.communities.gov.ukfor ‘Means of Escape for Disabled People’

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