Emergency action plan requirements

All employers covered by this standard must develop and implement an Emergency Action Plan. The rule says every employer is required to have an emergency action plan and to implement it in the workplace, subject to the limited oral-plan exception for very small employers; see 1917.30(a) and 1917.30(a)(5)(iv)

Yes — the Emergency Action Plan must be in writing except for the small-employer exception. The standard requires the plan to be written and to cover designated actions to ensure employee safety from fire and other emergencies, except that employers with 10 or fewer employees may communicate the plan orally and need not keep it in written form; see 1917.30(a)(1) and 1917.30(a)(5)(iv)

The plan must include, at minimum, emergency escape procedures and routes; procedures for employees who stay to operate critical plant operations before evacuation; methods to account for employees after evacuation; rescue and medical duties; the preferred means of reporting emergencies; and names or regular job titles for persons who can explain duties under the plan. The standard lists these specific required elements in 1917.30(a)(2) and its subparts 1917.30(a)(2)(i)–(vi).

You must include clear emergency escape procedures and assigned escape routes in the plan. The standard explicitly requires emergency escape procedures and emergency escape route assignments to be part of the EAP; see 1917.30(a)(2)(i).

The plan must include procedures that these employees must follow while they operate critical plant systems and before they evacuate. Employers must define and document the steps those workers should take (for example: safe shutdown steps, who remains, how long they remain, and how they will protect themselves), because 1917.30(a)(2)(ii) requires such procedures to be part of the EAP.

The plan must set out procedures to account for all employees after evacuation is complete. Employers should identify how personnel will be checked (for example: roll call at assembly areas, sign-in sheets, or designated supervisors) and who is responsible, because 1917.30(a)(2)(iii) requires procedures to account for employees after emergency evacuation.

The plan must identify which employees are assigned rescue and medical duties and describe those duties. Employers must document who will perform rescue and medical tasks and what is expected of them, because 1917.30(a)(2)(iv) requires rescue and medical duties to be included in the EAP.

The plan must state the preferred means for reporting fires and other emergencies. That includes the primary reporting method(s) to be used (for example: pull stations, a specific phone number, radio, or a designated person) because 1917.30(a)(2)(v) requires the preferred means of reporting to be included.

The plan must list names or regular job titles of persons or departments that employees can contact for more information or explanation of duties under the plan. The standard requires this so employees know who to ask about responsibilities or procedures; see 1917.30(a)(2)(vi).

The employer must establish an employee alarm system that provides warning for necessary emergency action and enough reaction time for safe escape. The standard requires an alarm system that gives employees both warning and time to react and evacuate safely; see 1917.30(a)(3).

The employer must establish and specify the types of evacuation to be used in different emergency circumstances. The rule requires employers to determine and document whether whole-plant evacuation, partial/area evacuation, shelter-in-place, or other types will be used and when—see 1917.30(a)(4).

Employers must designate and train a sufficient number of people to assist in safe and orderly evacuation before implementing the plan. The standard requires designation and training to occur prior to putting the EAP into effect; what is “sufficient” depends on the workplace layout, number of employees, and hazards, as stated in 1917.30(a)(5)(i).

The employer must review the plan with each covered employee initially when the plan is developed, whenever an employee's responsibilities under the plan change, and whenever the plan itself changes. These three times are explicitly listed in 1917.30(a)(5)(ii)(A)–(C).

Employers must review, upon initial assignment, those parts of the plan each new employee needs to protect themselves in an emergency, and the written plan must be kept at the workplace and made available for employee review. The standard requires this targeted initial review and onsite availability of the written plan; see 1917.30(a)(5)(iii).

Yes — employers with 10 or fewer employees may communicate the Emergency Action Plan orally and are not required to maintain a written plan. The standard provides this small‑employer exception in 1917.30(a)(5)(iv).

Yes — if employees are directed to respond to an emergency that goes beyond the EAP developed under 1917.30, then OSHA's Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) requirements at 1910.120(q) apply. The regulation's footnote makes clear that responses beyond the EAP’s scope trigger application of 1910.120(q).

Yes — the plan must cover actions to ensure employee safety from both fires and other emergencies. The scope clause requires the EAP to address fire and other emergencies, as stated in 1917.30(a)(1).

The standard requires an employee alarm system and periodic plan reviews and training but does not prescribe exact testing intervals or a strict training schedule; it requires review with employees at specific trigger points and training for designated helpers. Employers must establish and maintain an alarm system under 1917.30(a)(3), designate and train sufficient assistants before implementing the plan under 1917.30(a)(5)(i), and review the plan at the times listed in 1917.30(a)(5)(ii). The standard leaves specific testing intervals and routine retraining to the employer to determine based on workplace needs.

Yes — the EAP may list regular job titles instead of individual employee names for persons or departments that can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties. The standard allows either names or regular job titles in 1917.30(a)(2)(vi).