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Home > About USPS & News > Forms & Publications > Postal Periodicals and Publications > Manuals > Employee and Labor Relations Manual - Issue 18 > 8 Safety, Health, and Environment > 850 Emergency Action Plans and Fire Prevention and Control
850 Emergency Action Plans and Fire Prevention and
Control
851.1 Installation Heads
Installation heads are responsible for implementing emergency action plans
and a fire safety program for the protection of people, mail, and Postal
Service property. This is required by 29 CFR 1910, Subparts E and L. This
program must include (but is not limited to) training, education, inspection,
enforcement, drills, emergency evacuation teams, written emergency action
plans, written standard operating procedures for hazardous materials
releases, and fire prevention plans as required in this subchapter. As an
independent establishment of the executive branch of the federal
government, the Postal Service must also conform to the National Response
Plan (NRP) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS)
established by the Department of Homeland Security. Plans and procedures
required by OSHA and described in this subchapter will be integrated into or
coordinated with the NRP and NIMS as appropriate by the Office of
Emergency Preparedness.
851.2 Managers and Supervisors
Managers and supervisors must be constantly alert for fire hazards or other
emergency situations and take immediate action to correct unsafe practices
and conditions. If an immediate corrective measures is beyond his or her
capability, the manager must take short-term precautions to ensure the safety
of employees and protection of the workplace. Conditions that cannot be
corrected immediately must be reported to a higher authority for corrective
action. Managers must ensure that marked aisles and exits are maintained
and clear and that all employees are trained in the evacuation and
emergency procedures of the installation, including emergency alarm
systems. Supervisors or managers are responsible for ensuring that personal
protective equipment is available to employees who respond to spills and
breakage involving hazardous materials.
852 Emergency Action Plan
852.1 Responsibility
Each Postal Service facility with more than 10 employees on the rolls must
maintain an emergency action plan (EAP) in writing. If there are 10 or fewer
employees, the plan may be communicated verbally. Safety personnel and/or
collateral duty facility safety coordinators (FSCs) may provide advice and
technical assistance, where needed, in the development of such plans. The
plan must include actions specifically designated for management and for
employees to take to ensure employee safety and protection of property from
fire and other emergencies (e.g., tornadoes, earthquakes, and hazardous
materials (HAZMAT) spills). Management Instruction EL-810-96-1,
Hazardous Materials and Emergency Response, provides guidelines for
setting up standard operating procedures (SOPs) for releases and describes
the relationship of the SOP to the EAP.
The EAP must include the following elements (at a minimum):
a. Procedures for emergency evacuation, including the type of evacuation,
exit routes, and illustrations of those routes; shelters; and location of
fire alarms and extinguishers. Shelter in place procedures must also be
documented, if applicable.
b. Procedures for employees who remain to operate or shut down critical
building systems before they evacuate.
c. Procedures to account for all employees after emergency evacuation
(or shelter in place) has been completed.
d. Procedures and details for special assignments.
e. Procedures for reporting fires and other emergencies based on local
requirements.
f. Names or regular job titles of persons or departments who can be
contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the
plan.
Post items a and f (listed in 852.2) of the EAP in a prominent location.
853 Emergency Evacuation Teams and Drills
853.11 Organization
In installations having 10,000 square feet or more, an emergency evacuation
team (EET) of Postal Service employees must be maintained on each work
tour. EETs may be maintained in smaller installations when warranted by the
type of operations conducted. If available, EET members should be selected
from volunteers. Every Postal Service installation with an organized EET
must prepare and maintain a written policy statement that establishes the
EET and describes (a) its basic organizational structure; (b) the type, amount,
and frequency of training members will receive; (c) number of members; and
(d) functions the EET will perform at the facility. This statement may be a part
of the fire prevention plan.
The size of a facility's EET will depend on the amount of fire-extinguishing
and control equipment, the number of exits, and the number of employees on
duty. A schedule must be developed to ensure the availability of the EET.
853.13 Duties of Emergency Evacuation Teams
The organizational statement must clearly indicate that at no time will a
Postal Service EET fight any fire beyond the incipient stage or respond to
HAZMAT emergencies. For Postal Service purposes, an incipient fire is one
in the initial or beginning stages that can be controlled, contained, or
extinguished by portable fire extinguishers without the need for personal
protective clothing or self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The use of
SCBA requires a level of skill and training not usually expected of Postal
Service employees. Other EET duties include, but are not limited to:
a. Stopping conveyor belts.
b. Closing doors to rooms and covers at dump holes and conveyor
openings.
c. Directing the fire department to the fire.
d. Evacuating injured and handicapped personnel.
e. Inspecting the fire site with the fire department to determine that the fire
is completely extinguished and that no possibility of rekindling exists.
f. Moving vans from loading docks.
g. Shutting down all electrical power to the building (or sections of the
building) as directed by the local fire department.
h. Maintaining perimeter security to prevent reentry until officially
instructed to permit it.
i. Accounting for all employees after emergency evacuation has been
completed.
j. Assisting the fire department to maintain crowd control.
Building maintenance employees and security personnel should form the
nucleus of the EET. Additional personnel may be assigned to assure
adequate coverage on all tours. The assigned members are:
a. EET Leader. The installation head is responsible for appointing the EET
leader, who should normally be the superintendent for building
maintenance or someone in a similar position. The EET leader must
establish a procedure to provide quarterly review of the program to
ensure operational efficiency.
b. Assistant EET Leader. The EET leader appoints an assistant EET
leader.
c. EET Members. Members are appointed as needed to cover all tours,
with an alternate for each member. The alternate and regular should
have different days off. The leader ensures that all members are
physically capable of performing the duties that may be assigned to
them during training or actual emergencies. Employees with known
heart disease, epilepsy, or chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases
must not be permitted to participate in any EET activity unless they
present a certificate of fitness from their personal physician stating that
they are physically capable of performing such duties. Employees with
physical disabilities are permitted to be EET members; however, their
job assignments must be governed by their ability to perform specific
tasks.
Members are required to complete initial basic level and annual refresher
training. Training and education must be provided to members and alternates
before they are expected to perform EET activities. To the extent feasible,
Safety and fire department personnel should assist in establishing the EET
and training its members. EET leaders and training instructors must receive
more comprehensive training and education than other members. Such
training may be available from state firefighting academies and local fire
departments. Training for all members must be on the clock and must cover:
a. Coordination of team activities.
b. Performance of specific EET duties for each member and alternate.
c. Familiarization with all fire-extinguishing equipment.
d. Familiarization with fire alarm systems and fire and other emergency
reporting.
e. Classification of fires and the equipment used for each type.
f. Stopping fires from spreading along conveyor belts and between work
levels.
g. Performance of first aid and rescue procedures.
h. Conducting EET drills at least once a year to ensure efficiency.
i. Familiarization with the facility incidental release (HAZMAT) SOP (First
Responder Awareness Level).
j. Familiarization with procedures for special situations (e.g., tornado
sheltering and earthquakes) where applicable.
At no time should EET members or alternates perform a task that exceeds
their level of skill, ability, or training, or expose themselves or other
employees to unnecessary dangers and risks, including hazardous materials
emergencies.
853.17 Special Hazards
The leader must inform EET members and alternates about special hazards
to which they may be exposed during fire or other emergencies, such as
storage and use of flammable liquids and gases, toxic chemicals, radioactive
sources, and water reactive substances. In addition, EET leaders must inform
team members of any changes that occur in relation to the special hazards.
The EET leader must develop written procedures that describe actions to be
taken in situations involving the special hazards. The procedures must be
made available for inspection by EET members and must be included in the
training and education program (see facility written hazard communication
program).
853.18 Installations Without Emergency Evacuation Teams (Less Than
10,000 Square Feet)
In installations that do not have EETs, the installation head is responsible for
ensuring that supervisors or employees are assigned the following functions
in case of fire or other emergency:
a. Notification of fire department, police, ambulance, or other emergency
services.
b. Evacuation of personnel including injured or handicapped employees
promptly.
c. Accounting for all employees after emergency evacuation has been
completed.
d. Securing of mail, monies, receipts, and accountable and valuable
papers.
e. Use of fire extinguishers.
At least one emergency evacuation must be conducted annually on each
work tour. Sheltering drills are appropriate in locations prone to tornadoes or
earthquakes. The importance of fire drill training must be impressed upon all
Postal Service employees. In conducting fire drills, the following objectives
must be met:
a. Prompt sounding of alarms and notification of fire department, police, or
other emergency services.
b. Orderly evacuation in minimum time.
c. Proper securing of mail, monies, receipts, and valuable papers.
d. Correct performance of EAP assignments by designated EET members
and alternates.
854 Fire Prevention Plan
Each installation head managing a Postal Service facility with more than
10,000 square feet must maintain a written fire prevention plan (FPP).
Installation heads managing smaller facilities may maintain written FPPs
when warranted by the operations conducted. Safety personnel and/or
collateral duty FSCs may provide advice and technical assistance, where
needed, in the development of such plans.
The FPP must include the following elements (at a minimum):
a. A list of the following:
(1) Significant workplace fire hazards.
(2) Handling, storage, and control procedures.
(3) Ignition sources (e.g., welding, electrical equipment, and heaters).
(4) Types of fire protection equipment or systems available to
contain, extinguish, and control fires.
b. Names or regular job titles of personnel responsible for maintaining the
equipment used to prevent or control fires.
c. Names or regular job titles of personnel responsible for control of
fuel-source hazards.
d. Procedures to control the accumulation of flammable and combustible
waste materials and residues so that they do not cause fires.
854.31 General
Employees must be instructed by their immediate supervisor in the following
procedures at least once a year and any time there is a change in the plan or
their role:
a. Evacuation and emergency procedures of the installation.
b. Use of fire-extinguishing equipment. (Employees whose work station is
in or adjacent to high-hazard operations must be trained in the use of
appropriate fire-extinguishing equipment for that specific operation.)
c. Good housekeeping practices.
d. Observance of smoking rules.
e. HAZMAT incidental release SOP using Handbook EL-812, Hazardous
Materials and Spill Response.
854.32 Training for the Emergency Action Plan and Fire Prevention Plan
854.321 Emergency Action Plan
To maintain the EAP, a sufficient number of employees must be designated
and trained to (a) assist with the execution of a safe and orderly emergency
evacuation, and (b) deal with incidental and emergency releases of HAZMAT
in the mail and elsewhere. This pool of employees must be kept current. See
MI EL-810-96-1, Response to Hazardous Materials Releases.
854.322 Fire Prevention Plan
To maintain the FPP, the immediate supervisor must inform all employees of
the fire hazards in the work area to which they may be exposed.
854.323 Orientation
The immediate supervisor must orient all newly assigned employees to those
parts of the EAP and FPP that the employees must know to protect
themselves in an emergency.
854.324 Review
The written plans must be kept at the workplace and be made available for
employee review. The EAP and FPP must be reviewed with each employee
of the installation:
a. Annually.
b. Whenever there is a change in employee responsibilities or designated
actions under the plans.
c. Whenever the plans are revised.
855.1 Responsibility
Managers and supervisors that have been trained by safety and/or fire
protection personnel must conduct fire inspections. Training must include
instruction on how to conduct inspections, identify unsafe practices that
cause fires, and eliminate or correct hazards. The installation head is
encouraged to seek assistance from local fire officials and permit them to
conduct fire inspections and prefire planning programs.
Fire inspections must be conducted in all Postal Service-owned and Postal
Service-leased installations. Semiannual inspections are required in all
installations with less than 100 workyears of employment in the regular
workforce. Quarterly fire inspections are required in all installations with more
than 100 workyears of employment in the regular workforce and in vehicle
maintenance facilities.
855.3 Procedures
Fire inspections may be scheduled to coincide with semiannual or annual
safety inspections. They must be documented using the fire inspection
checklists that are published periodically and available in the Safety Toolkit.
855.4 Corrective Action
Deficiencies identified in safety checklists must be reviewed by the hazard
abatement committee and corrected.
Local authorities must be notified immediately upon discovery of fire hazards
that are not under Postal Service jurisdiction, but that affect Postal Service
personnel, mail, or property.
856.1 Alarm Systems
Every Postal Service facility must have an established employee alarm
system that complies with OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.165 and that
includes:
a. Procedures for informing each employee of the preferred means of
reporting emergencies, such as manual pull-box alarms, horns, public
address systems, radio, or telephones. The installation head must have
emergency telephone numbers posted near telephones, on employee
bulletin boards, and at other conspicuous locations where telephones
serve as a means of reporting emergencies. Where a communication
system also serves as the employee alarm system, emergency
messages must have priority over nonemergency messages.
b. Procedures for sounding emergency alarms in the workplace. For those
installations with 10 or fewer employees in a particular workplace, direct
voice communication is an acceptable procedure for sounding the
alarm provided all employees can hear the alarm. Such workplaces
need not have a backup system. An alarm device must:
(1) Give a warning that provides sufficient reaction time for safe
escape of employees from the workplace, the immediate work
area, or both.
(2) Be in compliance with applicable alarm requirements in
Handbooks RE-4, Standards for Facility Accessibility; AS-503,
Standard Design Criteria; and MS-56, Fire Prevention and
Control, to include audible and visible signals.
(3) Have the capability of being heard or seen above ambient noise
or light levels by all employees in the affected areas of the
workplace. (Tactile devices (e.g., vibrating pagers) may be used
to alert employees who would not be able to recognize the
audible or visual alarms.)
(4) Give a distinctive and recognizable signal to evacuate the work
area or to perform actions designated under the EAP (such as
shelter in place). If the employee alarm system is also used for
alerting EET members or for other purposes, a different signal
must be used for each purpose.
c. Procedures for maintaining and testing employee alarm systems in
compliance with appropriate NFPA and OSHA standards.
856.2 Extinguisher
The number, type, location, maintenance, and inspection of fire-extinguisher
equipment and systems must be in accordance with Handbook MS-56 and
29 CFR 1910.157-1910.163 as required.
Exception: The maximum travel distance to any portable fire extinguisher
must not exceed 50 feet.
Fire-fighting equipment that is in damaged or unserviceable condition must
be removed from service and replaced immediately.
857 Vehicle Protection
Fire extinguishers and emergency warning kits are to be placed in vehicles in
accordance with Handbook PO-701, Fleet Management.
Compliance with Postal Service standards, OSHA standards, NFPA codes,
national building codes, and state and local fire codes is required. Managers
must refer matters concerning prevention, extinguishment, and control that
are not covered by municipal or other regulations to higher authority for
resolution.
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