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Disability during an Emergency
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I have an employee on site who has arthritis and it's difficult for her to get around. Our building management company asked each tenant to have their employees self identify themselves as "disa
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Forums » Topic Forums » Legal Forum » Disability during an Emergency
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Disability during an Emergency
posted at 9/30/2011 11:30 AM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 1
First: 9/30/2011 Last: 9/30/2011 |
I have an employee on site who has arthritis and it's difficult for her to get around. Our building management company asked each tenant to have their employees self identify themselves as "disabled" if they are unable to exit the building via the stairs during an emergency. This particular employee added herself to this list. This employee was instructed that in an emergency, she should wait at the landing of the stairs and wait for emergency personnel to get to her to help her out of the building. She said that she can't stand in the stairwell so she needs to bring a chair with her to sit in. This employee then said that if there was an actual emergency, she would scoot herself down the stairs on her butt. We really can't have her do that as this will bottleneck the stairwell. So - we need her to handle a drill as if it's an emergency and in either a drill or an actual emergency, she will need to wait at the top of the stairs and wait for emergency personnel. Does anyone see anothe solution or an issue with our current one? |
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Re: Disability during an Emergency
posted at 9/30/2011 3:21 PM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 127
First: 9/21/2011 Last: 11/12/2012 |
I would check with the building mgmt company, because I doubt having a chair on the landing would be any safer than her going down on her rear end. Either way space will be blocked. If people are moving fast, I could see her getting pushed out of her chair or accidentally down the stairs. How many flights of stairs is it? And how many more above you? That said, if I were her, there is no way I would wait for emergency personnel if I could get myself down at all. And yes, I would go down on my rear end. Better down than waiting. (I just have too much knowledge of 9/11 and people dying because they were told to stay up there until personnel could get to the top). I think any scenario has liability attached to it because she is disabled/slower than an average person. If she is forced to stay there and isnt' allowed out in the one way she CAN get out, that could also be an issue if she doesn't get out in time...i.e. the employer/building mgmt are liable for her death/any negative repercussions. The only real scenario I can see is to have her go down on her rear with someone else accompanying her to help with the bottleneck....As it is you will have some slower employees that bottleneck and some faster. You could have her and a buddy be the last two out from your floor and wait until most have already gone down from upper floors. I would definitely practice it both ways and see how long it takes either way. Which gets her out safely the fastest along with the others. |
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Re: Disability during an Emergency
posted at 10/22/2011 1:26 AM EDT
on Workforce Management
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Posts: 9
First: 10/22/2011 Last: 9/8/2012 |
In Response to Re: Disability during an Emergency: I would check with the building mgmt company, because I doubt having a chair on the landing would be any safer than her going down on her rear end. Either way space will be blocked. If people are moving fast, I could see her getting pushed out of her chair or accidentally down the stairs. How many flights of stairs is it? And how many more above you? That said, if I were her, there is no way I would wait for emergency personnel if I could get myself down at all. And yes, I would go down on my rear end. Better down than waiting. (I just have too much knowledge of 9/11 and people dying because they were told to stay up there until personnel could get to the top). I think any scenario has liability attached to it because she is disabled/slower than an average person. If she is forced to stay there and isnt' allowed out in the one way she CAN get out, that could also be an issue if she doesn't get out in time...i.e. the employer/building mgmt are liable for her death/any negative repercussions. The only real scenario I can see is to have her go down on her rear with someone else accompanying her to help with the bottleneck....As it is you will have some slower employees that bottleneck and some faster. You could have her and a buddy be the last two out from your floor and wait until most have already gone down from upper floors. I would definitely practice it both ways and see how long it takes either way. Which gets her out safely the fastest along with the others. Posted by rrupert There are evacuation chairs available that a single person can operate. They fold up for easiy storage. I strongly recommend that building management get at least one of these, that it be kept on the floor this employee is on, and people practice with it. And since there is no written guarantee that other people won't break a leg or otherwise become incapacitated during the incident, there should be at least one on each floor. |
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