WorkSafe

The unexpected happened one day in
2008, a day that seemed like any other
to business owners along downtown
Victoria’s View Street — until an
underground electrical fire caused a
136-kilogram manhole cover to shoot
skyward just outside Sapphire Day Spa.
Miraculously, the cover crashed onto the pavement,
missing cars and pedestrians, before a sickly green
smoke spilled out of the manhole and began to fill
the street.
Spa staff quickly called the fire department, and
fire officials told them to stay put until further notice.
When firefighters gave the order to evacuate,
employees were well-prepared, chaperoning clients
out of the building through well-marked exits to safety,
without panic or undue stress. They had practised
this before.
treatment room; well-lit and well-marked emergency
exits; and off-site data storage, just in case a disaster
destroys all of the spa’s computers and data.
Sapphire Day Spa also ensures new employees learn
about emergency preparedness in their orientations.
What’s more, they receive additional emergency
response training at special City of Victoria seminars
and participate in regular drills. One of the key drills
they take part in is the annual province-wide ShakeOut
BC, an earthquake response drill that happens every
October. (See ShakeOut BC: Drop, cover, and hold on
on page 12).
Sherwood happens to be among a committed group of
employers who go above and beyond the regulation to
be prepared for the unexpected. But those who do, say
they’re not only doing what they’re told — they’re
actually thinking like smart businesspeople: preparing
for the worst with a long-range view to maintaining
operations after the fact.
Employees’ ability to avert chaos reflected an employer
with a serious commitment — both to protecting her
staff through emergency planning and, by extension,
protecting her business as well.
Sapphire Day Spa owner Heidi Sherwood’s approach
to emergencies is commendable, but unfortunately, all
too rare. Smaller businesses generally tend to put less
emphasis on meeting minimum requirements for
emergency preparedness, let alone planning for
recovery after the fact. And that’s despite the fact that
it’s their legal obligation to be prepared.
Under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation
— specifically sections 4.13 through 4.16 and Part 32
on emergency preparedness, response, evacuation,
and rescue — all employers are expected to plan,
prepare, and train their employees for any and all
emergencies. (See Emergency prep basics on page 9.)
Prepare, practice, and plan
And Sherwood takes those emergency response
planning duties to heart. In her business plan,
in fact, she ranks earthquakes a bigger risk than
market competition.
It’s no surprise, then, that she has procedures and
equipment in place for emergency response and
post-emergency business recovery, including the
following items: communication plans; on-site,
72-hour, 10-person emergency kits; flashlights in every
Sapphire Day Spa staff practice safely escorting
clients from the spa as part of their regular
emergency drill.
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September / October 2015 | WorkSafe Magazine