# Emergency action plan

URL: https://hardhatbinder.com/en/toolbox-talks/emergency-action-plan
Last updated: 2026-10-23

If someone gets hurt, a fire starts, or a storm rolls in, there is no time to figure out what to do. Every job has an emergency action plan, and it only works if each of us knows it before something happens. Today we go over how we report an emergency, where we go, and how we make sure everyone is out.

## Key points

1. Know how to report an emergency on this site: who to tell, how to call 911, and the exact site address to give the dispatcher.
2. Learn the alarm signal we use for evacuation, whether it is an air horn, a shout, or a radio call, and stop work right away when you hear it.
3. Walk your exit routes today and know at least two ways out from where you are working, including from upper floors and from inside the building.
4. Go straight to the meeting point when there is an evacuation, and do not stop to grab tools or move your truck.
5. At the meeting point, the foreman does a head count, so stay there until you are told it is clear and tell us if you saw someone still inside.
6. Know who is assigned to shut down equipment or gas and who gives first aid, and do not go back in for a rescue unless you are trained and it is safe.
7. Keep exit routes, stairs, and access roads clear of material and debris so people can get out and emergency trucks can get in.

## Talk it over

- Where is our meeting point on this job, and how would you get there from where you are working today?
- If you had to call 911 right now, what address and directions would you give them to find us?
- What could block an exit or slow down an evacuation on our site this week?

> **Remember:** Know the alarm, know two ways out, and go straight to the meeting point so we can count everyone.

## Official sources

- [29 CFR 1926.35](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/section-1926.35) — Employee emergency action plans

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Source: HardHat Binder, operated by Leadspire LLC. Templates to be reviewed by a competent person before use; not legal advice; not affiliated with OSHA.