Emergency Action Plans

Policy Key Points

The best thing a person to do to give them the best chance to survive an emergency is to be prepared for the emergency. This policy provides associates with the Emergency Plans that have been created for Yaskawa associates. All associates are provided with training on these emergency plans and the emergency plans are easily accessible by using the Yaskawa Emergency Web App.

During an emergency, follow these steps:

Breathe:
Take a deep breath, hold it, and let it out to help gain your exposure. This can help move us out of the hippocampus fast response area of our brain into the cerebral cortex area of the brain. The hippocampus, specifically the amygdala, relies on past experience to guide our response. Since most of us probably haven't experienced a similar emergency, our brain doesn't know what to do. By activating the cerebral cortex, we can engage in the critical thinking area of our brain and recall the emergency procedures we learned about in training.
Assess:
Assess the emergency then rely on your training, drills, and critical thinking skills to determine the best course of action.
Think:
Think about what your best course of action is.
Act:After you have gained your exposure and assessed the situation, take action. Your primary goal is to get yourself to safety.
Repeat:
Repeat these steps until you are in a safe environment.

Policy

Introduction

It is the policy of Yaskawa America, Inc. Drives and Motion Division to provide and maintain a work environment conducive to the safety and health of its employees. To that end, YAI-D Management Committee, in conjunction with the EHS Steering Committee, has developed this Emergency Action Plans Policy. Key personnel are assigned the position of Emergency Coordinators. Emergency Coordinators will deal with emergencies that threaten employee safety/health and company property.

As immediate, knowledgeable action is vital to properly deal with any emergency situation, this document sets forth guidelines to be followed for a number of situations following the determination that an emergency exists. These guidelines outline actions, responsibilities, and authority for dealing with:

Life/Safety issues,
Emergencies involving potential property loss,
Natural disasters,
Threats,
Electrical power outages.

The EHS Steering Committee is responsible for the preparation, updating, and implementation of this emergency guide to include initiating training programs. This emergency action plan is available to all associates to review at all times.

General Instructions

When an emergency occurs, the Primary Emergency Coordinator has all authority to distribute company resources to assure the incident is safely mitigated. An Emergency Coordinator List is included in the Contacts section of this manual.

The Primary Emergency Coordinator has final authority. This authority may only be relinquished to the Yaskawa President or a Vice President.

Other on-site coordinators will function as an Emergency Support Team (various other personnel may be temporarily assigned a position to assist in mitigating the incident). The Emergency Coordinator will be the primary contact with public emergency response agencies.

All Yaskawa associates are authorized to call 911 for what they determine to be a life threatening emergency (i.e. injury, illness, fire or explosion).

ONLY those personnel designated by the YAI-D President may speak to the media.