Tornadoes can happen anywhere in the country. Most employers never prepare for such an event. Would your employees know what to do if a tornado struck at work?

You can help ensure the safety of your staff and customers if you train your employees to know the ins and outs of tornado survival on the job.
First, designate a safe spot. If you have a tall building, designate a small, central room or hallway on the lowest floor. If your building is one story tall, choose the basement, or the sturdiest room free of windows, and have everyone take shelter under tables or desks.

If your employees spend a lot of time driving in the open, have them move to the lowest area they can find, buckled up and head down. If possible, have them leave the vehicle and take shelter in a nearby building instead.

After the tornado passes, use extreme caution in moving through debris. 50% of tornado-related injuries occur after the fact, from stepping on sharp objects or coming into contact with damaged electrical lines.

Prepare to treat the most life-threatening injuries first. Apply pressure to bleeding wounds, and start CPR if someone has stopped breathing. Take care not to move a severely injured person, unless their life is in immediate danger from nearby debris. When rescuers approach the area, call attention to those who are most injured and those who are trapped.

Ideally, if you own a large business, one or several people on your staff could be licensed in CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams), so that your team would have a trained leader ready to act when disaster strikes. It’s also a good idea to make sure a few of your employees are trained in CPR. Talking these things through before the storm begins could save lives.