Automatically generated evacuation lists save lives in an emergency
The most important question in a disaster like a fire is: is everyone safe or do people still need to be rescued? In the general chaos, it is not easy to determine who made it out of a burning building. Reconstructing afterwards who of the employees, visitors and employees of external companies were originally in the building is a real challenge - unless you are prepared and have an evacuation list or attendance list.
Worst case: How companies prepare for evacuations.
City, country, river - the locations of German SMEs and corporate groups are as diverse as the companies, their history and their individual requirements. What unites them all: the people. Sometimes a handful, sometimes a few hundred, sometimes several thousand stream through the factory gates every day.
Another unifying element: the absolute safety of people, materials and structural infrastructure. It is not just hacker attacks on networks and structures that security officers have to deal with today. Events such as the flood in the Ahr valley in 2021, the chemical accident in Helmbrechts in 2023 and the rampage at the Olympic shopping centre in Munich in 2016 are examples of the variety of thematic challenges that a world full of geopolitical problems brings with it. Against this backdrop, thinking in terms of worst-case scenarios is not pessimistic, but an active assumption of responsibility. Such scenarios have always been part of the working reality for the THW, fire brigade, armed forces, police and, last but not least, disaster control. This article shows the importance of software solutions such as VISIT for a security-oriented company organisation. It explains how software-supported access control systems facilitate the evacuation of visitors and employees in the event of an emergency.
What you should know about evacuations, procedures and responsibilities
An evacuation is the organised relocation of people and animals from an endangered area with transport, accommodation and care to a safe area. Hazards are divided into those that come from inside and those that come from outside. The former include, for example, fire, explosion or leakage of hazardous substances. Floods, storms, hail, severe weather or the aforementioned bomb threat come from outside. Experts on the topic of evacuation within a company are, for example, the occupational safety specialist or the fire safety officer. Outside the company premises, the police and fire brigade are responsible for organising an evacuation.
In addition to employees, the group of people involved in an evacuation also includes all other third parties, such as visitors, employees of external companies and customers who are in the building or on the premises at the time of an incident. In residential areas, an evacuation - e.g. in the event of a bomb being found - is ordered by the civil protection authorities. In companies, this is the responsibility of specially authorised and appropriately trained persons.
To ensure that an evacuation is organised, every company must draw up an escape and rescue plan if the location, size or type of use of the workplace so requires. This escape and rescue plan must be publicised in suitable places in the company. Evacuation drills must be carried out at appropriate intervals on the basis of this plan.
The Workplace Ordinance, the Technical Rules for Workplaces ‘Escape routes and emergency exits, escape and rescue plan’ (ASR A2.3) and DIN ISO 23601 ‘Safety labelling - Escape and rescue plans’ are regulations that companies should follow.
Craft business, SME, corporation or chemical triangle: how the location influences an evacuation
At industrial sites in particular, companies of different sizes often share a large area. Visitors, employees, suppliers or tradespeople enter the site through a central gate and then often have to pass through another access control at the company where they are carrying out an order or have an appointment.
In the event of an evacuation, such sites are particularly challenging logistically: every company needs its own concepts and emergency plans. Those responsible at all companies must coordinate their plans with each other so as not to endanger each other in the event of an evacuation and to ensure that everyone present leaves the site in an orderly manner.
These regulations deal with the topic of evacuation
If you would like to find out more about the topic of ‘evacuation’, you will find valuable information on how to raise the alarm correctly in VDI 4062. The regulations also describe how an evacuation should be organised and carried out as a self-rescue. It also describes the interfaces to external rescue, which must be taken into account when evacuating people with disabilities in particular.
The VDI 4062 guideline entitled ‘Evacuation of persons in the event of danger’ presents cross-industry solution methods in terms of technical and structural means as well as organisational and personnel methods. VDI 4062 is a set of rules that can be applied to all operational situations involving various events such as explosions, fires, floods and other scenarios.
In DGUV Information 205-033 ‘Alerting and evacuation’, employers can find further information on how to ensure the protection of their employees and all external persons in the event of an evacuation.
Evacuation lists: How those responsible keep track of everything
Whether external visitors or employees: Visitor management software helps companies to manage all the people who are in a company or on a site.
The particular strength of tools such as VISIT lies in the creation of evacuation lists, which can save lives in emergencies such as fires. They provide emergency services with important information, e.g:
- Who is currently on the premises
- Whether everyone has been evacuated in time
- Where missing persons could still be located
The Evaclist can be transferred to smartphones or tablets with just one click. Alternatively, it can be accessed using a QR code and password. The list remains available on mobile devices even in the event of a server failure. Evacuees can be entered directly in the list at the assembly point. The list is updated manually so that data from other devices is also synchronised.
In areas with individual access controls (e.g. in parts of buildings, floors or rooms), the Evaclist can be used specifically to locate missing persons. Without access control, however, only general data, such as an employee's workplace, is available.
Despite its many advantages, even the best Evaclist system cannot guarantee complete accuracy.
Examples of potential problems:
- People leave the premises without signing out.
- Access controls are bypassed (e.g. by taking unauthorised persons with them).
- People are in unregistered areas such as lifts, lobbies or waiting areas.
Evacuation lists are an indispensable tool to support emergency services and security officers during evacuation. They provide a quick overview of the situation, even if they do not cover all.
Do you want to make provisions for the worst-case scenario with an automatically generated evacuation list?
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