www.ready.gov recommends an Emergency Alert
System
The Department of
Homeland Security ndustry experts agree that nothing short
of a well designed voice paging system complies with OSHA and Homeland security
guidelines for an "Alert System". Only voice
What test to I need to
perform to abide by OSHA?
Overhead paging = test every two months. Overhead paging is "unsupervised"
in that a break in an amplifier or speaker can go undetected until you try and
use it.
Telephone set based paging = tested every year. Telephone sets are a
"supervised system" in that failures to a telephone set are easily detected in
the course of normal use.
OSHA states 10+
employee groups required to have voice paging!
www.osha.gov
states employers with 10 or more employees are required to have an employee alarm system with
power backup to insure a fully operational status. The industry a digital telephone system
with voice paging feature best accomplishes this requirement.
What office systems may fail OSHA requirements (1910.165)?
Emergency action plans from
www.osha.gov. (search on section 1910.165)
1910.38(c) -An
employer must have and maintain an employee alarm system. The employee alarm
system must use a distinctive signal for each purpose and comply with the
requirements in 1910.165.
1910.165 (b) (3)-The
employee alarm shall be distinctive and recognizable as a signal to evacuate the
work area or to perform actions designated under the emergency action plan.
1910.165 (b) (4)-The
employer shall explain to each employee the preferred means of reporting
emergencies, such as manual pull box alarms, public address systems, radio or
telephones. The employer shall post emergency telephone numbers near telephones,
or employee notice boards, and other conspicuous locations when telephones serve
as a means of reporting emergencies. Where a communication system also serves as
the employee alarm system, all emergency messages shall have priority over all
non-emergency messages.
1910.165 (b) (5)-The
employer shall establish procedures for sounding emergency alarms in the
workplace. For those employers with 10 or fewer employees in a particular
workplace, direct voice communication is an acceptable procedure for sounding
the alarm provided all employees can hear the alarm. Such workplaces need not
have a back-up system.
1910.165 (d) (2)-The
employer shall assure that a test of the reliability and adequacy of
non-supervised employee alarm systems is made every two months. A different
actuation device shall be used in each test of a multi-actuation device system
so that no individual device is used for two consecutive tests.
1910.165 (d) (3)-The
employer shall maintain or replace power supplies as often as is necessary to
assure a fully operational condition. Back-up means of alarm, such as employee
runners or telephones, shall be provided when systems are out of service.
How
does OSHA enforce the Employee Alarm System standards?
Any business facility can be inspected at any time to ensure
compliance with Federal Safety Regulations. OSHA and/or State Officials
employ approximately 2,380 agents to enforce these rules and regulations. At
last count, there were over 6.5 million business facilities (approximately ½ of
the buildings in the US) that had been inspected by these agencies.
* VOIP systems that page to every phone may require as much as
100kbps per phone. Cisco specifically has a limit of 10 phones unless multicast
technology is used. Check your vendor for disclaimers or
required special
configurations.
