Specific Safety Guidelines for Emergency Evacuation of Employees with different disabilities:A fully accessible building greatly helps in facilitating self-evacuation of people with disabilities.General Points When assisting a disabled person in an emergency situation, treat the individual as you would any adult. Explain what needs to be done. Give the person an opportunity to define her/his needs and wishes toyou. Allow her/him to make decisions as fully as possible. Remember at all times, when assisting a disabled person, in an emergency situation, you are expected to provide safety for that person. Do not be impatient even in an emergency situation, where time is critical.Assisting Persons with Mobility Impairment There is a wide range of people who fit into this category for e.g. people using crutches, cane, walker or wheelchair. Issues relating to this group of people may also be relevant to people who have Asthma or heart conditions. The preferred options for evacuation by people with mobility impairment are horizontal evacuation to outside the building; horizontal evacuations into another fire compartment; or vertically by evacuation lift, eventually arriving at a place of safety outside the building. Someone using a crutch or a cane might be able to negotiate stairs independently. One hand is used to grasp the handrail the other hand is used for the crutch or cane. Here, it is best not to interfere with this person’s movement. You might be of assistance by offering to carry the extra crutch. Also, if the stairs are crowded, you can act as a buffer and “run interference.” If a wheelchair user is on the ground floor, she/he may be able to exit safely without any assistance. The needs and preferences of wheelchair users vary. Consult with the person to have the following worked out during the planning and training process:- Ways of being moved (see evacuation options)- The number of people necessary for assistance – Ways of manoeuvring/handling the wheelchair (see evacuation options)- As far as possible, never take a wheelchair up or down the steps with less than two persons. There will be instances when non-ambulatory persons have to forsake their wheelchairs during an emergency evacuation. During evacuations, persons using crutches, walkers, etc. (who may not be able to walk long distance or are very slow in walking), may require to be carried. The co-workers who assist them should work out the best method of lifting and carrying the disabled person to prevent any risk of physical damage (see evacuation options). When an evacuation chair is to be used, the device may be allocated to a particular person and either kept alongside their work location, or in the most suitable temporary waiting space close to them. In buildings where there is open public access, it may be advisable to provide evacuation chairs at suitable points within the building. In the absence of an evacuation chair, an office chair preferably with side-arms can also be used.Assisting Persons with Vision Impairment Speak up when approaching a visually impaired person. Explain who you are, why you are there, and what needs to be done. Offer your help but let the person explain what help is needed. Let the individual grasp your arm or shoulder lightly for guidance. She/he may choose to walk slightly behind you to gauge your body reactions to obstacles; be sure to mention stairs, doorways, narrow passages, ramps, etc. When guiding to a seat, place the person’s hand on the back of the chair. If leading several individuals with visual impairments at the same time, ask them to hold each other’s hands. Ensure that after exiting the building, the individuals with impaired vision are not abandoned”. Ensure that they are led to a place of safety. A colleague(s) should remain with them until the emergency is over. Visually impaired people may not be able to read the fire action notices provided in most buildings, as these are often in small typefaces. Instructions could be made available in Braille, large print or on audiotape. Features of good building design with reasonable adjustments for visually impaired people are extremely helpful in their unassisted evacuation: for e.g. good colour contrasting; handrails on escape stairs; markings on escape stairs; colour contrasted or different texture floor coverings on escape routes; or way finding information. Orientation aids, tactile information and audible signs may further reduce the need for assistance. Using the escape routes as part of the general circulation space within the building ensures that visually impaired people will become familiar with these routes. This may assist in the event of evacuation.Assisting Persons with Hearing Impairment Where the fire alarm has audible sounders or a voice alarm system present, they may not be able to discern that the audible alarms are going off. Flashing beacons and vibrating pagers are examples of reasonable adjustment. Either can be used as part of the fire alarm system to alert hearing impaired people to an evacuation zone. Use of a buddy system, where a co-worker alerts the employee with a hearing loss to an emergency situation. Get the attention of a person with a hearing disability by gentle touch or flicking the light in a crowded room. Face a deaf person directly, and speak clearly without covering your face with your hands, as the person may be lip reading and trying to see your facial expressions. Clearly state the problem. Gestures and pointing are helpful, but be prepared to write a brief statement if the person does not seem to understand. Use facial expressions and hand gestures as visual cues to offer advice about the safest routes, by pointing toward exits or evacuation maps. Face the light, do not cover or turn your face away, and never chew gum. Check to see if you have been understood and repeat if necessary. Do not allow others to interrupt or joke with you while conveying the emergency information. Distraction may lead to confusion. Have a pad and a pencil available so that you and the deaf person can understand the same message; this is especially necessary if you cannot understand the persons speech/sign language. Write slowly as the deaf person reads as you write. Provide the individual with a flashlight for signalling their location in the event that they are separated from the rescuing team or buddy, and to facilitate lip-reading in the dark. Fire Wardens/Coordinators should not rely on a vocal call, and should be trained to physically check all areas for which they have responsibility. This is to ensure that there is no one left on the floor. Assisting Persons with Mental Impairments/Learning Disabilities People with mental impairments/learning disabilities often have problems comprehending what is happening in an evacuation. Also, they may not have the same perception of risk as other people. They may get confused and disorientated. Some people with conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia or autism may not be aware of their impairment. Many people with a learning disability also have other impairments: some may have mobility difficulty and some may have impaired vision and hearing loss. Some people with cognitive disabilities may move more slowly than the main flow. It may not be possible to tell that a person has an impairment that affects their ability to orientate themselves around the building. Staff should be aware of this and be tactful when assisting a person who may seem lost or unsure of what to do during an evacuation. The key elements are staff awareness, having someone to help and familiarity with evacuation routes. Practice is essential for some persons (where assistance is required) especially in situations where one person is responsible for a number of others, say, in a classroom situation. People with a learning difficulty may need to practice their routes for escape frequently, perhaps on a monthly basis.Assisting Persons with Other Impairments Pregnancy is not usually considered a disability, but it can result in reduced stamina or impaired mobility, especially in negotiating stairs. In these cases, offer to walk with the woman and be of support both emotionally and physically. Remain with her until you have reached safety. With respiratory disorders, such as Asthma or emphysema, the onset of symptoms can be triggered by stress, exertion, or exposure to small amounts of dust or smoke. Remind the individual to bring inhalation medication before leaving the workplace. Persons with cardiac conditions should be reminded to take their medications. Offer them assistance in walking; they may have reduced stamina and require frequent rest periods.