Emergency Preparedness amongst Emergency Response Team in Managing Accidents at the Workplace

Hazardous materials are chemical substances, which if released or misused can pose a threat to the environment or health. Recently, various type of crisis or emergency due to hazardous materials handling had occurred at the workplace due to human negligence and weaknesses which causes loss of lives and property. Accidents at the workplace involving hazardous materials are most often due to release of chemical substances in plants. Actions have to be taken to address the crisis to prevent unauthorized access and to protect the installation and equipment. These initial tasks can be undertaken by Emergency Response Teams (ERT). The ERT is the first responder in emergencies while waiting for assistance from the relevant authorities such as the Fire and Rescue Department to deal with the crisis at hand. Hence, the paper aims to highlight the role of the ERT in managing accidents at the workplace involving hazardous material.