| Safe Egress and Evacuation for People with Disabilities |
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| Tuesday, 02 September 2008 | |
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The National Disability Authority has launched an important new publication titled ‘Promoting Safe Egress and Evacuation for People with Disabilities’. The publication is aimed at ensuring the speedy and safe evacuation of public buildings by people with a disability, particularly in the event of an emergency. The Chairperson of the NDA, Dr. Angela Kerins commented: “ensuring safe egress in an emergency is a complex issue requiring consideration of a broad range of factors, including the design and usage of a building, the training of staff and the provision of appropriate equipment and facilities. Those responsible for buildings must ensure safe egress for all and this requires consideration of the needs of everyone using the building, particularly the specific requirements of people with disabilities,” she said. This publication will be of special interest to facilities managers, accommodation officers, health and safety personnel, access officers, disability liaison officers and human resource professionals in the public sector. It will also be of interest to design consultants and disability organisations involved with accessibility matters as well as people with disabilities, families and carers. Mr Hugh O'Neill, Chief Fire Office of Dublin Fire Brigade said "Human Resources managers, facilities managers and Health and Safety staff should make certain that they read this important new publication from the NDA. It is essential that building operators put effective plans in place to get all building users, including people with disabilities, out of the building to a place of safety when an emergency occurs". According to Mary Dorgan, Assistant Chief Executive with the Health and Safety Authority, “An evacuation plan for all building users, including those with disabilities, is important. The step-by-step approach to evacuation planning for people with disabilities in this new NDA publication will be of great assistance to a wide range of organisations.” This important guide will assist organisations to plan effectively for the safe evacuation of people with disabilities, both staff and customers. Readers will find information on evacuation strategies, alarm equipment, evacuation equipment, training and specific building types, including healthcare buildings, educational buildings and heritage buildings. It also provides details of an appropriate planning process to ensure that people with disabilities can safely evacuate a building in case of emergency. There is a practical ‘risk assessment checklist’ to help organisations to assess their current situation. This publication is available for free download from http://www.nda.ie/egress or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 01-608 0400. |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 September 2008 ) |
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