Dena Guralnick, Xenium’s Operations Project Supervisor, contributed to this post.
Several weeks ago, The New Yorker threw a grenade into the hearts of many Pacific Northwest residents. While the looming subduction zone earthquake and subsequent tsunami were not news to many of us locals, the well-written, descriptive imagery of the quake’s likely impact on a landscape many of us call home made for an all-around horrifying read.
In the days and weeks to follow, the article, parallel to its subject matter in some ways, caused its own kind of fallout as it received national attention, impacted the way many people view their homes, and inspired many to investigate and begin taking preventative measures.
Immediately following the article, a sudden spike in earthquake survival kit sales was observed, and both OPB’s ongoing series, which had begun last January—months prior to The New Yorker article—and the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management’s 2014 earthquake survival guide garnered far greater attention than they had previously. About a week after “The Really Big One” hit newsstands, a follow-up article appeared in The New Yorker detailing preventative measures, in the attempts of reigning in panicked reactions to the initial article and turning the attention toward specific action items.
Yet, due to the no-nonsense, somewhat doom-and-gloom tone of the original article, there are still tremors of fear being felt in the northwest.
Many people in my own social circle, particularly those raised in Oregon, countered the article’s national attention with, But we’ve known about this for years! This isn’t news—in essence, begging us all to go back to ignoring the impending disaster in peace.
Personally, I think there’s a balance to be struck here. The root of the terror is that this earthquake technically could happen at any time: in the next hour, week, month, year, etc. That is, by fact, a possibility. However, once we’re able to move past the shock of that revelation, it’s important to note that it also might not happen for some time. And while it almost certainly will be a nightmarish experience once it does strike—both at a personal level in our homes and communities as well as in our local businesses and industries—by all odds, there is likely still plenty of time for us to become educated and prepared.
Preparing Your Business
Generally speaking, all employers should have Emergency Action Plans or Emergency Procedures that consider potential natural or man-made emergencies that could disrupt the workplace. If the employer has 10 or fewer employees the plan can be verbally communicated instead of documented in writing. The national OSHA website is a great resource, as is Oregon OSHA, for beginning the process of verifying that you currently comply with requirements. Both websites have helpful tools to get started in creating emergency procedures and how to enact them in the workplace, including a handy guide for employers on developing an emergency action plan.
Your company’s plan should include evacuation procedures and policies regarding inclement weather, earthquakes, fire, medical emergencies, bomb or other explosive threats, and hazardous materials (if applicable). It is also recommended to list contact numbers for individuals that may lead or coordinate during an emergency as well as local emergency facility contact numbers (such as electricity provider, water department, local hospitals, etc.)
The work isn’t over once a plan has been written and shared with the office, however. As companies grow or shrink, and as new people are hired or leave, it’s important to ensure that throughout all of this change and shifting your workplace is still safe by performing regular checks. It’s important to have an ongoing prioritization of workplace safety. At 
Xenium, we accomplish this by having a safety committee which consists of members from several Stoller Group companies, with whom we share a building. The committee meets monthly to discuss safety concerns and incident reports, review emergency and safety procedures, make recommendations on ways to improve safety in and around the building, and periodically perform walk-throughs of the workspace to identify potential safety risks and makes recommendations for corrective action. We are fortunate to have on the committee our own Risk Manager, Josh Armstrong, who advises on best practices for safety, emergency preparedness, and reducing workplace injuries.
Resources and Articles
As mentioned previously, both the national OSHA website and Oregon OSHA’s website contain a plethora of publications and information about OSHA standards for all kinds of industries and types of companies. They also offer consultation services to help assess your company’s specific situation.
I recommend digging into the City of Portland’s veritable treasure trove of information regarding emergency preparedness, not only regarding the earthquake but for any disaster including winter weather, floods, extreme heat, and more. They also have a section of the site dedicated to emergency plans for businesses.
OPB’s Aftershock interactive webpage allows you to see specific information on how your home or business address will be impacted, and is a great start for determining what you might need in a disaster kit.
Ready.gov is a national website supported by FEMA and DHS and full of emergency preparedness information for disasters and risks of all kinds. The entire website is available in multiple languages and there is a section of the site specific to businesses.
These are several preparedness-focused resources I referenced at the start of this post:
- “How to Stay Safe When the Big One Comes” by Kathryn Schulz of The New Yorker
- “Unprepared” series by OPB
- “The Big One: A Northwest Earthquake Survival Guide PDF” by the Portland Bureau of Emergency Management
Finally, I’ll conclude with a quote from a truly fantastic Q&A between Bill Steele, a seismologist and spokesman for the Pacific Northwest Network, and Tacoma’s News Tribune:
“I just encourage people not to so much worry about big earthquakes in the future, because they are going to happen when they happen, but to do one thing, do one or two things today or this week to make your family better prepared.” – Bill Steele
Image credit: Gina Pina