Assessment of Emergency Preparedness and Response at Kasapreko Company Limited

Abstract

Background: Emergencies usually occur without warning. Therefore there is the need for an effective and efficient planning in any organization against emergencies. It is important to have knowledgeable personnel who are prepared and know what to do when an emergency occurs. This can be achieved through trainings, emergency drills and simulation exercises. Of much importance is the fact that in some industries and organizations with written down emergency plan and guidelines, staff preparedness for emergency may still be lacking. Kasapreko Company Limited is a big local manufacturing company in Ghana located in the Spintex Industrial Area and manufactures both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages as well as bottled drinking water. It has a big workforce of about three hundred and fourty three (343) coupled with the volatile nature of some of the chemicals used in processing alcoholic beverages and the densely populated area in which it is located. Should any disaster happen, its impact on lives and properties will be devastating. It is therefore necessary to examine their emergency preparedness and response plan and assess their staff preparedness for any eventuality. Objective: This study assessed how Kasapreko Company Limited as an organization, is prepared for an emergency by examining their emergency management plan and their employees’ preparedness and response should an emergency occur. Method: A cross sectional study was done using quantitative tools to gather data from employees of Kasapreko Company Limited on availability of an emergency preparedness plan, and their knowledge in respect to emergency preparedness procedures and actions. Open and close- ended questionnaires were used to gather information from 172 employees of Kasapreko Company Limited. A checklist adopted from FEMA, a nonprofit coordinating committee (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2013) was also used to evaluate their emergency preparedness plan. Analysis: Data collected was coded and entered into a computer database using the Stata 15 software for statistical analysis. A descriptive analyses of all variables assessed was conducted and a Chi-square analysis was done to determine the association between the independent variables and emergency preparedness.

Results: Kasapreko Company Limited has an Emergency Management Plan which has all required components according to the standard checklist used. Responses from questionnaire showed that almost all the respondents (96.8%) knew about the company’s Emergency Management Plan. Majority of the respondents viewed fire as the most likely emergency that may occur and 93.7% knew how to use fire extinguishers. 90% of respondents had knowledge about emergency management. The study showed that 88(69.8%) had attended workshop on emergency management and 96(77.4%) have participated in emergency drills or simulation exercises. Number of years of work in the company was significantly associated with knowledge on emergency management [X2; p<0.05]. In addition, workshop attendance or training as well as participating in drills and simulation exercises was significantly associated with knowledge [Pearson X2; p<0.05]. Conclusion: The study deduced that although there is a good emergency management plan available at Kasapreko Company Limited, not all components for emergency preparedness such as training of workers on emergency management and organizing drills were fully executed. Therefore a written down plan does not necessarily translate into preparedness.