Warehouse Safety

Warehouse Safety the Dangers of Modern Warehouses and How to Prevent Them

Critical Info Form - DIY

ICE4SAFETY has had this Excel based spreadsheet tool online for several years now and it is still a relevent document in light of all the potential for catastrophe to occur resulting from one source or another....you will find it here on the DIY Forms Page

It is meant to be used by one or more family members.

You could complete the form as is or modify to your specific needs as directed in the "Read Me" comments inserted into the document. Once completed you can upload into a USB Drive/DVD and secure with your as you evacuate or secure underground or in a safe or with trusted relatives or maybe a copy in a bank vault.....all the time remembering that the information would be a gold mine for identity thieves.


No subscriptions required - no fees to pay - no membership to enroll in -no third-party to call - you control it. This is strictly a DIY tool.

In the event of an emergency requiring an immediate relocation you could access this info and take it with you if it were on a USB or portable secure drive. You could also place this information on an online file sharing database or backed up on a paid service that does this. If the internet is down or access is not available you could still have this information with you to help begin the timely and more orderly reconstruction of your life if your worldly possessions were destroyed. (it is also a great way to get organized - especially if you are sick.)

Emergency Operations Manual

Sample Emergency Operations Manual

Critical information for the operation of  emergency equipment for industry is usually located in well defined, easily recognized and often mandated binders, manuals or laminated placards in close proximity to the equipment.

Many workers in construction industries often don't read the instruction manual for the tools they use - often leading to serious injury or death.  We know this for a fact. You should read all your manuals after installation or storage and it is a good idea for everyone who may be required to use the gear to also become familiar with the manuals as well as have hands on experience that you can "exercise" in one of your preparedness drills. 

The average homeowner may have operation manuals for equipment located in a variety of places throughout the house or outbuildings or if organized it might find a notable place in a file drawer.  
We recommend a simple color coded file system to help identify various info in paper file form.   Under stress and when your home is in shambles, locating operating and troubleshooting instructions for such equipment as back up power systems, generators, custom electrical installations (wind/solar/turbine etc) needs to be expedient. 

Emergency Manual Cover Form

People afflicted with "normalcy bias" or  "it won't happen to me" syndrome may assume others already know what they know. When disaster strikes and they are not available to figure everything out, the operation/repair of the equipment may be relegated to a spouse, child, relative or neighbor who may not be as knowledgeable or skilled.  In some instances your family's safety and continued comfort might rely on a total stranger or "new friend" with skills.

Communications may be down (you can safely assume THAT) so having essential info in a conveniently located and easily recognizable binder will help make sure locating it is easy.  A secure but acknowledged family location for emergency gear and info can also help.

We suggest service company contact info (business cards), typed out procedural lists, inspection checklists, safety warnings and other reference / service manuals (example above).    This manual can/should be in addition to important info laminated or bound and already stored with the equipment.  

Always try and remember - Redundancy.

One surefire way to instantly recognize your binder as pertaining to emergencies is to have the ICE Logo on it.....that is what it was designed for.  Training is a snap.....everything identified with the ICE Logo pertains to emergeny use.  Simple.
Fancy artwork or cute graphics symbols usually add to the confusion.  Industry standard MSDS binders are simple too.   

You can certainly create a binder like this for home.  We have added a cover page (see above) you can download and print to use that incorporates the ICE Logo already - it's ok to use in color, b/w or grayscale. 

One line is for your home address/name and you can define the other system or equipment you wish to include here....you may want to identify emergency and non-emergency info using color coded systems. 



Some typical suggestions:
Back Up Generators
Solar Chargers
Sump Pump Systems
Septic Systems
Water Systems
Inverter Circuits,
Chain Saws
Flood Water Pumps
Storm Shelter Operation
Phone and Radio Systems
Plumbing/Water Filtration Manuals
Emergency Respirators
Vehicle Operations (ATV, Boat, Tractor, Truck)

Download cover document.    Check out the other useful info on site there as well.

Drill Baby Drill!

Seasonal time changes ( Fall Back - Spring Ahead) can be a good time to schedule a preparedness drill of some sort.  You may not be prepared for a full scale "shut down" or "bug out" drill but not to worry. 

The whole point of conducting a practice drill is to be able to assess strengths and weaknesses in your preparatory plans and implementation.  Drilling also provides some essential insight into your ability to cope with and interact with others (family, neighbors, local businesses, utilities or otherwise) that you may rely on in an emergency situation.  

Never has there been such an emphasis on preparedness since the Japanese earthquake / tsunami / nuclear catastrophe this month.  It is absolutely one of the worst events in our lifetime.....unfortunately, that is what it takes to get some people motivated to take  care of themselves and overcome Normalcy Bias. 

You can conduct drills in many ways bearing in mind the whole purpose of doing one is to strengthen your ability to respond to a crisis. What you prepare for unless it is very specific usually never occurs as you may anticipate but your planning and prepping and drilling activity allows you to better adjust and ultimately previal. 

There are some instances where your ability to survive just may not be possible and you have little if any control.  Those should be considered in your overall assessment and you can make preparations for your survivors as sorry as that sounds. 

Limited action or focus drills can be done more often - some examples:
Loss of Power
Loss of Potable Water
Loss of Sewage
Stores Shutdown
Equipment Breakdown
Vehicle Emergencies
Weather Emergencies
Food Shortage
Responsing to an Evac Order
Fire Safety
Natural Gas Outage
No Internet Service (some may consider this an emergency)
Phone System Outage
Street Egress Closed Off from Flood, Downed Trees, Snow, Utility Lines Down
Emergency Evac from Work to Home
Emergency Evac to Tornado/Hurricane Shelter

These are a few limited focus - limited event incidents that you can engage the family on to assess your readiness and state of preparation.  This won't turn off the kids or tire you out just thinking about it. 

In a major catastrophe many if not all of these will take place.  Don't overwhelm yourself at first - undoubtedly those new to this preparedness activity may want everything to be resolved immediately and their prepareations to be completed in one fell swoop.  It is not going to happen because it is a dynamic process and not a static event like preparing for a birthday party.  Things change, stuff happens and you need to go with that flow as well.  If you begin by biting off smaller components and having some success at it can help build your confidence and encourage you to continue with others.

Public Shelter

We've been in the preparedness mode since Scout days and have been working at being prepared ever since.  Don't be discouraged.

Radiation Exposure - Potassium Iodate

IOSAT Anti-Radition Medication

Nuclear Radiation incidents in Japan as a result of the massive earthquake there have prompted people here and around the world to review their planning for such an event. 

Japanese authorities are distributing Potassium Iodate tablets to citizens in the country where it is most likely radiation exposure would occur. 

These are some "expired" samples from a friends Bug Out Bag.   The IOSAT Brand has been around for a long time and you can usually acquire them at pharmacies.    You can buy a variety of anti-radiation pills online that block absorption of Radioactive Iodine into your thyroid.

Read the FDA Guidelines on these products here:   http://tinyurl.com/4lbb52m 

CampingSurvival.Com has these available along with some other anti-radiation products, detectors as well as a very detailed explanation on how radiation affects your system and how this product works.

http://www.campingsurvival.com/iospotiodapp.html

We might suggest that if you are conducting a "drill" today you consider your actions in such an emergency and how you have prepared to evacuate or shelter in place. Many of us are living close to such reactors.

Pray for those people in Japan who have literally disappeared as a result of the earthquake and Tsunami.