Posted By Ian Mycroft I am currently reviewing our emergency evacuation procedures and in our current bomb evacuation procedure there is line that says: "where possible, and if safe to do so, close all doors, windows and filing cabinets". I have seen this in fire evacuation procedures and understand the reason why, but I have been told in the past, that in bomb evacuations doors and windows that are open should be left open. Can someone please advise me on this? Ian

Posted By Dave Wilson I was a safety manager of a company which was affected by the Docklands Bombing in '96. Dont actually feel it make's much difference but you should be looking to protect areas of the business which if they were destroyed would have a catastrophic affcet on the business if they were lost in a fire/explosion. If the building went up would we be out of business? If so what can we do to mitigate this? Think the window, frame, wall would be lost in a bomb explosion. (footnote - I was actually on a corporate Golf day in Essex playing with a society who were made up of the Met Crime Prevention Officers when this happened!!! never seen so many mobiles and blepers go off at the same time)

Posted By Robert M Edwards While the priorities in any dangerous situation are to save life and prevent injury in respect of those for whom we are immediately responsible (1), there are wider areas to consider when explosive devices are introduced into the equation. 2. The safety of our immediate neighbours. 3. Minimising damage to property. 4. Dealing with the device or suspected device. 5. Returning to normal. I’ll assume that when people refer to a bomb they mean an improvised explosive device (IED), which is the term generally used to describe any device made to specifications other than those for military use. This may seem pedantic, but by using this expression we able to expel from people’s minds the image of a bomb being a pointy tube with fins at one end. The development of an effective evacuation plan for IED incidents, together with the information necessary to deal with items 2-5, requires that the plan be site specific. Plans have to take into account blast channels, secondary hazards and likely planting locations (warnings, if received, are rarely specific) to name but three factors. Evacuation perimiters will depend on the size of the device and the nature of secondary hazards. A perimeter requirement of one kilometer is not common, but should be allowed for in some plans. I am able to provide guidance and consultation on the formulation of plans for such events, unable on safety principles to attempt to develop a one size fits all procedure! The site is crucial in the evacuation procedure as is what is present on it. ( Before my legal career I spent 22 years advising on counter-terrorism ).

Posted By Ken Urquhart Ian, Try the Home Office Web Site. The following page will take you to the Home Office A-Z index and under T for Terrorism you will find 2no. Links to publications about Bombs and planning for terrorist actions etc. http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/atoz/terrorists.htm This next page will take you to a special downloadable booklet about planning for Bomb Threats etc. http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/oicd/bombs.pdf In the Guidance you will find reference to Glass protection, Fitting it with protective containment films and providing special net curtain, in particular, glass in/on/adjoing emergency evacuation routes. Other earlier respondents have clarified the point about doors and windows being left open helping to mitigate the blast wave. In regard to your procedures, if you have not already done so, consider who your Business neighbours are and what they do. Whilst your organisations risk/attraction of terrorist or malicious threat may be low and modest, you may be sited alongside others who have a potentially high risk/attraction profile. Consider in planning your evacuation and assembly routes and control points etc - are they vulnerable if your neighbours have a problem. On multi occupancy sites and on campus type facilities Emergency/Terrorist/Malicious threat Planning should if possible be developed in conjunction with your neighbour businesses and with the Facilities management/Estate management companies that many premises are now outsourced to for care purposes. Also always liaise wih the Police and the rwelated Emergency Services and discuss your plans with them. In the current global potential for terrorist/malicious threat there is very real need for pre-planning and preparation. There are clear lessons to be learned from events that have already happened especiaslly for the Construction and development of new Buildings and infrastructure, or where extensions and re-fits are taking place or are planned. There are very real lessons for Clients, Architects, Designers involved in commisions to provide/manage new or expansion construction programmes to build in up front threat protection. This need not cost a fortune but with careful planning and good design and material component selection a lot can be achieved at the front end that will for economic and limited costs give good lifecycle base construction costs. Also talk to your Insurers or Brokers about your Emergency/Terrorist/Malicious threat plans, you may be able to offset cover cost and reduce excesses or even premiums. How many businesses/organisations have a renewals/delapidations/fabric maintainence section in there Emergency plans and associated Disaster recovery plans? There should be such content in plans and they should regularly review technological and material development and change so that in the event of upgrades/rebuilds etc the best level of protection and the specification of articles/materials/substances least likely to exacerbate an incident are identified, planned for and built in/incorporated. Hope these references and thoughts are of some help. Regards. ken Urquahrt

Posted By Eric Burt Ian The Home Office booklet is called "Bombs - Protecting People and Property". On page 26 it says "... When an evacuation is initiated, doors and windows should, whenever possible, be left unlocked, especially in the vicinity of a suspect object. Lights should be left on but plant and machinery shut down where practicable". Unfortunately the book is copyright, but if you need a copy give the Home Office Communication Directorate a call on 0171 273 2066. Hope this is of use. Regards, Eric

Posted By Robert M Edwards Dear Geoff, We do not use this site to 'sell' our services. The offer of assistance is as all others, free of charge. We are currently considering doing an overview as we have done( again free)in PDF format of some areas more traditional Health and Safety training has not covered. Bomb evacuation would be one of those areas. If you have a specific problem then email me and I will do my best to help. We do of course offer full bomb awareness and evacuation policies as a service but for general help and assistance we provide that free wherever we can. I trust this puts your mind at rest!

Posted By peter gotch Ian, Fortunately the Docklands bomb went off outside normal hours, but it provided some lessons, not least in continuity planning. One floor had protective film on the windows which blew in effectively undamaged. Occupier back up and running in a day or two. Floors one above and one below didn't have film. Windows shattered with flying shards everywhere effectively rendering all equipment useless....little bits of glass inside PCs etc. In terms of procedure, need to think about likely location of any explosive device. In vehicle on street traditionally popular, hence evacuating in the event of bomb threat through usual means liable to take staff straight past where device may be about to go off. Your fire evacuation might usually take you to eg car park outside building. Probably not clever for bomb procedure! In many cases internal evacuation to the core of the building, ie away from external windows etc may be preferable to external evacuation. What you need to assess is the potential impact of a bomb on the building. Clearly if structural assessment is that it is liable to fall down, getting out is the solution. However, many buildings can be expected to stay upright, in which case internal evacuation may often represent safest option. Regards, Peter