Having procedures in place for workplace evacuations is part of what employers should do to ensure their employees’ safety in the event of an emergency. One of the Department of Labor’s minimum requirements for an emergency action plan (EAP) is “Accounting for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed.” However, the manner in which an employer should perform this accounting is not specified. Safety and security professionals often have to determine the most effective method on their own, considering a range of factors such as facility type, size, infrastructure, and number of employees. In this blog, we outline seven of the most popular ways we have seen employers check for missing employees.

1. Paper Roster

Using a paper roster is the most rudimentary form of mustering. With a hint of nostalgia, it throws us back to memories of grade school, lining up in the parking lot and waiting for the teacher to call our names and check us off the list. This system still works well in the classroom, but may not be practical for large corporate buildings with hundreds of employees. In these situations, the rosters have to be kept fastidiously up to date with HR records. Security personnel usually accomplish this by requesting that HR or relevant supervisors maintain an updated list on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis.

Some companies have found ways to embellish the paper roster method by using the building’s physical access control system. This way, a list can be printed of employees who used their access badge to enter the building that day, helping responders quickly identify who may still be unaccounted for. This method works well in workplaces where employees are required to badge in every day.

Paper rosters have a key advantage of simplicity, needing only a pen and paper to operate. However, they are inherently slow and prone to error, especially if any employee goes to the wrong evacuation station. Also, how many evacuation captains are going to wait around for their roster to finish printing with a real fire in the building?

2. Electronic Roster

Adapting the traditional roster method for the 21st century, we can enhance the paper list using web technologies. In this method, occupancy data is retrieved from the security system and published electronically. Options here include:

• Email current occupancy list to evacuation captains.
• Populating an occupancy list on a tablet at the facility.
• Pushing an up to date list on the internet.

3. Badge Scanning

Using security badges to quickly scan employees outside the facility can be an improved solution over paper or electronic rosters if implemented correctly. There are many ways to electronically scan badges, including:

• Scanner on a stanchion
• Scanner built into a small Pelican case or cart
• Handheld scanning device, either a PDA or tablet

These methods are easiest to use if a campus or facility has a solid network infrastructure. This allows evacuation captains to quickly access the occupancy list through a web page. However, if a catastrophic emergency occurs, like the 2011 Southwest blackout, where all power and cellular data goes out, this type of system still can leave security professionals without critical data about their users.

Of the different options, handheld badge scanners offer several key advantages over stanchion or case-mounted scanners:

1. Handheld devices are portable and easily carried to any location during an emergency.
2. Scanners with a screen let you view live occupancy lists and employee information.
3. Some systems provide backup ways to muster in case someone forgets their badge, such as manually entering their name.
4. No need for expensive infrastructure or trenching power like with a fixed muster post.
5. If network connection is lost, some devices can maintain synced lists and continue to function normally.

4. Biometrics

Biometrics is the process of identifying people by something unique about them – their biology, so to speak. Security and mustering systems can incorporate many methods, but in practice, only a few see common adoption. Currently, organizations most widely use fingerprint technology as the primary biometric tool in security. As facial recognition from video and iris recognition technologies continue to advance, more systems are implementing them as well. These biometric methods effectively capture employee presence at evacuation points, serving as a reliable alternative to badge scanning, with the added advantage that they can’t be lost like ID cards.

5. Long Range RFID

Instead of manually scanning employee badges, long-range Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) allows for automatic scanning from a distance. These systems use RFID tags operating in the 900 MHz frequency range, called UHF tags. There are many ways to implement these tags, including:

• Added as a sticker to the back of an existing badge.
• Provided as a separate card.
• Integrated into a lanyard or badge holder.
• Built into new access control badges, which would have multiple RFID technologies implemented – the image to the right shows an example of this.

These UHF tags enable personnel to be identified from ranges of up to 25 feet away. This solution can be ideal for verifying when employees exit through known doorways, accounting for people near an evacuation area, or correctly detecting when they exit a facility.

6. Real Time Location Systems (RTLS)

For high-risk environments, like chemical plants or refineries, traditional mustering methods may not offer the speed or accuracy needed during an emergency. Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) provide a faster, more automated way to account for personnel using RFID tags and strategically placed sensors.

RTLS uses active RFID tags, which are battery-powered and can be read from more than 100 feet away. These tags enable continuous tracking of the real-time location of employees (hence the name, Real Time Location Systems). Active tags differ from passive UHF tags, mentioned in the above section, which have no battery and must be scanned at close range.

This solution requires placing readers strategically throughout the facility and at designated muster points. When a reader detects a tag, it identifies the employee as being near that location, indicating they’ve reached safety. With this setup, employees can either use RTLS-enabled badges or wear tags on their clothing. Click here to learn more about what to consider when implementing RTLS.

RTLS and geofencing systems inherently show whether employees are inside or outside your facility, which is exactly what a mustering system is designed to do. This eliminates the need for manual check-ins and dramatically reduces headcounting time. Another consideration is that RTLS platforms typically operate through their own separate management portals and are rarely integrated directly with the security system.

7. Cell Phone and SMS Based Systems

Some employee mustering solutions use the mobile infrastructure to support their evacuation requirements. There are two main types of these systems: app-based systems and SMS-based systems.

App-based solutions can either use a phone’s geolocation to determine if an employee is outside a danger area, or may require the user to actively check in. Alternatively, SMS systems notify users via text and may or may not have 2-way communication, allowing employees to indicate if they are safe or require assistance. These types of solutions rely on two things to function effectively:

• All users must have a mobile phone and must have it with them during the evacuation.
• Facilities must be located in areas with reliable cell coverage.

One advantage of these solutions is that they eliminate the need for external scanners altogether.

Things To Keep In Mind

No emergency evacuation system by itself is perfect.

• If a building is burning, evacuation captains are unlikely to instinctively grab rosters, tablets, or readers.
• Employees are likely to leave behind badges and/or phones in an emergency.
• Without complete information, first responders must still enter burning buildings to verify that everyone is safe.
• Emergencies, by their very nature, are unexpected, and situations can quickly get out of hand.

Keep in mind that people can behave unpredictably, especially when it comes to personal safety. However, having and practicing an emergency action plan will better ensure the safety of your employees by providing them guidance, no matter which mustering solution you choose.

Telaeris has over 20 years of experience helping security teams streamline their emergency mustering processes. If we can help you upgrade how you account for employees in an evacuation, please contact us.

This blog was originally published in May 2016 and has been updated to clarify various technical terms.