who should be trained on the contents of an emergency action plan?

Everyone in the workplace should be trained on the contents of an emergency action plan, with extra, deeper training for people who have specific emergency roles (like evacuation leaders or response teams).

Quick Scoop

When an emergency hits, you don’t want people wondering what to do—you want muscle memory. That only happens if the entire team is trained.

Who should be trained?

At a practical, best‑practice level, training should include:

• All employees (full‑time, part‑time, temporary, interns, volunteers).

• Supervisors and managers, so they can direct others and make quick decisions.

• Designated emergency response or evacuation teams (floor wardens, first‑aiders, incident commanders).

• Maintenance workers and contractors, especially those handling hazardous materials or critical equipment.

• New hires, trained during onboarding—not weeks later.

From a regulatory angle, OSHA’s emergency action plan standard specifically requires training for personnel who assist with safe and orderly evacuation, but other rules and guidance strongly encourage training everyone, not just a small group.

What should each group learn?

Think of it as “baseline for everyone, advanced for key roles.”

All staff should know:

• How to recognize and report an emergency.
• What alarms and announcements mean.
• Primary and secondary evacuation routes and exits.
• Where assembly points are and what to do there.
• Any shutdown steps they’re responsible for (equipment, utilities).

Emergency teams and leaders need deeper training:

• How to lead evacuations and keep people calm.
• Accounting for personnel at assembly points.
• Assisting people with disabilities or special needs.
• Communicating with first responders and management.
• Scenario‑based practice (blocked exits, spills, fire near a main route, etc.).

When and how often should training happen?

To keep the plan “alive” and not just a document in a binder:

• At hire or reassignment: New staff or staff with new duties get EAP training right away.
• At least annually: Many organizations run refresher training and drills once a year or more.
• After changes: Update and retrain after layout changes, new hazards, or plan revisions.
• Through drills: Fire drills, evacuation drills, and tabletop exercises help people actually practice the plan, not just hear about it.

Why training everyone matters

When only a few people know the plan, emergencies can quickly turn chaotic. Training everyone:

• Reduces confusion and panic.
• Speeds up evacuation and response.
• Lowers the risk of injury, damage, and loss of life.
• Helps meet legal and regulatory expectations for workplace safety.

In simple terms: an emergency action plan works only if the people who depend on it have actually trained to use it.

TL;DR: Every employee should be trained on the contents of the emergency action plan, with additional, more detailed training for supervisors, designated emergency teams, and anyone handling special hazards.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.