Where should a rescue sheet be stored?
When a rescue-sheet is required to be used on your premises it is usually needed immediately. Therefore, it should be stored where it can easily be reached quickly. The most common place to store a rescue-sheet is close to the location or escape route where it is most likely to be used. If you’re wondering whether a rescue-sheet can carry people of different sizes, we have written an article covering this.
This ensures that it can be reached quickly if there was an emergency such as an accident, a fire, burst water pipe, gas leak or other hazard. They are essentially a vehicle that is used to move a person who cannot move themselves and should for part of your emergency plan and evacuation procedure.
There are a variety of locations that are best to store rescue sheets. This will be dependant on the type of facility which will be using the emergency evacuation equipment. The storage location is often best advised by your internal health and safety officer. These people should be experienced and qualified to give such information for any emergency situation.
Your safety officer is usually responsible for carrying out a risk assessment.
Factories, schools, colleges, office blocks, and other areas of work
For example, in a multi-level building, such as a factory, the best place to store rescue sheets will be in the stit well on as many floors as possible. They should play a part in any fire escape plan when it comes to moving anyone who suffers a mobility impairment. The third step of a fire escape plan is always evacuation, which means that it’s time for workers to use their emergency equipment and leave as soon as possible. It is also a good idea to have anyone, such as emergency responders who may be responsible for using such equipment to be professionally trained in how to use it.
Hospitals, clinics, and care homes
If a patient needs to be moved from a bed to a safe place then it is important to have a rescue-sheet stored close by. This is especially important in the case of an emergency such as a fire. If not every bed has a rescue sheet then it is best to store these sheets in a nearby cupboard or room. The best place to store them is on a special wall hook because it is easy for caregivers to quickly find and then they are available and ready for deployment.
There are other places where you may choose to store your rescue sheet depending on what types of emergencies you anticipate happening in your environment. Again, this should be advised by your health and safety officer.
Evacuslider rescue-sheets
All Evacusafe Evacusafe rescue-sheets come with a zip-up storage bag in order to keep them clean and special wall hooks that enable them to be mounted on a wall. They are also coloured bright red so that they are easy to see and find.
You can view our range of Evacuslider rescue sheets here. Also, if you would like to know how to safely and comfortably use an Evacuslider you can read about that here.