Section 408.17717a. General requirements.

Rule 7717a. (1) An employee alarm system shall do both of the following:

(a)   Provide warning for necessary emergency action as called for in the emergency action plan.

(b)   Provide for reaction time for the safe escape of employees from the workplace or the immediate work area.

(2)   An employee alarm shall be capable of being perceived above ambient noise or light levels by all employees in the affected portions of the workplace. Tactile devices may be used to alert those employees who would not otherwise be able to recognize the audible or visual alarm.

(3)   An employee alarm shall be distinctive and recognizable as a signal to evacuate the work area or to perform actions designated under the emergency action plan.

(4)   An employer shall explain to each employee the preferred means of reporting emergencies, such as manual pull box alarms, public address systems, radios, or telephones. The employer shall post emergency telephone numbers near telephones or employee notice boards and at other conspicuous locations when telephones serve as a means of reporting emergencies. Where a communication system also serves as the

employee   alarm    system,   all   emergency   messages   shall   have    priority   over   all nonemergency messages.

(5)   An employer shall establish procedures for sounding emergency alarms in the workplace. For those employers with 10 or fewer employees in a particular workplace, direct voice communication is an acceptable procedure for sounding the alarm if all employees can hear the alarm. Such workplaces need not have a backup system.

History: 2014 AACS.