Office Emergency Kit: Essential Supplies to Keep Your Workplace Safe

Emergencies can happen anytime—whether it’s a power outage, earthquake, fire, or severe weather—and a shelter-in-place situation is frightening at the best of times. In a workplace, though, there’s often little food storage, no sanitation equipment, and a lack of safety direction.

A well-stocked office emergency kit has the resources needed to keep employees safe and operations stable.

The Biggest Workplace Emergency Risks

Here are the most common workplace emergencies that require immediate response:

• Structural damage – All it takes is a magnitude 4 earthquake to cause severe structural damage that either leaves employees trapped or forced to shelter in place.
• Medical emergencies – Employees may suffer from heart attacks, allergic reactions, or injuries. These can occur anytime and may or may not align with a disaster.
• Fires and smoke hazards – Office buildings must be prepared for sudden evacuation and smoke inhalation risks.
• Security threats and lockdowns – Whether due to external threats or workplace violence, offices must be ready.
• Power outages and communication failures – Sudden blackouts can leave employees stranded and make it unsafe to leave.

Disaster can strike at any time, and while individual employees may take emergency preparedness very seriously in their homes or cars, in-office preparation is often forgotten. Consider this: the average person spends nearly a quarter of their life at work. And with the average commute distance steadily increasing, many workplaces are a significant distance from employees' homes. This means that when disaster strikes, your office might be the only place your employees can seek shelter and support. The biggest workplace emergency risk is not being prepared.

Essential Items for an Office Emergency Kit

Offices come in all different shapes and sizes. Some workplaces may have room for multiple catastrophe-scale emergency supplies. Some workplaces are small operations without the ability to store a multitude of items.

Nonessential emergency items such as extra clothes, leisure items to pass the time, and other nonessentials are easy to store in a home but may not have a place in an office. The following emergency supplies are the items that every office should prioritize storing. These essentials are the must-haves that keep all workers safe and healthy during a disaster.

• Medical and First Aid Essentials
• First aid kits with bandages, antiseptics, hand sanitizer, and pain relievers.
• CPR masks and AED (Automated External Defibrillator) accessories.
• Emergency medications for employees with critical health conditions.
• Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place Supplies
• Emergency whistles and megaphones for alerting employees.
• High-visibility vests and flashlights for guiding evacuations.
• Maps of exit routes and employee rosters for headcounts.
• Food, Water, and Comfort Items
• Long-lasting emergency water pouches for extended period hydration.
• Non-perishable snacks to sustain employees in prolonged situations.
• Emergency blankets and ponchos for warmth.
• Communication and Power Backup Tools
• Battery-powered radios to receive emergency updates.
• Backup chargers, extra batteries, and power banks to keep communication lines open.
• Glow sticks and emergency lighting for visibility.
• Workplace-Specific Safety Equipment
• N95 masks for smoke or air contamination situations.
• Duct tape and plastic sheeting for sealing off hazardous areas.
• Fire extinguishers and basic fire response tools.

Where to Store Office Emergency Kits

Staying safe in an emergency means having secure access to vital supplies. Use these guidelines to keep yourself and your coworkers safe from harm.

Best storage locations

Keep supplies in easily accessible places like break rooms, supply closets, or near exits. These locations should never be locked to employees. Ideally, kits will be stored in a waterproof container or an area of the office that’s protected from the elements.

If your workplace is in an earthquake-prone area, consider storing some emergency supplies in a secure outdoor location away from buildings. This ensures access to essential resources even if the building is damaged or inaccessible after an earthquake.

Stocking multiple kits

Larger offices should place kits on each floor or in each department. These kits should be appropriate for the workers who are most likely to be using them. For example, a floor with 30 employees who work on a hybrid schedule should still contain the necessary supplies for 30 people.

Regular maintenance checks

Depending on the workplace, safety coordinator inspections and other checks may be a necessary business practice. Regular checking of emergency kits may not be a requirement, but it is recommended. Conducting emergency kit inspections at the same time as required inspections makes it easy to stay up to date.

These regular checks ensure that no materials are expired or damaged.

Training employees

First, assign a point person or team to lead office emergency preparedness. Next, develop workplace emergency plans that are accessible to all employees. These plans include the best steps to take in various disasters, important documents, and tips for staying safe.

Finally, emergency preparedness sessions should be held on a regular basis so staff know where supplies are stored and how to use them. Put plans in place to support workers with specific needs.

Why Professionally Designed Kits Are the Best Option

While assembling your own kit might seem like a good idea, it can be time-consuming and overwhelming. Expert insight is needed to prepare adequately for the wide variety of emergencies your office will face.

• Compliance and liability protection – Professionally assembled kits help businesses meet workplace safety regulations. Per OSHA, first aid kits are mandatory, and additional survival equipment helps meet various state regulations.
• Reliability in high-stress situations – When an emergency strikes, it’s challenging to think straight, even with an emergency plan. A pre-made kit ensures that nothing critical is missing.
• Cost-effective and time-saving – Purchasing a professionally designed kit saves businesses the time and hassle of assembling supplies. Offices are already juggling enough responsibilities and expenses. Let an expert take emergency preparedness off your plate.

EmergencyKits.com provides workplace-ready emergency kits designed specifically for offices, ensuring businesses are fully equipped for every situation.

Make Workplace Safety a Priority

Reinforce that being prepared isn’t just a recommendation—it’s a responsibility. Office managers and business owners must take action now rather than waiting for an emergency to happen. Preparedness and survival go hand in hand.

At EmergencyKits.com, we recognize this urgency and offer comprehensive emergency preparedness kits for businesses of all sizes. Our office emergency kits are designed to accommodate teams of 5, 10, 20, 50, 1,000, or more employees. Explore our wide range of kits, including options for Bleeding Control Kits, Team Leader Kits, and Shelter-In-Place Kits.

Do you have a unique work situation and need something specific? We also provide customizable emergency kits to fit your workplace needs. With professionally designed emergency kits, your office remains a safe, secure place, even in the face of unexpected disaster.